New Zealand captain Scott Barrett says England prop Joe Marler has “loaded the gun” after his controversial call for the All Blacks haka to be scrapped.

Marler, 34, has since apologised for calling the iconic pre-match ritual “ridiculous” and saying it should be “binned” in a post on X on Tuesday.

The Harlequins veteran will miss England’s autumn opener at Allianz Stadium on Saturday for personal reasons, but All Blacks second row Barrett said the damage had been done.

“He has probably loaded the gun hasn’t he?” Barrett said on Friday in response to the row.

“I guess there are always opinions about the haka and its place. It’s hugely important to us and has been to the All Blacks for a long time – we get a lot from it.

“It’s been a huge part of the All Blacks. It’s bigger than rugby in a sense. You speak to people from America and lesser-known rugby nations and they know rugby in New Zealand for the haka, so it is huge for us and unites us.”

England are planning a respectful response to the haka in Saturday’s encounter, but Barrett said his side “do not need any extra motivation”.

“In those moments, whatever the team brings and you end up facing, you love it,” added the 30-year-old.

“If they walk forward it means they are up for the first whistle. If that happens, we know we are in for a good Test match.

“We don’t need any extra motivation heading to Twickenham against a team that would desperately love to beat us, so we have got to respect what is coming.”

England prop Ellis Genge, meanwhile, said he “loves” the haka, which still has its place in Test rugby.

“I’m on board with it, I love the haka,” said the 29-year-old.

“We’ll chat about it later on, we’ve got a meeting and we’ll see what the craic is.

“We’re not going to start climbing on each other’s shoulders, but we’ll sit there respectfully and watch it.

“I’ve only faced it once [in 2022]. It’s massive in the history of the game. Most people who aren’t necessarily too interested in rugby still know what the haka is.

“I know some people are divided on it but I quite like it. It’s bit of a challenge. I’m a big fan of it and I don’t think we should get rid of it.

“You should be able to respond, but everyone is respectful when they do that.”

Michael Bisping sees new life for Max Holloway at lightweight.

Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) failed to regain the featherweight title when he was knocked out by champion Ilia Topuria this past Saturday in the UFC 308 headliner. The loss to Topuria marked the first time Holloway was ever stopped by strikes in his career.

Prior to the Topuria loss, Holloway scored an iconic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje to capture the BMF title at UFC 300. The win placed him No. 5 in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and that’s where Bisping thinks Holloway should put all of his focus moving forward.

“The time is done. That ship has sailed: Move on,” Bisping said of Holloway’s featherweight days on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “You’re getting older. The weight cut’s tougher. You’ve had a couple of losses. You almost became the champion again. You looked incredible against Justin Gaethje – you took his shots, you knocked him out cold. He’s ranked No. (5) at lightweight. There’s a lot of fun fights for (Holloway) at 155 pounds.

“There’s Dan Hooker, there’s (Dustin) Poirier, there’s Gaethje, Charles Oliviera – which by the way, them three would all be rematches, which is wild. Arman Tsarukyan, he fights Islam (Makhachev) – there’s nothing but big fights for (Holloway) at 155 pounds. And given that he’s ranked No. 5 already, one, two fights, Max Holloway is trying to become a champion at 155 pounds. So it’s far from over.”

Holloway himself appears to have acknowledged that a move back up to lightweight is the best next step for him.

“I had the best 145 cut here,” Holloway said during the UFC 308 post-fight news conference. “But what else is there to do? I had a couple times to reclaim it. New guys coming up. Yeah, that’d be fun. But I think 155 looks more fun, fighting more, the caliber, everyone there, and the names there – it looks really exciting to put my name in the mix.”

Holloway already had one crack at the lightweight title when he faced Dustin Poirier for the interim belt in April 2019. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Friends and former colleagues of Ruben Amorim talk to BBC Sport about the new Manchester United head coach.

The 39-year-old Portuguese will move to Old Trafford from Lisbon club Sporting on 11 November after signing a contract until June 2027.

READ MORE: Manchester United appoint Amorim as head coach

The Gunners won 3-0 to set up a home tie against Crystal Palace in the next round.

Sun Sport’s Sam Dymond reveals who has done enough to feature in the quarter final – and who might be a bit worried.

Tommy Setford – 6

A clean sheet on debut for the teenager. After a quiet first half, he looked nervous when put under pressure by Preston’s forward.

Jurrien Timber – 7

Really looking the part in the Arsenal defence after injury. His crosses caused chaos before being replaced at half-time

William Saliba – 7

Settled back into the side after suspension, and was rarely troubled on a night where he continually swept up possession.

Jakub Kiwior – 8

Partnered Saliba admirably in defence, but showed his attacking worth by providing two assists.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7

A solid display before his removal on the hour, perhaps with one eye on the weekend.

Jorginho – 7

Kept things moving in midfield, and even showed off some sublime skill when the opportunity arose.

Mikel Merino – 7

A much more confident performance from the Spaniard following his goal on Sunday. Combined well with Martinelli and Nwaneri during the opening 45 minutes.

Ethan Nwaneri – 9

Serenaded by the Arsenal fans as ‘one of their own’, this talented teenager once again excited Gooners everywhere.

The scorer of one sublime strike, he came so close to bagging a second goal too.

Raheem Sterling – 7

The Carabao Cup king did everything but score. Perhaps let down by his decision making, he’s looking more at home at Arsenal than he ever did at Chelsea.

Gabriel Jesus – 8

Constantly alive to the ball inside the box, he was rewarded with a first goal since January to get the scoring underway.

Gabriel Martinelli – 8

Often Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat with his direct running and ability to beat defenders. Replaced after taking a couple of heavy knocks.

Subs

Thomas Partey – 6

Replaced Timber at the break and once again did the job asked of him with few complaints.

Kai Havertz – 8

Scored a superb header shortly after his arrival as a half-time sub, and was an imposing figure in both penalty areas.

Bukayo Saka – 6

More minutes in the legs for the Arsenal star as he continues the recovery from his hamstring injury.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6

Misplaced a couple of passes after his introduction, but fits in well among the first-team squad.

Ayden Heaven – 6

Offered a glimpse of genuine pace as he made his senior debut for the final ten minutes.

Mike Tyson doesn’t see Jake Paul clashing head on with him when they meet in the squared circle.

Tyson and Paul will fight Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in an eight-round pro bout. The matchup headlines the first combat sporting event to stream live on Netflix for subscribers.

When the bell rings, Tyson believes Paul will do a lot of running once he gets hit. From there, it’s up to the former heavyweight champ to trap him.

“I see him running around, I have to catch him and slaughter him,” Tyson told TalkSport.

“No, [I don’t fear him] because he stepped into the ring. If my mother steps in the ring, she has a problem with me. Whoever’s in that ring, they have a problem. Don’t go in the ring if you don’t want that problem.”

Tyson hasn’t competed since an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020, fighting to a no decision after eight rounds. The most recent pro boxing bout for “Iron” took place in 2005 where he lost via sixth-round TKO after he couldn’t answer the bell in what was set to be his final pro boxing bout.

Paul is 10-1 as a pro boxer, which includes victories over MMA stars Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, Mike Perry and Tyron Woodley.

Tyson sees what Paul has done to put eyeballs on the sport of boxing, as well as the improvements Paul has made. But the 58-year-old says the experience gap is just plain ridiculous.

“He’s a good little fighter, but he only has [11] fights,” Tyson said. “That’s considered an amateur in our field.”

Former Tyrone gaelic footballer Jody Gormley says he has “no fear of dying whatsoever” after revealing he has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Gormley was a prominent player for the Red Hands during the 1990s, helping the county win the Ulster Championship in 1995 and reach the All-Ireland final later that year.

The 53-year-old, who says doctors told him in mid-September that he has only months left to live, was managing his club Trillick as recently as last week in the Tyrone Senior Football Championship final, after which he told his players the news as they gathered in the dressing room after defeat by Errigal Ciaran.

“I have no fear of dying. No fear of dying whatsoever. I’ve felt blessed my entire life,” Gormley said on The GAA Social.

“The sadness is the people you’re leaving behind. That I’ll not get to see my son, he’s training hard with Trillick, he’s come back after a couple of years, that I’ll not get to see him play and I’ll not get to see my family grow up and mature.

“That’s not scary but sad really. That’s the reality. When you peel it all back, it’s the people close to you that you’re not going to have those experiences with. That is the genuine sadness, there’s no being tough around that, that’s the reality.”