Former England loosehead Joe Marler is set to come back into the England fold after only announcing his international retirement last year.
The Times in London claim that his inclusion in England’s elite players squad is the start of his road back into the international team.
The 59-cap international retired from the game due to the mental pressure of being away from his family for so long during camps and tours.
However, even though his wife Daisy, only gave birth to their third child, Felix Blue Marler, last week it appears as though Marler is ready for the call-up once more.
Marler’s international future has come under the spotlight in recent times after he lined out for the Barbarians against an England XV and due to Mako Vunipola’s injury, which will leave him side-lined for three months.
Although, at the time of the match Marler decided not to completely shut the door on the possibility of a return to the international stage if his country needed him.
“I wouldn’t be able to just walk up and just immerse myself in it all again. Boys have been f**king grafting for years. Not only has Mako been brilliant, but the boys who came in stepped up and proved their worth there. For the whole 12-18 months they have been doing that, if someone turned around and went, ‘Alright I’ll come along even though I have done no work, done nothing’, that is disrespectful. If it was an SOS scenario it would definitely be something I’d consider but they’re not in an SOS scenario. Mako will be sweet, they’ve got Ben Moon, Ellis Genge and Alec Hepburn. They’ll go well,” he said.
England begin their warm-up games for the World Cup in August and if the reports are to be believed Marler could well be more than just a spectator at them.
