Six Nations 2016: England ready for life without Joe Marler as prop awaits fate over Samson Lee words

Coach Jones chastises forward for verbally abusing Welsh opponent but hopes to have him available for Grand Slam finale against France

Joe Marler, left, and Wales’ Samson Lee get up close and personal on Saturday (EPA)

It is difficult to remember when three little words, spectacularly crass and wholly inappropriate as they may have been, caused the rugby authorities so much grief.

More than two days after Joe Marler, the England prop, aimed the phrase “Hey, gypsy boy” at his rival front-rower Samson Lee during the Triple Crown victory over Wales at Twickenham, the Six Nations authorities were still trying to figure out their next step.

Marler may well miss this weekend’s Grand Slam finale with France anyway: on Monday, the Harlequins forward was cited for striking his opposite number, Rob Evans, with his forearm at a first-half ruck. The offence carries a minimum ban of two weeks, so a guilty verdict will end the player’s hopes of participating in Paris.

Even though Marler apologised to Lee during the half-time interval last Saturday and was given an ear-bashing by the red-rose coach, Eddie Jones, who “reminded him of his responsibilities” as the saying goes, the tournament top brass found themselves unable to make a decision within the supposed 48-hour time limit for citings. Discussions were still in progress on Monday night, with a definitive call expected Tuesday.

Failure to level a charge of verbal abuse at the Englishman would set an awkward precedent for the sport and infuriate the Welsh, who voiced their concerns in no uncertain terms. “I think there is banter in the game, but there’s no place for that,” said the Red Dragons’ assistant coach, Rob Howley.

The England hierarchy took their own steps in dealing with Marler, although the 18st 8lb forward was not particularly discomfited by what amounted to a slap on the wrist. Jones consulted Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, to establish that any internal sanction was the responsibility of the coach rather than the committee man. He then had words with Marler and put the matter to bed.

“What Joe said wasn’t in the spirit of the game and he understands that,” Jones said. “It’s why he apologised straight away. People make mistakes – we all make mistakes – and the fact that he apologised at half-time is a real testament to his character. You don’t do that in a game of rugby unless you mean it.”

Jones was reluctant to say more until the judicial process had been exhausted, except to say that England were preparing for the France game on the basis that their number one No 1 will be available and would continue to do so until they were told otherwise. The coach also indicated that if the Six Nations disciplinarians decided to take no further action, he would follow their lead and select Marler for the Grand Slam match.

Amid the whys and wherefores of this tawdry affair, there was the winning of a Six Nations Championship to discuss. England’s first title since 2011 and only their second since the World Cup-winning year of 2003 was not marked by a full-on celebration: instead, the players enjoyed a “couple of quiet beers” (as opposed to 19 noisy ones) before settling into some serious analysis of the threat posed by France.


 Eddie Jones, the England coach, enjoys the moment after his side clinched the Triple Crown with victory over Wales (Getty)
 (Reuters)

And yes, the threat is real. The Tricolores may have lost their last two games, having won the first two in a style a long way short of impressive, but Jones knows that his players will be riding for a fall if they fail to reproduce the accuracy and intensity they showed for an hour or more against Wales.

“The underlying thought is that you can’t underestimate the opposition in Test rugby,” said the Australian. “France are a proud country and their coach, Guy Novès, is a proud man with one of the best records in the European game. He promised his public that he and his team would be going back to the best traditions of French play and as they have no responsibility this weekend, they can perform with freedom and flair. That makes them dangerous. We must be right for this game. We must crush them with intensity.

“Some of the rugby they played against Scotland at the weekend was sublime: that first try of theirs was fantastic. If you allow them to do that, it becomes a problem. But our biggest problem will be ourselves, unless we get ourselves absolutely right.

“We should do that, because this is a wonderful opportunity. England have been playing international rugby since the 1870s – that’s only 100 years after Captain Cook arrived in Australia – and there have been only 12 English Grand Slams. Only 12 times have they been able to say conclusively that they’re the best team in Europe. Beat everyone and it’s a great achievement.”

According to the boss, his countryman Michael Cheika, the highly rated Wallaby coach, will be flying in this week for some “due diligence” ahead of England’s three-Test tour of Australia in June.

“I’m expecting so much fun on that trip,” Jones remarked. “Seriously, I think it’s going to be hilarious.

“Australia is one of the great sporting countries in the world and Australia versus England is one of the great contests. To be a part of it on the ‘other’ side will be absolutely fantastic.”