New Zealand captain Scott Barrett says England prop Joe Marler has “loaded the gun” after his controversial call for the All Blacks haka to be scrapped.
Marler, 34, has since apologised for calling the iconic pre-match ritual “ridiculous” and saying it should be “binned” in a post on X on Tuesday.
The Harlequins veteran will miss England’s autumn opener at Allianz Stadium on Saturday for personal reasons, but All Blacks second row Barrett said the damage had been done.
“He has probably loaded the gun hasn’t he?” Barrett said on Friday in response to the row.
“I guess there are always opinions about the haka and its place. It’s hugely important to us and has been to the All Blacks for a long time – we get a lot from it.
“It’s been a huge part of the All Blacks. It’s bigger than rugby in a sense. You speak to people from America and lesser-known rugby nations and they know rugby in New Zealand for the haka, so it is huge for us and unites…
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