Marler has been out of action since April.

Marler has been out of action since April.

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’”. “My son actually likes chucking things over the stair gate, so on the second step down I fell on his toy snake and went straight down the stairs, head to bottom, and I’m gone.

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.