Joseph William George Marler (born 7 July 1990) is an English professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

for Harlequins in the Premiership. He is also one of the hosts of The Joe Marler Show podcast with

Tom Fordyce Tom Fordyce is a former BBC Sport journalist. He wrote text commentaries on cricket and tennis, also writing features on various other sports and blogging from a number of different events. Fordyce attended Westminster School, where he was a pref ...

Background

Marler was educated at Maynards Green Primary School and

Heathfield Community College Heathfield Community College is a secondary school near the market town of Heathfield, East Sussex, England. School Enrollment The college draws its students from a large geographical area. There are currently over 1200 students on roll, with ...

and began playing at the age of 11 for Eastbourne Sharks. His stepping stones in the game not only include playing for Sussex Under 14-18 but also representing London & South East in 2006. Marler started his career at

Haywards Heath RFC Haywards Heath Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team. The first XV currently plays in Sussex 2, the tenth tier of English rugby union competition. The club also has a number of other teams, with their 2nd XV currently playing in the ...

in Sussex where he played in the same side as fellow England international

Billy Twelvetrees William Wesley Twelvetrees (born 15 November 1988) is a rugby union footballer who currently plays centre or fly-half for Gloucester Rugby and formerly played as inside centre for the England national rugby team. Whilst playing for the Leic ...

Club career

Marler joined the Harlequins Academy in 2008 and made his first team debut in the 2009-2010 season, after spending some time on loan to

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up Ar ...

and

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

. Marler has described his time in the lower tiers as a necessary learning curve that has allowed him to experience all the tricks of the trade at prop. He particularly points to the technical advice he received from one Bobby Walsh, a former coach, on scrummaging. The knowledge gained at this level has allowed him to occasionally cover the tighthead side of the scrum. In May 2011 Marler started for the Harlequins side that defeated

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

in the final of the

EPCR Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...

. The following season saw Marler play a crucial part in helping Harlequins claim their first ever League title by starting in the 2011–12 Premiership final victory over

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

. Marler captained Harlequins for the 2014-2015 season, replacing

Chris Robshaw Chris Robshaw (born 4 June 1986) is an English former rugby union player. He was the captain of the England national rugby union team from January 2012 until December 2015. Robshaw's position of choice was in the back row of the scrum, usually ...

due to his commitments as

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

captain in the 2015 World Cup year. Marler then passed on the captaincy of Harlequins to teammate

Danny Care Daniel Stuart Care (born 2 January 1987) is an English rugby union player who plays for Harlequins in the Premiership as a scrum-half. He has played for England national team since 2008 and has won 87 caps. He previously played for England ...

in the following season. In January 2016 it was announced that Marler had signed a new contract to stay at the club and later that year he started for the Harlequins side that were defeated by

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

in the final of the

. On 26 June 2021 Marler won his second league title starting for the Harlequins side that defeated

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

40-38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever.

International career

England

In 2008 Marler was captain for England at U18s level. He represented

England U20 England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s), represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in En ...

in the 2009 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and was a member of the squad that finished runners up to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

at the

2009 IRB Junior World Championship The 2009 IRB Junior World Championship (known as the 2009 IRB Toshiba Junior World Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the second annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaces the now def ...

. The following year saw him score two tries in a game against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in the 2010 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He also scored a try in a defeat against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

as England finished fourth at the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship. He was called into the senior England squad for the 2010 end of year tests as injury cover for David Wilson. In January 2011 Marler started for England A against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Marler was selected for the 2012 summer tour of South Africa and on 9 June 2012 made his senior debut starting in the opening test defeat to the

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

. Marler was selected for the 2013 series against Argentina and then became a regular member of the squad. Coach Stuart Lancaster included Marler in his squad for the

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

and he started for the hosts in the pool stage as they failed to reach the knockout phase. New head coach Eddie Jones included Marler in his squad for the

2016 Six Nations Championship The 2016 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2016 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by The Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 17th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. I ...

and he came off the bench in the concluding game of the tournament as England defeated

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to achieve their first

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

in over a decade. The following year saw Marler given the honour of leading the team out on his 50th cap against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in the penultimate round of the 2017 Six Nations Championship. He also started in the last round of the tournament defeat away to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

which ensured England failed to complete consecutive grand slams and also brought an end to a record equalling eighteen successive

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

victories. In September 2018 Marler announced his retirement from international rugby but later reversed his decision, re-joining the England squad for the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

. Marler came off the bench for the semi-final victory over

and was a second half replacement for

Mako Vunipola Mako Vunipola (born 14 January 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for English club Saracens and the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residenc ...

in the final as England were defeated by

to finish runners up. In March 2020, Marler was banned from playing for 10-weeks after he grabbed

Alun Wyn Jones Alun Wyn Jones (born 19 September 1985) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a Rugby union/lock, lock for the Ospreys (rugby union), Ospreys and the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team. He is List of rugby u ...

' genitals during a Six Nations match against

. As a result of the coronavirus lockdown, the ban ended without Marler missing any matches since every fixture that Marler could have played was postponed. In December 2020 Marler was a second-half substitute for

Ellis Genge Ellis Genge (born 16 February 1995) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Bristol Bears. He made his international debut for in 2016. Genge played 26 times for Bristol in a first spell bet ...

as England defeated

in the final of the

Autumn Nations Cup The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...

British & Irish Lions

On 19 April 2017, Marler was one of 41 players selected for the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

' tour to New Zealand in June and July of that year. He made five appearances in the tour games but did not feature in the Test series against

Barbarians

Marler was recruited into the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

squad in 2019, making his only appearance for the team against England on 2 June alongside team mate

James Horwill James Horwill (born 29 May 1985) is an Australian former rugby union player, who has played for the Australian national side, with 61 caps to his name. He captained the Wallabies a number of times, including during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Hor ...

who captained the team. Marler returned to play for England again, 4 months later at the

. Marler was recruited again to the squad in 2022, after missing out on a call up to England's 2022 Autumn nations series fixtures alongside fellow England international

Zach Mercer Zach Mercer (born 28 June 1997) is an English rugby union player who plays as a number eight or a flanker for Montpellier in the Top 14. Early life Mercer was born in Leeds and grew up near Halifax. He played junior rugby for Old Brodleians ...

. The squad was coached by super Rugby champions' coach Scott Robertson and Heineken Cup winning coach

Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara ( ga, Rónán Ó Gadhra; born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland's second most-capped player and highest ever points scorer. He is currently ...

. The team are set to face All Blacks XV on 13th November, with Marler set to face the Barbarians 5 days later with his club side Harlequins.

Disciplinary issues

In April 2016 Marler received a two match ban and £20,000 fine (to be donated to a suitable equality charity) for using unsporting and discriminatory language towards

Samson Lee Samson Lee (born 30 November 1992) is a Wales international rugby union player currently playing for the Scarlets having previously played for Llanelli and Ammanford. His position is prop forward. Lee has represented Wales, making his debut ag ...

during the England versus Wales Six Nations match held on 12 March. In March 2020, he received a ten week match ban for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones’s genitals during the England versus Wales Six Nations match held on March 7th 2020. In December 2022, Marler received a 6 week ban (four of them suspended) for conduct prejudicial to the game involving insulting language used in an incident with Bristol Bears flanker Jake Heenan.

Miscellaneous

In 2020, Marler wrote a book about his life: ''Loose Head, Confessions of an (un)professional rugby player'', published by

Ebury Press Ebury Publishing is a division of Penguin Random House, and is a publisher of general non-fiction books in the UK. Ebury was founded in 1961 as a division of Nat Mags and was originally located on Ebury Street in London. It was sold to Century ...

. He also hosts the podcast "The Joe Marler Show."

Honours

England *

Six Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

runner-up:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Harlequins * Premiership: 2011–12,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

: 2010–11 * EPCR Challenge Cup runner up: 2015–16

References

External links

Harlequins Profile

RFU Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marler, Joe 1990 births Living people Rugby union players from Eastbourne English rugby union players England international rugby union players Harlequin F.C. players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England Rugby union props