Gustard: Too much fuss over grab by Marler, it was no threat to safety
Paul Gustard, the Harlequins head of rugby, believes that there has been too much focus on Joe Marler grabbing Alun Wyn Jones’s genitals in England’s win over Wales last Saturday compared with incidents that put players in more grave physical danger.
Speaking ahead of Harlequins’ Premiership Rugby Cup final date with Sale on Sunday, Gustard initially refused to be drawn on the incident over which Marler faces a disciplinary hearing in Dublin today.
However, when asked how people from outside rugby would react to Marler’s behaviour, Gustard said he felt that more of a spotlight should have been put on the likes of France prop Mohamed Haouas punching Scottish flanker Jamie Ritchie or England centre Manu Tuilagi’s shoulder charge on Wales’s George North.
“The furore over this incident doesn’t seem to be mirrored in the same amount of media coverage and people talking about the French kid who could have broken someone’s jaw with a punch, or a vicious tackle with no arms, or whatever,” Gustard said.
“That’s the kind of a frustration for me from a different point of view, because the safety of players is paramount.
“I’m a coach, I want all our players available. We don’t want to put people out on the field where they are exposed to injury – someone going up for a high ball, someone getting their foot trod on, that sort of thing. That’s kind of a frustration for me – someone doing a blind punch to a left wing in a ruck seems to be pretty severe to me.”
If Marler is found guilty of “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals”, he faces a ban with a low-end entry point of 12 weeks. A 12-week ban would see Marler out of action for Harlequins until the final round of Premiership matches in June.
Meanwhile, Marler’s Harlequins team-mate Danny Care was frank as he revealed that he had his privates grabbed on numerous occasions during matches.
“Being in the rugby environment and knowing Joe, I think it’s one of those things that happens a lot,” Care said. “I’ve lost count of the number of people who have touched my genitals in a game of rugby. I don’t see it as a big deal.
“Obviously, it’s been blown up because it’s in an international game, England versus Wales, and we haven’t seen that many cases like this before.
“If Joe Marler’s name is involved, it intensifies because of who he is.”
Marler and Tuilagi will be joined by Courtney Lawes, who was cited for a dangerous tackle on Jones, for today’s hearing. In better news for Harlequins ahead of the cup final clash, Kyle Sinckler was back in training yesterday and is in line for selection. New signing Chris Ashton will be unavailable as he is cup-tied.