Barrett says Marler's haka jibe has 'loaded the gun'

Scott Barrett will captain the All Blacks side, featuring his brothers Beauden and Jordie, against England on Saturday

Autumn Nations Series: England v New Zealand

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 2 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

New Zealand captain Scott Barrett says England prop Joe Marler has "loaded the gun" after his controversial call for the All Blacks haka to be scrapped.

Marler, 34, has since apologised for calling the iconic pre-match ritual "ridiculous" and saying it should be "binned" in a post on X on Tuesday.

The Harlequins veteran will miss England's autumn opener at Allianz Stadium on Saturday for personal reasons, but All Blacks second row Barrett said the damage had been done.

"He has probably loaded the gun hasn't he?" Barrett said on Friday in response to the row.

"I guess there are always opinions about the haka and its place. It's hugely important to us and has been to the All Blacks for a long time - we get a lot from it.

"It's been a huge part of the All Blacks. It's bigger than rugby in a sense. You speak to people from America and lesser-known rugby nations and they know rugby in New Zealand for the haka, so it is huge for us and unites us."

England are considering how they might respond to the haka in Saturday's encounter, but Barrett said his side "do not need any extra motivation".

"In those moments, whatever the team brings and you end up facing, you love it," added the 30-year-old.

"If they walk forward it means they are up for the first whistle. If that happens, we know we are in for a good Test match.

"We don't need any extra motivation heading to Twickenham against a team that would desperately love to beat us, so we have got to respect what is coming."

England prop Ellis Genge, meanwhile, said he "loves" the haka and believes it still has a place in Test rugby.

"I'm on board with it, I love the haka," said the 29-year-old.

"We'll chat about it later on, we've got a meeting and we'll see what the craic is.

"We're not going to start climbing on each other's shoulders, but we'll sit there respectfully and watch it.

"I've only faced it once [in 2022]. It's massive in the history of the game. Most people who aren't necessarily too interested in rugby still know what the haka is.

"I know some people are divided on it but I quite like it. It's bit of a challenge. I'm a big fan of it and I don't think we should get rid of it.

"You should be able to respond, but everyone is respectful when they do that."

'I want the crowd on their feet'

England have not beaten New Zealand at home since their record 38-21 win in 2012.

Bristol prop Genge said the atmosphere at Allianz Stadium - formerly known as Twickenham - will be crucial if England are to achieve success.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Genge added: "I want the crowd on their feet.

"If the stands are shaking, that would be brilliant. But you have to give to get back, so hopefully we give them something to cheer about.

"This is the top of the stage, you want to win every game you play in.

"We are in a position with the talent we have to commit to it and see where we get.

"The fourth quarter will be massive. It’s when 80% of Test matches are won or lost and hopefully that is when the crowd will be loudest."

England v New Zealand line-ups

England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman; M Smith, Spencer; Genge, George (capt), Stuart; Itoje, Martin; Cunningham-South, T Curry, Earl.

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Cole, Isiekwe, B Curry, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford.

New Zealand: Jordan; Tele'a, Ioane, J Barrett, Clarke; B Barrett, Ratima; Williams, Taylor, Lomax, S Barrett (capt), Vaa'i, Sititi, Cane, Savea.

Replacements: Aumua, Tu'ungafasi, Tosi, Tuipulotu, Finau, Roigard, Lienart-Brown, McKenzie

Match officials

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France) & Jordan Way (Australia)

TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)