Joe Marler

England prop 'scared' by risks in wake of 'awful' Ryan Jones news

Speaking after Ryan Jones revealed he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Marler, 32, called the former Wales captain's diagnosis "awful".

The 83-cap England man recalled a "big blow" in a match that knocked him out.

"I was out cold and I remember being in the physio room next and the kit-man came in. I just broke down and I had no recollection of having kids," he said.

Speaking to TalkSport, Marler added: "It just really scared the life out of me."

England's Marler banned for 10 weeks after Jones incident

England were 33-30 winners at Twickenham on Saturday, but there were a number of flashpoints throughout the match, with the hosts reduced to 13 men by the final whistle after Ellis Genge went to the sin bin and Manu Tuilagi was sent off.

One incident missed by the officials concerned Jones and prop forward Marler, who appeared to grab at the Wales captain's crotch, though there was no action from the officials. 

Date set for Marler and Tuilagi disciplinary hearings

Both players could face lengthy bans following separate incidents during England’s 33-30 defeat of Wales on Saturday.

As expected, Marler has been cited for the bizarre incident which saw him grab the genitals of Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones during the first half at Twickenham.

Speaking after the game, the Wales captain had called for World Rugby to act on the matter.

“If I react, I get a red card. It’s tough, isn’t it?” he said.