Much was said about the affair during the last Six Nations Tournament. During the short success of England on Wales (33-30), the English pillar Joe Marler had, during a short scuffle in the 8th minute, grabbed (not very violently) the genitals of the Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones. A new game from the whimsical player of the XV de la Rose and the Harlequins. At first, his gesture had first made people laugh. Many had seen there a joke potache, a new provocation not very nasty of the English player. Subsequently, some had frankly mentioned a sexual assault ...
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For this inappropriate gesture, Marler (29, 71 caps), used to slippage and regularly flirting with the limit, was cited by the Six Nations Committee for having "seized, twisted or pressed the genitals of a Welsh player" at Twickenham. And the impetuous left pillar of XV de la Rose was sanctioned with 10 weeks of suspension. Before all competitions were stopped due to the health crisis, he could have replayed from June 8.
The small technical gesture of @JoeMarler priceless! @ SixNationsRugby @ francetvsportpic.twitter.com / NKPFVMyOhu
- Cédric Beaudou (@Cdricbeaudou) March 7, 2020Although he had pleaded guilty in this case, Marler had nevertheless explained that he had not seized, twisted or crushed the genitals of the emblematic Welsh captain, who had been his teammate with the British and Irish Lions. Reason for which his sanction had been lower than the usual scale which went from 12 weeks to 4 years (208 weeks!) Of suspension.
"I was having fun, but I was wrong. What I did was inappropriate and wrong ”
Joe MarlerFour months after the fact, Joe Marler publicly apologized for his gesture during the Virtual Rugby Show organized to support the foundation of former English captain Lawrence Dallaglio. "I was having fun, but I was wrong. What I did was inappropriate and wrong. The people who compared this gesture to a sexual assault in the workplace shocked me first. But I stopped for a second and tried to understand why they were made to feel this. They have every right to think that and I respect it. ”
And to add: “However, I did not sexually assault someone in the workplace. I wanted to joke with someone who has known me for several years. Okay, that was such a bad idea. I had a brain failure, "repented the pillar of the Harlequins and the XV of England. End of the case? With the suspension of competitions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Joe Marler will be able to resume competition when the English championship restarts.
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