There was only one man that New Zealand rugby fans were gunning for after their side held on to beat England in a dramatic clash at Twickenham. The hosts seemed odds-on for victory after battling back from a 14-6 deficit to lead 22-14 late on, but Damian McKenzie’s late penalty reduced the deficit before Mark Tele’a finished brilliantly in the corner to level matters.
McKenzie then nailed the conversion from out wide, but still there was time for Steve Borthwick’s men as they earned a long range penalty chance in the final minute.
But replacement George Ford saw his effort come back off the post, and the outside-half was then wide with a last ditch drop goal attempt as the tourists prevailed in a thrilling Test match.
The pre-match build up had been dominated by the controversy surrounding Joe Marler’s social media comments about getting rid of the haka. The England prop later apologised and claimed his posts were meant for a joke, having been strongly criticised by New Zealand coach Scott Robertson.
The pair appeared to have made amends pre-game, and were seen embracing before talking amicably. But supporters of the All Blacks were in no mood to forgive and forget, and despite Marler not being involved in the clash he was receiving pelters online just seconds after the final whistle.
“I can’t wait to hear what Joe Marler thinks about the haka now?” said @MKTInspires. The @TheACCnz account wasn’t so subtle, posting a graphic of the final score with the caption “Suck on that Joe Marler!” @Kgabi_feela added: “Joe Marler can go to hell!”
Others were also cynical about Marler’s respectful exchange with their head coach, with @JGilmartin77 writing: “Razor (Robertson) is a class act and Marler is just a man desperate for the spotlight to be on him. He can say he’s ‘fishing all he wants but really he’s happy if people are talking about him.”
Inevitably, there was no shortage of intrigue when the England team did line-up to face one of rugby union’s most famous traditions. The squad opted not to encroach over the halfway line, although the home crowd did roundly sing ‘Swing Low’ in a bid to drown out the player noise.
Prior to the game, England coach Steve Borthwick had played down the furore, and denied that his team had planned a special response to the war dance in light of Marler’s comments. “That’s a question for Jamie George the captain,” he said.
“We respect the haka. It’s clear it’s a tradition in rugby but you can be certain that the players are ready for the challenge. They’ll accept the challenge, no doubt.”
Amid the storm, Marler left the England camp for personal reasons on Monday, with management insisting his absence was due to a separate issue. It remains unclear if he’ll be available for selection when the Red Roses take on Australia next Saturday.
