England prop Joe Marler relishes the ‘clean bar brawl’ against Ireland in Saturday’s Six Nations clash at Twickenham
ENGLAND frontline striker Joe Marler says he is looking forward to a ‘clean bar fight’ against Ireland at Twickenham.
Andy Farrell’s side are set to face Eddie Jones’ England on Saturday as Ireland look to keep their Triple Crown hopes alive.
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But the Harlequins striker believes the critical clash could turn into a war of physical attrition.
England are coming off of a 23-19 win over Wales, but Jones and his team-mates are under pressure to secure a victory over Ireland after finishing last year’s competition in 5th place, the Italy being the only team behind them at the lowest.
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game, the prop said he was relishing the contest – but wanted it to be a clean contest with no foul play.
He said: “I’m trying to think of the last fight I was in. Is it going to be like that? That’s probably a fair guess.
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“I like it. A nice clean bar fight though, none of the dirty stuff. No gouging or glass throwing. Just the clean stuff.
Marler says he is relishing the battle in the peloton and praised Ireland for their hard work during the breakdown.
He added: “It’s going to be tasty. They’re very, very aggressive when breaking down. Ireland love to put numbers in there.
“Off the top of my head you get over 40 attempts to attack our breakdown from Ireland. It’s going to be a ding dong.”
Ireland received a big boost ahead of the match after the IRFU confirmed skipper Johnny Sexton had signed a new contract which will see him continue with Leinster and Ireland through to the 2023 World Cup.
Saturday night’s game will be the 139th meeting between the two countries, with England recording 80 wins to Ireland’s 50 in the historic fixture – as Ireland seek to win for the first time in London since 2018 – and making following last season’s 32-18 victory. at Dublin.