Joe Marler admitted his 'bulls*** behaviour' towards Lions call-ups wasn't right

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It requires a substantial character to acknowledge when one has messed up, and former British and Irish Lion Joe Marler isn't above confessing to his blunders.

In particular, the ex-England prop feels remorse for his "bulls*** behaviour" towards 'The Geography Six' during the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand. Andy Farrell's Lions squad will wrap up their summer tour of Australia on Saturday, having already secured a series triumph by establishing a 2-0 lead.

It goes without saying that matters have been considerably more peaceful than the New Zealand expedition of eight years past. That summer journey stands out for various reasons, not least because it represented the first drawn Lions series in more than six decades.

Nevertheless, head coach Warren Gatland also faced criticism for selecting The Geography Six ahead of other, arguably more suitable, candidates. Scotsmen Allan Dell and Finn Russell plus Welshmen Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies were summoned to the squad to bolster the group, primarily for non-Test matches.

Wales and Scotland were touring in New Zealand and Australia, respectively, meaning some of their players were favoured over other top-quality options situated further afield at the time.

Marler, 35, was apparently irritated certain England colleagues, who were touring Argentina, and others were overlooked. The discontented front-rower, who hung up his boots last year, has since admitted he didn't conceal his emotions from those who received the summons.

"The murmurs throughout the majority of the squad were like, 'What the f***, guys?' For me, I look back on it and I regret the way I behaved towards the six players for the majority of the time," he told guest Dan Cole on The Joe Marler Show (via Wales Online) in 2021.

"For some reason, I just went full resentment towards them as if it was their fault that they'd been called up. [Or] that when they got the call, they should have said they don't fancy it.

"That's how I felt at the time, and looking back on it, I feel like that's f***ing bulls*** from me. Especially the point at which they tried subbing us off and I was like, 'F*** off.'"

Marler was so furious that he point-blank refused to be taken off during a midweek win over the Hurricanes in Wellington. The Lions attempted to make their changes, but referee Romain Poite allowed play to continue when Marler declared he wasn't budging from the pitch.

It's virtually unprecedented for a rugby player to defy the coaching team's instructions, regardless of whether the fixture was a Test match. Marler's reflection four years later clearly showed he recognised his mistakes.

The ex-Harlequins star also revealed his thoughts on Gatland and his coaching methods. And despite the New Zealander's legendary status in certain circles, one particular scrummaging session left Marler questioning everything.

"I don't think I ever got close enough to blow smoke up his a***," he added. "I found him quite an awkward character, which says a lot really because I tend to surround myself with awkward characters!

"I thought he was alright. My experience was that I felt the Test team had already been picked, and it was going to be pretty hard to change a lot about that. That's just my view of it. Then I think I struggled with him when I couldn't work out this scrum drill. I couldn't work out whether he was taking the p*** out of us or whether he was being serious.

"If he was taking the p*** then it's like, 'Hang on a minute, you're taking the p*** out of the midweek veg. You're not working on trying to keep the squad together.' But if he wasn't taking the p*** out of us and it was a legit drill, then it's, 'Hang on a minute, you're meant to be one of the best coaches in the world.'"