Joe Marler has hardly put a foot wrong during the World Cup.

But England have been fined after he and some of his team-mates overstepped the mark when confronting the Haka before Saturday's stunning 19-7 World Cup semi-final victory over New Zealand.

The former Sussex schoolboy was the most advanced of the Red Rose players when England skipper Owen Farrell and his team-mates formed a V shape to face the Maori war dance.

Several players at the tips of the formation - - with Marler the most notable - strayed beyond the boundaries established under World Rugby regulations.

The fine, which is believed to be £2,000, will be donated to the global governing body's official charity.

Fellow prop Mako Vunipola has laid the blame at Marler's feet - and jokingly reckons he should cough up.

He admitted: “[Joe Marler] said he got confused. He thought he was supposed to go all the way around it and go to their 10 [metre line].

"But because of that, he’s the one who has to pay the fine. He dishes it out a lot so the boys would be more than happy if he has to pay it.”

The rule is in place in order to avoid any potential clash of players and at the time referee Nigel Owens and his assistants instructed the wandering England stars to retreat behind the halfway line.

A precedent for World Rugby's act was set eight years ago when France formed an arrowhead shape to advance on New Zealand as they performed the Haka before their World Cup final in Auckland and received a £2,500 fine as a result.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had no problems with England's actions.

He said:  "I think England's response was fantastic. They didn't get fined for responding with what they did, they got fined because they went over halfway. And everyone knows you can't go over halfway.

"I think Joe Marler didn't go back when he got told two or three times.

"I thought the response was brilliant. If you understand the haka, it requires a response. It's a challenge to you personally and it requires you to have a response. I thought it was brilliant, quite imaginative too."

England's bold plan to stare down the famous All Blacks ritual devised by their head coach Eddie Jones has gone viral.

As of October 26, the World Cup's YouTube video titled 'England's incredible response to intense New Zealand Haka' has been viewed a staggering 4,118,515 times.

Farrell, who smirked at the All Blacks during the Haka, revealed that England's formation was carefully thought out.

"We knew we had to be within a radius behind them. We didn't want to just stand there and let them come at us," Farrell said.

"We wanted to keep a respectful distance and be respectful of that. We didn't want to just stand in a flat line, letting them come at us."

England face South Africa in Saturday's World Cup final at International Stadium Yokohama.