England prop Joe Marler has apologized for a “poorly articulated” social media post ahead of Saturday’s match against New Zealand, where he said the haka “needs to be removed”.

The 34-year-old called the haka, a pre-match ritual challenge, “ridiculous” in a post on X on Tuesday.

But Marler said Thursday that he “should have explained things better” and was “grateful” for the education he has received since then.

“Hello rugby fans. Just wanted to jump in here and say sorry to the New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week,” Marler posted on I want restrictions to be lifted to allow a response without penalty.

“I’m grateful for the education I’ve received about how important the Haka is to New Zealand culture and I hope others understand it better too. Now on Saturday at 3pm for a mega rugby occasion. England by six points “.

Marler will not take part in the Autumn Nations Series opener at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, having left the team’s camp for personal reasons before publishing his opening comments.

The Harlequins player deactivated his X account after his initial post, before reactivating it to claim he was “just having a bit of fun trying to drum up interest in a mega rugby match”.

But amid criticism from several New Zealand political and cultural figures, All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said Marler could have chosen his words better.

“For us the haka is a custom, it is part of who we are, it is our DNA,” Robertson added. “It’s not just about the All Blacks, it’s about us as a country. It means a lot to us.”

In rugby, regulations prevent opposing teams from crossing the halfway line while New Zealand performs the Maori war dance.

In 2019, England were fined £2,000 for crossing halfway while lining up in a V formation to face the haka before their Rugby World Cup semi-final match against New Zealand.

Current England captain Jamie George said Marler had “pushed the bear a bit” ahead of Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 15:10 GMT.

“Joe and I don’t always agree on everything and we don’t see eye to eye on this issue,” he added.