ENGLISH PROP JOE Marler has escaped injury after a bizarre accident involving a toy snake and a bag of dirty nappies.
The 24-year-old tripped on his son’s toy, before falling down the stairs and ending up with a face full of dirty nappies.
Marler said a failed attempt at multitasking sent him flying, but that luckily he didn’t seriously aggravate the shoulder problem which ended his season in April.
“The missus had a headache and was struggling, so I went to get the dirty nappy bin and the dirty washing,” said Marler.
“I had the toothbrush in my mouth, and I thought ‘I can make it downstairs here; I’ll be fine’.
“I’ve got dirty nappies all over my face, with the missus screaming ‘what’s the matter? What’s the matter?’ I said ‘nothing, don’t come down here, it’s really embarrassing’”.
Marler is recovering from an operation to correct a torn labrum, having gone under the knife in April, but says the accident will only add a few days to his comeback.
“My shoulder is fine though, that’s put me back a week but the rehab is going well other than that. It’s been four weeks post-op now so it’s full-on with the rehab and trying to get back fit.”
Marler is seen as a key player for England in the World Cup, and the Harlequins captain was ever present during the 2014 Six Nations for Stuart Lancaster’s side.