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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
England prop Joe Marler left the camp on Monday morning due to “personal reasons,” a source has confirmed to ESPN.
Marler decided to leave the camp before the team was announced to the squad ahead of Saturday’s match against the All Blacks.
The news was first reported by The Guardian. It is not clear yet whether he will return to camp ahead of England’s match with Australia next week.
At this stage, England are not intending to call up a replacement for Marler. Ellis Genge will start at loose-head against New Zealand on Saturday with Fin Baxter named on the bench.
Away from the camp, Marler on Tuesday stoked the fire ahead of England’s first autumn internationals match against New Zealand on Saturday by describing the Haka as something that “needs binning” and “ridiculous” in a post on X.
He then added further clarification, saying: “It’s only good when teams front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.” This was a reference to the way England’s men’s rugby league team faced Samoa’s Siva Tau last Sunday.
Marler then deactivated his account, only to then clarify his comments on Wednesday, saying: “Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture.”
Marler is one of England’s most experienced players and has spent time away from the team in the past. He retired from international duty in 2018 only to reverse the decision in 2019. He has been a strong mental health advocate and has spoken openly of his own struggles in the past.