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8th March 2022
02:45pm GMT
Tadhg Furlong of Ireland during the Six Nations Rugby Championship match against France at Stade de France in Paris. (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile)[/caption]
"He told me on that [Lions] Tour in 2017 that he is a truffle pig farmer and to this day I have still not worked out if he was trying to pull my leg or not. Do you use pigs for truffles? "Then in terms of the stuff on the pitch, he is world class. I think he has actually stepped up his game around the field, particularly in an attack even more so this season. You have seen in this tournament that he is standing more at second and third receiver off the 10, so they are doing a lot of playmaking through him and he is just so comfortable on the ball. "I try and think of it sometimes as a fan and you go, 'Well, look at that massive lump on the field that you just think is going to bend over and push'. But then he is also so comfortable on the ball, his work rate, and it’s really good to see as a fan that he is, not ahead of the game, but the likes of him and Kyle Sinckler are just taking front-row play to another level."Marler says there has been a step-up in intensity ahead of the clash with Ireland, this weekend. "There's definitely a bigger sense of….'Ok, Ireland are very good'. "England vs. Wales games are always big and you know come kick-off it's going to be tasty against them, but, with the greatest respect, Wales were missing a fair few names and there was probably a little more expectation on us to win that game. Whereas Ireland are full bore and have been together for some time now. "It was definitely noticeable in training. Boys were like 'OK, serious game this Saturday'. Not saying that last Saturday wasn't serious because I know how sometimes the media can twist things. It's a generalisation, I know, but just double checking and covering my own ass!" Furlong may only cross paths with Furlong briefly. Up from the get-go should be Leicester loosehead, and captain, Ellis Genge. Asked how Genge was coming on as a Test player, Marler said:
"His maturity has accelerated, and the leader that he has become in the group, and the respect he’s got off the whole group is huge. His knowledge is underrated. I think a lot of people see him as just this aggressive ball-carrier who is just in your face, but his knowledge of the game is second to none. "And he’s really starting to come of age, in the sense of the set-piece work. Still learning, as in a lot of young boys are still learning, but he’s winning more of those battles than he was before, and he is also adding that abrasive carrying that he can do week-in, week-out in the Prem. "He has not necessarily been able to do, because he has been doing it off the bench, in bit parts, previously. But now he is starting the games and he is showing his qualities there. Yeah, Gengey has been massive for us, and long may it continue."Asked what his rivalry with Genge was like, Marler was back to joking around (more than usual). "As I said earlier, he punched me four times in today’s session. That’s up to him. If he wants to behave like that, that’s cool. I will get him back later." WATCH HOUSE OF RUGBY HERE:
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