Marler retiring completely

[Puja]

Going to play his last game against Bristol on Friday, and then that's it, apparently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... g0938dzg7o

Weird timing, and I suspect not especially helpful to Harlequins, but I guess if he's thought about it and decided that he's done, then there's no point risking injury by playing the rest of the season when your heart's not in it.

Puja

[Banquo]

Going to play his last game against Bristol on Friday, and then that's it, apparently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... g0938dzg7o

Weird timing, and I suspect not especially helpful to Harlequins, but I guess if he's thought about it and decided that he's done, then there's no point risking injury by playing the rest of the season when your heart's not in it.

Puja

I would have hoped he'd agreed in advance with Quins. Been a great if probably high maintenance servant

[Mikey Brown]

Damn. Wouldn't have shocked me at all at the end of the season but this seems strange. I hope this doesn't mean we're mincing Baxter in to the ground over the next couple of seasons.

I hope he's doing okay. I can only guess that reflecting on his England departure he's found he's just not up for the grind at all anymore.

A really fantastic player for Quins and England for the last decade. A brutal tackler and scrummager. I'm sure he managed an offload or line break at least once or twice in his 15 years. His sense of humour was... divisive I guess you'd say, but I'm sure we've all enjoyed at least one of his stupid comments.

Maybe it's nice for him to just get it over with if he's made his mind up already, but I'll be sad to see him go and obviously his presence on the pitch will be missed. His performances in the run-in to our Premiership win a few years back were truly colossal.

[Mellsblue]

Does anyone know if Marler has retired, completely or otherwise etc etc?

[Donny osmond]

I thought he was a great player, underrated by too many. And I get that character wise he's not well loved, but 100 times out of 100 I'd rather have guys like him than automated drones or tediously competitive arrogant pricks.

[fivepointer]

Odd timing but hes always done things in his own way. Very high calibre prop at this peak.

[Stom]

Damn. Wouldn't have shocked me at all at the end of the season but this seems strange. I hope this doesn't mean we're mincing Baxter in to the ground over the next couple of seasons.

I hope he's doing okay. I can only guess that reflecting on his England departure he's found he's just not up for the grind at all anymore.

A really fantastic player for Quins and England for the last decade. A brutal tackler and scrummager. I'm sure he managed an offload or line break at least once or twice in his 15 years. His sense of humour was... divisive I guess you'd say, but I'm sure we've all enjoyed at least one of his stupid comments.

Maybe it's nice for him to just get it over with if he's made his mind up already, but I'll be sad to see him go and obviously his presence on the pitch will be missed. His performances in the run-in to our Premiership win a few years back were truly colossal.

You don't remember teenage and early 20s Joe, then...rampaging was a good description. I can't find video of it, but his try in the 2010 u20 6N against Wales stuck in the memory.

At his best an incredible defender, great agility for a big man, and a character. His Jolly Hog hairdos were a highlight.

[Mikey Brown]

I genuinely hadn’t read the second sentence when I started to think “don’t be about to post that try from England age groups against Wales”.

Much like Farrell’s beautiful miss pass across the face of the Irish defence, if there’s only one occasion people remember that probably says something.

I do remember him being surprisingly light on his feet when he was less fridge-shaped, but that was a good while back.

[Stom]

I genuinely hadn’t read the second sentence when I started to think “don’t be about to post that try from England age groups against Wales”.

Much like Farrell’s beautiful miss pass across the face of the Irish defence, if there’s only one occasion people remember that probably says something.

I do remember him being surprisingly light on his feet when he was less fridge-shaped, but that was a good while back.

lol.

5 tries before 18/19, none since.

[Whagwan]

Any reality TV series starting soon? Could that account for the timing?