A CAL TO ARMS
Marler: I’ve had enough Cup misery... now it’s our turn to rub the Auld Enemy’s noses in it
JOE MARLER is sick of watching Scottish celebrations and urged England to halt the tartan Calcutta Cup monopoly today at Murrayfield.
Scotland have won their last three games against the English, have lost just one in six since 2018, and have made sure they have rubbed the Auld Enemy’s noses in it.
Winning players have taken to social media to show themselves revelling in their victories with the trophy.
Fly-half Finn Russell has usually been front and centre of the wind-ups and started it in 2018 when he and Greig Laidlaw were videoed celebrating in an Edinburgh nightspot.
England skipper Jamie George revealed this week the squad had watched clips of Scotland celebrating in the Twickenham dressing rooms after last year’s 29-23 victory.
And prop Marler, who first experienced Murrayfield as a travelling reserve in 2012, believes it is time for the boot to be on the other foot and
England to taste victory again. The 33-year-old said: “Having some of the last few years without that cup and with Finn and Greig, that video of them with their shirts off and singing with the cup...
“Which is great, I love it but I wish I could be doing that rather than watching it.
“Or that famous Finn Russell photo where he’s got his Spider-Man hands up and he’s loving it. That stirs passion in me to go, ‘I want that cup’ and I know a number of the other boys in that team want that cup back as well.
“It stirs passion in me. That Calcutta Cup, that cup... I remember growing up, watching the Five Nations and the Six Nations, and how winning that cup was celebrated, and how much that one game meant.
“I know people go on about how much that one game means to Scotland, but I watched that and you could see from the England teams who actually won how much it meant to them, too.
“More than any other nation there seems to be a little more spite, even though, I am pretty sure, the last battle between England and Scotland was ages ago. It would just be nice to be on the winning end of it for once because it has been so long since we have. We had 2020 but the continued dominance from Scotland over us has been for a long time now.”
Marler had a chat with head coach Steve Borthwick about whether he wanted to carry on after the World Cup but is trucking on and set to win his 91st cap today.
“It’s almost like an addiction,” he added. “I want to be part of a winning England team, creating new stories, creating new memories. I thought the World Cup was going to be my last opportunity at that. Steve rang to ask if I’m still hungry.
“He asked if I had the desire to still crack on because he needed to blood some new players and move into the next cycle – but also needed guys around to help with that.
“I asked my wife first but for me, yeah, it’s that addiction to being part of a winning England team and helping those young guys come through. That’s why I keep coming back.”