Marler sorry for insulting opponent's mother but says sledging is the norm

Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler has apologised for insulting an opponent's mother but said that kind of sledging is "the norm" in rugby.

Marler was handed a two-week ban for comments made to Bristol Bears' Jake Heenan as well as an additional four-week ban suspended until the end of the 2023/24 season.

"I'm really sorry to Jake Heenan and his family, the guy I insulted or tried to insult. Also to my team mates and to the club, because they must really now be at a point where they're like, 'Here we go again,'" Marler said on his podcast.

"I'm much better at that when it comes to a bit of chat or a bit of sledging," he added. "Usually, stuff like this is said. This is the norm."

Marler said his wife Daisy had called him an "idiot" and a "moron", adding that she was furious when she heard Heenan's mother was in the hospital.

Marler has a chequered disciplinary history.

In 2016 he called Wales prop Samson Lee "gypsy boy" and in 2020 he was hit with a 10-week ban for grabbing the testicles of another Wales player Alun Wyn Jones.