BIG BOYS DO CRY
Marler’s mental health warning
JOE MARLER says the Lions should take a mental health expert on tour to help players deal with up to 10 weeks in a bubble.
The England prop admits he is unsure he would have been able to cope with the monastic existence awaiting the tourists.
And he believes taking an extra member of staff “qualified in the clinical side of mental health” would be a “very good” idea.
Marler said: “Lions tours are tough enough as they are, being away from your families, but this one is particularly hard.
“If they’re not going to take someone qualified, they definitely need to have a conversation as a touring party at the start.”
A stark example of the emotions involved came from Kyle Sinckler’s reaction to his shock Lions omission after his man-of-the-match display in Bristol’s 40-20 win at Bath on Saturday. Choking up in a TV interview, Sinckler said: “It has been so tough, I have never experienced something like this in my career.” Lions head coach Warren Gatland has acknowledged that keeping the players happy off the field is key to success on it.
And he could do worse than compare notes with Marler, who has withdrawn from two England campaigns for personal reasons and this week fronts a documentary, left, called Big Boys Don’t Cry which examines mental health issues, especially among young men. “By its nature of machoism, aggression, alpha male, the environment around a rugby team makes discussing individual problems difficult,” said the Harlequins forward. “I suspect there are a number of boys that have been suffering and not wanting to talk about it.”
●Watch Joe Marler in Big Boys Don’t Cry on Sky Sports Arena and NOW at 4pm on Wednesday and throughout the week on multiple Sky Sports channels.