I am not Jesus Christ. I’ve made mistakes and I have apologised
SAYS ENGLAND WING MARLAND YARDE
THIS IS about setting the record straight and addressing damaging perceptions.
This is about Marland Yarde conceding that he has made mistakes, apologised, learnt lessons and moved on.
This is about understanding his abrupt and acrimonious transfer from Harlequins to Sale in November. Nine months ago, the wing was starting Tests for England in Argentina. Four months later, Yarde was released by Quins with a good-riddance send- off from men he had played alongside for club and country.
Chris Robshaw, a renowned diplomat, said: ‘Marland has run out of lives. As a club we are going to be in a better place now.’
Joe Marler added: ‘I’d lost the plot with him a good while ago.’
His former club lost patience after Yarde missed three training sessions, but after a hurried relocation to Manchester, he offered a cagey response to the accusations against him.
St Lucia-born Yarde, 25, is candid about the episode that drew so much unwelcome attention.
‘I’m not going to say I was Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘I made off-thefield errors. I was late for training a few times — more in the early part of my career at Harlequins.
‘That just meant that when anything happened in the last six months, it went from a molehill to a mountain pretty quickly.’
Yarde is not full of regret but, pressed on how it created certain perceptions about him, he added: ‘I wouldn’t have played in so many games for Harlequins if I was someone who doesn’t care or doesn’t work hard.
‘ I’ve made errors — most people do — but I’ve learnt from mistakes. I’ve struggled with a few things off the field. What really upset me was people thinking I didn’t care or that I was too big for my boots.’ WHEN
Yarde left for Sale, the impression was that he had burnt his bridges. The reaction of Robshaw and Marler reinforced that view.
But Yarde insists that many bridges remain — even the one between him and John Kingston, the director of rugby who told him to leave.
‘I still speak to John and he told me he wished things had been handled differently,’ said Yarde. ‘I was disappointed. Would you expect your team- mates to express an opinion to the public in that fashion? No.
‘I got on with Chris Robshaw. In his testimonial year, I’d gone to numerous dinners and on my days off I did Q&As for him, so it caught me by surprise. It was pretty disappointing. I got on with a lot of the guys at Harlequins and still have friends. Kyle Sinckler is one of my best friends.
‘I speak to a lot of the guys, so it’s not a widespread falling-out. I had some of the best years of my life there, but that is an old chapter. My focus now is here at Sale.’
In career terms, Yarde’s new chapter suffered a false start after his try- scoring debut for the Sharks. An injury first seen as short-term dragged on for three months but now Yarde is flying again in Sale’s back three.
He and England wing Denny Solomona have been carving up defences and earning a Test recall is high on Yarde’s to-do list. ‘If I can string together some good performances then hopefully I can make that England squad for South Africa,’ he said.
‘I’ve been in contact with (England head coach) Eddie Jones but he’s not a guy who throws candy at you.’
Jones dishes out nicknames more freely than compliments and the Australian soon anointed Yarde as his ‘gangster’, but the tag has changed.
‘He would always speak about my hair and that (gangster) was something he bought up as a joke,’ said Yarde. ‘He’s moved on to calling me “fox”. In training one day, a fox ran on the field and lurked around me, so that name has stuck. Whenever Eddie messages me, he’ll put a little fox emoji at the end!’
Doubtless, Yarde was called far worse at Harlequins before his exit late last year, but he has admitted his mistakes, said sorry and, in many cases, he has also cleared the air.
Rebuilding his career and reputation can now continue in a vibrant Sale back line — starting against Worcester in Salford today.
And whatever Jones wants to call him, Yarde will not mind too much, as long as he also recalls him for national service.