Jones pushing Marler to forget retirement and aim for 2023 World Cup with England

Eddie Jones has urged Joe Marler to consider his future in rugby because the loosehead prop could play a significant role in England’s pursuit of World Cup glory in 2023.

After confirming he had signed a contract extension to oversee England at the next tournament in France, Jones suggested that Marler, who has 71 caps, should take inspiration from how a 34-year-old Tendai Mtawarira starred for eventual champions South Africa at last year’s World Cup.

Despite not turning 30 until July, Marler is reportedly considering immediate retirement on the back of receiving a 10-week ban for grabbing the genitals of Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones during England’s 33-30 victory at Twickenham last month.

Jones revealed that he had been due to meet Marler, who took a hiatus from the international game between 2018 and 2019, before the England head coach opted to stay in Japan to be with his wife’s family as coronavirus measures took hold.

The pair have kept in touch via text messages and will discuss the player’s plans face to face as soon as possible. When they do, Jones will underline the longevity of Mtawarira, whom he coached for the Barbarians last year.

“You only have to look at ‘Beast’, who was at his best in the World Cup in 2019 at the age of 34,” Jones said. “Joe is a relatively young man with a lot of rugby ahead of him but you have to have the desire to keep playing. Only Joe knows that.

“At the end of the day, he is a great player but we want players who want to play for England. He will make that decision. There is a lot of depth to him as a character. He has obviously made some mistakes but he is a great team man, rugby player and person. I look forward to having a chat with him at the appropriate time.”

Jones also made headlines following that win over Wales. He hinted that referee Ben O’Keeffe had been acting as a 16th man for the visitors and branded the New Zealander’s decision to send off Manu Tuilagi “absolute rubbish”.

The episode prompted the Rugby Football Union to release a statement insisting that it did not “condone comments that in any way undermine the integrity of match officials”.

Speaking on Thursday, RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney confirmed that there was “terminology” in Jones’s contract regarding such behaviour, though this is understood to be a standard staff clause warning against bringing the RFU’s reputation into disrepute. Jones himself admitted that his comments had been “inappropriate”.

“I did not directly apologise but indirectly we did,” he explained. “I made it clear that it was an inappropriate way to express my disappointment and, the next time I see [O’Keeffe], I will definitely have a chat with him. He is a good young fella.”