An emotional Joe Marler paid tribute to the Harlequins fans and his teammates after bidding farewell to rugby at the Twickenham Stoop.
Retiring prop Marler suffered defeat in his final game as a professional as Bristol Bears ran rampant in a 48-24 win to move to the top of the Premiership table.
The 34-year-old called time on his career this week, bringing forward his bowing out of the sport from the end of the season shortly after retiring from international duty after winning 95 England caps.
Admitting he has not yet considered what comes next, Marler insisted that “the time is right” for him to step away having struggled to hit the emotional, mental and physical levels required to play at his best.
“I’m blown away by the fans here,” Marler said to TNT Sports. “I’ve got so many fond memories, and it’s thanks to them and the boys I’ve played with. But god I’m ready. I was out there thinking, ‘I can’t do this’. That first ten minutes, I was thinking, ‘this is dark’.
“It’s been wonderful. The game has been so good to me considering I’ve been so bad to it. I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s been great. I guess it’s over now.”
“There’s loads of reasons [for retiring now]. I couldn’t do it any more emotionally, physically, mentally. After the England announcement, this was inevitable. I’d much rather go out now rather than flog a dead horse for the next six months. I actually went out last week, I quit last week, but they said, ‘can you come back for one more game because Fin [Baxter] needs a rest?’. I said I’ll come back and say goodbye to the fans. The time is right when you know.”
It was a disappointing night for Harlequins as Bristol showcased their vibrant attacking game, but both sets of players gathered together to pay tribute to Marler post-match with a tunnel and warm embraces. The committed family man had walked on to the pitch with his four children.
The loosehead had been replaced by Baxter just before the 50-minute mark to a standing ovation. While that is that for his Harlequins career, the front rower hinted he may consider one last match later in the season, perhaps for the Barbarians.
“There might be a game later on in the season that I might come back for,” Marler admitted. “What am I doing next week? I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about that. I’m just going to take some time to sit and chill.
“The fans have been so good. I used to be really uncomfortable with the fans. I didn’t get it. I was really rude to them a lot. I felt uncomfortable when people wanted a picture or were shouting my name.
“But then Covid happened, and the fans were gone, and it was soulless. It made me realise a big reason why I played was for the fans. The atmosphere and energy they bring – without them, the game is nothing. I’ve enjoyed my time. It’s been great.”
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