Joe Marler’s reveals important new job with England rugby

He’s not been long retired, but Joe Marler has already secured himself a job as a player welfare manager, supporting the current playing crop with welfare provisions, match limits and the health of the England players.

Speaking on the ‘For The Love of Rugby’ podcast about his new role, the 34-year-old has revealed some of the more interesting parts of the job, including the serious conversations he’s been having with old rivals and the impact he can have on the younger team members “who would be too scared to speak to the DoRs without being judged for being soft”.

Explaining what the new role entails, Marler said: “It’s making sure the players are looked after as much as possible, so they can perform and have longevity in their careers. Who better to understand how hard it is to be an England rugby player, and the toll that it can take on you, than the boys who have been in there?”

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So what experiences has he had so far? And how does it differentiate from his previous career? Well, relationships with former opposition coaches have certainly been an eye-opener…

“My first experience so far was with Mark McCall trying to negotiate about Nick Isiekwe’s rest after the autumn internationals.

“That was hilarious going from playing against him, to then sitting on the phone, going through the PGP [Professional Game Partnership] and the terms of rest periods. He couldn’t get his head around he was talking to a prat who has been a clown for 90 per cent of his career and now has a title of ‘performance director of England Rugby’.”

Marler (as mentioned above) is the performance director of Team England Rugby Ltd (TER), a company set up by himself, Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Ellis Genge and Anthony Watson following the split from the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) last year.

While it’s an enjoyable change for Joe, he does reinforce the importance of his role in representing the England players. saying: “It sounds posh and official, but it’s basically having the backs of the England rugby team, doing a lot of the admin work, conversations between DoRs [directors of rugby], clubs and RFU to make sure they feel supported in decisions around operations, welfare if there are injuries, that they’re being consulted on things and it’s been done in the right way.

“It’s about building up relationships [with the DoRs] when it comes to the end of campaigns and people require rest, and taking the pressure away from the player of having to have those conversations. Loads of boys in the squad who are young would be too scared to speak to the DoRs without being judged for being soft, or being told, ‘We pay your wages, get on with it.’ ”

With the British and Irish Lions tour coming up later this year, Marler is keen to ensure that the England players selected get enough rest following a long and hard Gallagher Premiership season.