On his return from a ban for the racist comments directed at Welsh prop Samson Lee, Joe Marler decided he hasn't had enough negative headlines.
In Harlequins Challenge Cup semi-final against Grenoble, Marler was seen to kick out at Grenoble hooker Arnaud Hegey's head in an off the ball incident.
It seems like a bizarre thing to do, especially for someone who is as under the microscope as Marler - but decide for yourself.
"It's not what Joe Marler needs" @FCGrugby's Arnaud Héguy complains of being kicked in the head by @JoeMarler. https://t.co/TPMsCpY1AL
— BT Sport Rugby (@btsportrugby) April 22, 2016
The incident wasn't picked up by the officials at the time - clearly the referee John Lacey wasn't looking at the incident.
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea has defended Marler, saying that it's not a red card offence and that he should not be punished for the incident. O'Shea spoke to BT Sport after the game, where he admitted that Marler shouldn't have done it, but it's not a red card offence:
Any test for a citing has to pass the red card test, and this does not pass that test. Should he do it? No. Is it a red card? No. It's disappointing to have to talk about it because I thought his scrummaging was excellent. But he is under the microscope.
Things happen, we never condone it but if that is a red card there's a heck of a lot of things that happen on the pitch that are worse.
Marler will have to wait and see if he will be cited for the incident within the 48-hour period following the final whistle.
