Veteran prop Joe Marler has claimed that the England camp is a much happier and “relaxed” one under head coach Steve Borthwick than predecessor Eddie Jones.
Marler, who came out of retirement for the 2019 World Cup before ruling himself out for the 2021 Six Nations and the 2022 tour to Australia under Jones, is a senior campaigner for Borthwick’s charges as they look to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time in France.
The 33-year-old initially met with Borthwick about his commitment to the Roses’ World Cup campaign, and speaking in the build-up to a Pool D clash between England and Japan in Nice on Sunday, Marler touched on his past experiences in the national setup.
“Having been out of the previous environment for 18 months and then coming back into Steve’s environment and experiencing it for the first time in a World Cup camp and now here, there has been a huge difference in terms of how a lot of the group have felt, who they can be and how they can behave,” Marler said.
“I think that’s had a massive effect on how they are approaching training and how they are enjoying themselves both on and off the pitch.
“I noticed the atmosphere amongst the group was far more relaxed. Not in a way that we do what we want and turn up for meetings late, but boys were far more comfortable to smile and enjoy themselves and be themselves in the whole environment; in meetings, in food areas, in team areas – not just behind closed doors with their mates, which has been the case in previous environments I have been involved in.
“So that was refreshing to see that boys can work hard but enjoy it. That is credit to Steve and the staff who have enabled that.
“We want boys to enjoy coming here. There have been times when I have not feared coming, but it has been a chore. It has been a necessity and you don’t want to have that feeling about playing for England. You want to come and play for England because you want to be here. You want to play with the best.”
The controversial loosehead also gave a tongue-in-cheek critique of former teammate Danny Cipriani’s recent autobiography, in which he accused English rugby of stifling players’ individuality and personality.
“Is Cips’ book fiction or nonfiction?” he asked. “Do we know what section of the bookshop it will be in?”
Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP