Joe Marler may be a fierce competitor but the England prop also recognises when he has been in a battle and he provided a moment of class after Le Crunch on Sunday.
The England loosehead was winning his 69th cap for his country having made his England debut all the way back in 2012, but came up against France tighthead Mohamed Haouas who was getting his first taste of the international arena.
Their hotly-anticipated scrum battle was evenly matched, with England only really taking control in that area after Haouas came off in France’s 24-17 victory.
And once the final whistle had blown, Marler went to speak to the French coaches to find out a little bit more about the man he had come up against at the Stade de France.
Once they had filled him in, Marler caught up with Haoaus in the French changing room and offered the Montpellier prop his jersey.
According to the Midi Olympique, Haouas offered to exchange his, but Marler refused, saying: “It’s the jersey from your first cap, you shouldn’t swap it or give it to anyone.”
