Utterly different Joe Marler post-match interview sums up the true value of the Barbarians

Harlequins and former England prop Joe Marler has highlighted the importance of the Barbarians, after making his first appearance for them against England on Sunday.

And he did it in typical Joe Marler fashion.

Prior to the game, the 59-cap international spoke about that Barbarians’ place in modern rugby, and how it prioritises the experience and social side of the game more than any professional team does.

He said: “It still has an important place in professional rugby. It’s even more important now to have it because everything is so intense, so pressurised and serious.

This is his brilliant post-match interview with Sky's Alex Payne:

“You need to have an opportunity to enjoy rugby for the reasons you started playing for. You just want to pick up the ball and play and have fun.”

After the Baa-Baas 51-43 loss to England on Sunday, Marler once again emphasized these statements, saying it holds onto the “core values of the game” in the current era.

Ashton, who scored a hattrick in this fixture last year, said that it is “why we started playing”, while Haskell said that rugby has become “so commercial”. However, the Barbarians provides an opportunity for players to unite with those they usually play against.

Marler, who retired from international rugby at the beginning of the season due to the strain that it put on him, has been a clear advocate of the Barbarians where many have questioned its place in this day and age.

Dating back to 1890, the concept of the Baa-Baas is unique to rugby and one of the proudest vestiges of the amateur era. The fact that it still has a place in the professional game is something that sets it apart from many other sports, and all the more reason why it should be maintained.

The players such as Marler, Ashton and Haskell clearly know what the Barbarians means amongst the rigours of professional rugby, and will not be alone in endorsing the club. wgewg