2026-07-05 11:32:56
Joe Marler has encouraged England players to say no to international tours.
The former Harlequins Prop – who is now performance director for Team England Rugby – feels “really sorry” for the current generation of players because of their gruelling schedule and demands of tournaments such as the Nations Championship.
He told The Guardian newspaper: “I feel really sorry for the new generation. In some of my seasons, I’d be playing 33-35 games, a long slog, and then at the end I’d have a tour. I’d get so excited, not just pulling on an England shirt, but going to South Africa, playing three Tests against these massive units. Yes, it was hard work but it was that traditional touring experience, spending four weeks with 30, 40 lads.
“It’s not that the Test matches were meaningless, but whether we won 3-0 or lost 2-1 was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It’s the life experience, seeing a new country, a different culture, an opportunity to develop younger guys in an environment that doesn’t necessarily count for anything, like a World Cup. But now they’ve brought in this Nations Championship instead.”
Asked if players should be able to say they don’t want to leave their families for a month but will be available for selection further down the line, he said: “That’s the alternative route and I actively encourage them to make those decisions.
“I got to that point in my career. I stood down in 2016 because I lost the plot and needed a break. And then again, in 2018, when I was fried. It takes a bit of courage to go, ‘Actually, I need to have a break.’
“They worry they won’t get picked again but, if I turned to a head coach and said, ‘Mate, I’m knackered, I’m struggling. I need to stay at home, rest, recuperate and be ready to go rock October,’ and he said, ‘Oh, you’re soft, I’m not having it,’ I wouldn’t want to work under him anyway. I know that’s easier said than done. That’s why they need people fighting their battles for them.”
Joe can undersand why the Nations Championship is good for generating revenue but feels it will be incredibly tough for players.
He said: “I get it from a financial point of view, and trying to make the global calendar more aligned, but this team has to fly to South Africa, play a Test match at altitude, come home, spend the week in Liverpool and play Fiji at Everton, then fly over to Argentina. What?! All the best with that!
“It’s a work in progress, that’s the best politician’s answer I can give. Players want to play for England, to experience as much as they can.
” Ideally, they’re doing it with less travel and more rest. But that’s a fight between players, country and club. When you have two masters, it’s quite a battle. I’m trying my hardest for them.”
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