‘Leave your pads and helmet in your bag’: Rugby world mocks American NFL player who claimed he would ‘dominate’ the sport – and the All Blacks invite him to a training session
- NFL’s Marquette King, 31, said on Twitter that he would dominate rugby easily
- King was soon met with thousands of comments criticising him for the claim
- Current and former rugby stars said they would make quick work of King
An American NFL star has been mercilessly mocked by some of rugby’s biggest names after claiming he would ‘dominate’ the sport.
Marquette King, 31, who played for the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders until 2018, made the bold statement despite never having played professional rugby.
‘If I played rugby I would dominate it easily,’ he wrote on Twitter on Saturday, and was deluged by comments from the rugby union community.
NFL player Marquette King has attracted a barrage of criticism online after he claimed he would ‘dominate rugby easily’
King soon caught the attention of British rugby legend Neil Back who mocked the NFL’s use of protective equipment
King, a free agent kicker who has not been signed to a team since 2018, quickly caught the attention of British rugby legend Neil Back with his comments.
‘Really, leave your pads and helmet in your bag,’ Back replied.
Rugby’s much-feared All Blacks also did not take kindly to the comment either, and offered King an opportunity to test himself against the sport’s best.
‘You’re welcome to join us for training anytime,’ they said.
Rugby’s much-feared All Blacks also did not take kindly to King’s comments and offered him an opportunity to train with the sport’s best. Pictured is All Black’s star Jack Goodhue tackling Israel Folau
General Manager of High Performance with Fiji Rugby Union, Simon Raiwalui, offered King a brutal introduction to the sport with some of the his team’s heavy-hitters
England’s Leicester Tigers star Ellis Genge also thought little of King’s claim.
‘I’d bend him right up, stick to wearing your bike helmet and shoulder cushions my boy.’
Former Australian rugby player and General Manager of High Performance with Fiji Rugby Union, Simon Raiwalui, also offered King a session with some of his team’s heavy-hitters.
‘I love the confidence. If you wish I could organise a little 10m gauntlet drill with Radradra, Tuisova, Yato, Nakarara and Mata as an introduction?’ He said.
‘I can even format the drill to suit, 15 seconds on, 15 minutes off.’
King shared an online poll to decide if NFL or Rugby would produce the better athlete and the winner was quickly decided
After facing a barrage of criticism King decided to pit rugby and NFL head-to-head in a poll, but even that did not go to plan.
Rugby was quickly drawn as the conclusive winner with 78.6 per cent of the vote.
Not long after the vote was drawn King appeared to submit defeat and praised rugby’s fan base.
‘I’ve gotta admit. The love that people have for rugby internationally is deep. I love the passion y’all got,’ he said.
After the wave of criticism, King appeared to submit defeat and praised rugby’s fan base. Pictured in 2013 when he played for the Oakland Raiders