England Prop Dan Cole Expresses Surprise at Joe Marler’s Retirement Timing

England prop Dan Cole stated his surprise regarding the timing of “his close friend” Joe Marler’s decision to retire from international rugby, noting that Marler was nearing 100 caps. The two players had toured New Zealand with England in July. Marler, aged 34, had recovered from a broken foot sustained against New Zealand in July to be included in England’s Autumn Nations Series squad. However, the Harlequins prop subsequently withdrew last week due to personal reasons, then declared his retirement on Sunday, concluding his England career with 95 caps. “Did I think he would go last Sunday? No,” Cole commented. He added, “But we both knew in the end, the older we’re getting, it was coming at some point.” Cole also reflected, “I thought part of him wanted 100 caps but unfortunately he hurt his foot in that New Zealand Test.” He concluded, “The good thing is he has gone out on his own terms, so he’s alive, well and healthy.” Although he did not participate in Saturday’s initial loss to the All Blacks, Marler garnered attention for describing the New Zealand haka as “ridiculous” and stating it needs “binning”. In his social media statement announcing his England retirement, Marler disclosed that Cole was the first team-mate he informed, recounting that they embraced and exchanged an “I love you” before Marler declared, “I am done”. Cole, 37, expressed that he was missing his “good friend” within the team camp, but emphasized the squad’s necessity to “keep moving forward”. The Leicester player informed BBC Sport, stating: “It was great, having a close friend in the team.” He continued, “We came from different backgrounds and are different people in regards to how quiet I am, with Joe the opposite.” Cole explained, “We have similar values, rugby-wise and off the field, which is why we have become friends.” He added, “I have learned a lot from him – that it is OK to have a personality and offer an opinion, and not think too much about the consequences of what you are doing, and I hope he has maybe learned something like self-control from me.” Cole’s most cherished memory shared with his close friend occurred during England’s World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa last year, when the pair successfully resisted the formidable scrum of the world champions. He recalled, “The 2023 semi-final when I came off and he had come off just before me, we shared a hug and said ‘well done’.” Cole further stated, “After what happened in previous World Cups that was my favourite moment on the field together.” Asher Opoku-Fordjour, an uncapped prop from Sale Sharks, has been called into the England squad as Marler’s replacement, with Saturday’s Test match against Australia presenting the first potential chance for the highly-regarded 20-year-old to play. Cole added, “He’s obviously been playing fantastically well in the Premiership for Sale.” He clarified, “But it’s not about replacing like-for-like, it’s not about him replacing Marler.” Cole concluded, “It’s about bringing your own personality. It’s not trying to be someone else.”