Joe Marler has the final on his mind – Rugby News Update
Joe Marler, the 21-year-old Harlequin’s prop is excited that his team has reached the final of the Aviva Premiership against the Leicester Tigers.
Marler is an upcoming player, whose stocks are rising with every game he plays for the Quins. He joined the ‘Quins Academy’ in 2008, and till date he has played 40 times for the club, starting 33 of those games, while coming off the bench 7 times.
However, after powering his side home 25-23 against the Northampton Saints on Saturday, Marler will be playing the biggest game of his career, when they battle it out with Leicester, who have reached eight consecutive finals for the Aviva Premiership title.
Leicester defeated the Saracens 24-15 in the other semi-final.
Marler is excited about the final, and said, "I am just buzzing for Twickenham now. The final will be massive." He further commented on the final against Leicester, saying, “We have had great games against Leicester. We will front up. This pack started against
Munster away, it started in the Amlin final. We have played in big games. We have started to mature now.”
Marler also has a personal accolade to celebrate, as he has been selected by Stuart Lancaster, the head coach of England, for the tour of South Africa, where England will play a three-match test series, along with two other mid-week games. He will be determined
to make his England debut, and was selected in the 32-man squad for the 2012 Six Nations but did not feature. England will be hoping to capitalise on his potential.
The final is nicely set up, with the Quins deserving a place in the final, as they led the Premiership table from mid-September onwards, only losing four times throughout the season, with two of those defeats coming against Leicester.
However, O’Shea, the Quins boss, is upbeat and believes that they can do it.
"People expect us to the throw the ball about, it is what Harlequins have been known for over the years. We like to think we can still do that but we want an all-round game. “
If they are to beat Leicester they will need an all round game.
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