England rugby player from Eastbourne in centre of groping controversy
Joe Marler, 29, who started his career at Eastbourne Rugby Club, was seen touching Alan Wyn-Jones during England’s 33-30 victory over Wales on Saturday (March 7).
There are now calls to punish Marler, with some fans claiming it was sexual assault.
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Hide AdMarler has only spoke out through Twitter after the incident in a very brief tweet.
Wyn-Jones said in a post-match press conference, “I have 138 caps for my country, but if I react I get a red card so it’s tough. Hopefully World Rugby have a look at it.
“Joe is a good bloke and a lot of things happen on a rugby field. I think it needs to be taken in the context of the game.”
A different take on the issue saw Rachel O’Neill, @ronronzo on Twitter, say, “People reacting to Joe Marler grabbing Alun Wyn-Jones by the genitals like it’s just a bit of craic are part of the reason why men don’t report sexual assualt. I don’t care what the circumstance, its never okay to grab someone by the genitals. Why is that so hard to understand?”
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Hide AdJournalist and Twitter user Piers Morgan said, “There are now two types of people in the world - those who laughed at this @JoeMarler incident, and those who think he should be arrested. I’m in the first category. Those in the second are exhausting.”
Marler could face a ban for his actions.