Joe Marler loves a wind-up – but he crossed the line with Alun Wyn Jones tackle tickle
JOE MARLER could have been waking up with a sore chin and head had this game been played 20 years ago.
Because Alun Wyn Jones could well have delivered an uppercut for his bizarre b******- grabbing balls-up.
Joe knows that too, which is why he was probably trying to draw a reaction from the Welshman — and to be fair to Jones he was very professional about it.
I played over 100 times with Joe for England and Harlequins and he’s not a dirty player, but he does love a wind-up.
He likes the role of pantomime villain, even if this has become the biggest discussion point, despite one of his best games in an England shirt. I’m sure over these last 24 hours he will be wondering why everyone is talking about the moment he manhandled Jones’ manhood.
But deep down, he will know why it has caused such a storm and will realise he got it wrong.
He loves living on the edge and getting under the skin, and seemingly pants, of the opposition. But this crossed the line.
Initially you think it’s a bit of harmless afters and he was just trying to lighten the mood and reacquaint himself with his former Lions pal.
However, you then think — why is he going there? Is it disrespectful to a legend of the game? This is a guy with 138 caps and captain of his country.
Wales skipper Big Al wanted the TV match official to have a look at the incident after raising it with the touch judge.
I think Marius Jonker, the TMO, may have been scrambling around in the law book if he had been asked at the time.
It is hard to predict what the outcome might have been, but maybe, given the duty to upholding the spirit of the game, it should have been a talking to and slap on the wrist, or a yellow card.
The whistle had gone, Joe wasn’t trying to get an advantage mid play and there wasn’t any intent to damage or cause harm.
Jones showed remarkable resilience and knows that these days there is zero self-policing with all the cameras on you. You leave it all to the officials now.
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So you do something that you think is a bit of a laugh and harmless fun and it can easily come back to kick in you the b****** – like this has. I think Joe will probably get a ban for it, but the entry-level sanction of 12 weeks would be ridiculous.
At least he’s going to have company when he heads in for his disciplinary meeting.
Manu Tuilagi’s red card for his no-arms hit on George North was a wrong call by Ben O’Keefe.
O’Keefe had an excellent game and is one of the best southern hemisphere referees.
But I think he was led by Jonker into giving a red card.
There were clear mitigating circumstances, that North’s body height altered considerably due to Henry Slade’s tackle.
And anyone who thinks that during a despairing midair dash Tuilagi can change his height is living in cloud cuckoo land.
Manu, known as The Chief, is one of the most-respected characters in that Twickenham dressing room and is always a very gracious guy. He took his marching orders in good grace.
That said, you do wonder what would have happened if that incident was in the 45th minute and not the final few seconds.
Would the officials have dealt the red card then? I don’t think so and I think that is possibly why
England head coach Eddie Jones was so angry about it.
I like Eddie and I always enjoy hearing what he has to say — I think he is great for the game
But he does appear to be a bit more spikey at the moment.
His honesty is refreshing in a society that likes to toe the line and play the PC card all the time.
Eddie is his own man and has always been true to himself.
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If I was the RFU I would lock him in a room until he signs up to coach England through to France 2023.
He has a brilliant backroom team — Matt Proudfoot has improved the scrum and John Mitchell has toughened up their defence.
The players also love Eddie and they are the ones who go to task for him every week.
So it seems foolish not to make that decision now with his contract running down.
It might also be the reason why he is so short and curt: “Give me a deal and I’ll make the PR easier for you guys. Otherwise, I’ll do what I want.”