Joe Marler: Harlequins' England prop to miss end of season
- Published
Joe Marler played in the first two of Harlequins' three matches since the end of the Six Nations season
England forward Joe Marler will miss the end of the season with a shoulder injury that might need a minor operation for the Harlequins captain.
But Quins director of rugby Conor O'Shea insists the injury is not a long-term issue and the prop's World Cup aspirations are not in doubt.
Marler, who at 24 has 31 international caps, was initially named to start for Quins at Sale, only to be withdrawn.
"It's not a worry for the World Cup," said O'Shea after Quins' 25-23 win.
Marler's massive contribution |
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Joe Marler made his England Test debut against South Africa in the summer of 2012, when he started two matches at loose-head prop. |
He has since taken his haul of caps to 31, the most recent against Scotland on 21 March, since when he has played two Premiership games for Quins. |
"He came back from the Six Nations with a shoulder injury. We thought because he had this problem before that you could strengthen it, but we made the decision yesterday.
"Will he be fit for the rest of the season? No. But will he be fine for the England training camps? Yes.
"It's a hangover from the Six Nations and needs to be looked at. He will probably need an operation but it's only a minor one. It's not going to be something that's going to have any impact on him. We thought he could strengthen but it's not something you can mess around with."
Quins have two Premiership games left, at home to Bath on 8 May before finishing their season at Newcastle the following Sunday (17 May).
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