Here’s why Joe Marler wears supporters jersey for Quins

Prop Joe Marler has revealed the reason why he wears a replica Harlequins shirt on match day. Talking on the ‘Joe and Dan’s Cauliflower Club’ version of The Joe Marler Show podcast, Quins loosehead Marler explained his reasoning to fellow front-rower Dan Cole.

“I have to buy my shirt from the club shop because I don’t like how tight the new professional shirts are,” Marler said. “I like the baggier style. 

“We’ve moaned about it for years, mate! Like, why are the shirts getting tighter and tighter? And then I thought “F***! The ones in the shop actually are shirts that I would prefer to wear. So I just go in there. And I get a staff discount, and it costs me 48 quid, which I think is reasonable. It’s even on sale at the minute as well, so I think I could get it for £35 because of the Black Friday sale, even though it’s not Friday…

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“The kitman f****** hates it though, because every time I take it to him, he’s like ‘I’ve got to put the appropriate sponsors and the number and the name on the back and all that lot.’ And I’m like, sorry mate, I just prefer this shirt…

“But I look it as a way of giving back to the club, really, by buying my own shirt.”

It’s not just when Marler wears the supporters’ jersey that his on-pitch attire catches the eye. He made positive waves this month when he was clocked sporting a sock with the name of 14-year-old Quins Supporter of the Year Ewan Laws while representing the Barbarians. It is tradition for the Baa-Baas players to wear whatever socks they like. Marler opted to pay homage to his “hero”, Laws.

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