Ben Earl
Birth nameBenjamin Arthur Earl
Date of birth (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 24)
Place of birthRedhill, Surrey, England
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb)
SchoolTonbridge School
UniversityQueen Mary University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker, Number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–present Saracens 95 (80)
2020–21(loan) →Bristol Bears 22 (55)
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016 England U18 4 (0)
2017–2018 England U20 9 (20)
2020– England 13 (0)
Correct as of 20 March 2021

Ben Earl (born 7 January 1998) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a back row for Premiership Rugby club Saracens. He made his England debut during the 2020 Six Nations.

Early life and education[edit]

Earl's mother worked as a retail industry CEO and his father as a solicitor.[1][2] Earl attended The New Beacon and Tonbridge School.[2]

At school level Earl played much more cricket than rugby; he was an all-rounder and played for Kent until he was 15.[2] He also was a serious competitive swimmer until he was 13.[3] He has said he was overweight until age 17.[3] He studied comparative literature at Queen Mary University.[2]

Playing career[edit]

Club[edit]

Earl started his playing career at Sevenoaks RFC and came through the Saracens academy.[3] He has stated that he prefers the freedom of playing flanker, but also plays Number 8.[3] In November 2016 Earl made his club debut against Gloucester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the following season he scored a try on his first Premiership start against Exeter Chiefs.[4][5] He started for the Saracens side that lost to Northampton Saints in the 2019 Premiership Rugby Cup final.[6]

In 2020 Earl agreed a new contract with Saracens and after it was confirmed the club would be relegated for the 2020-21 campaign he joined Bristol Bears on a season-long loan along with teammate Max Malins.[7] During his loan spell he started for Bristol in the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup as they defeated Toulon to win their first ever European trophy.[8]

International[edit]

Earl represented England at under-16 and under-18 level.[3][5] He was a member of the England under-20 team that completed a grand slam during the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and scored a try during the opening round against France.[9] He was selected for the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship and scored a try in the final as England finished runners up to New Zealand.[10] The following year Earl captained the team as they finished runners up in the 2018 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and he scored a try in the final round against Ireland.[11]

In May 2018 Earl received his first call-up by coach Eddie Jones to the senior squad for their tour of South Africa and he was subsequently selected for the 2019 Six Nations Championship.[2] Earl was called up again for the 2020 Six Nations Championship and on 8 February 2020 made his Test debut off the bench as a replacement for Sam Underhill against Scotland at Murrayfield.[7][12] He subsequently played in the final round of the tournament as England won away against Italy to win the competition.[13] Later that year Earl came off the bench as England defeated France in extra-time to win the Autumn Nations Cup.[14]

Honours[edit]

England

Club

References[edit]

  1. ^ Walsh, David (31 January 2021). "Latin 'fan', chess addict...and he can play rugby a bit too". The Times. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kitson, Robert (1 October 2021). "Ben Earl: 'I'd do anything to play again for England. It's the pinnacle'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mockford, Sarah (9 July 2018). "Hotshot: Saracens and England U20 back-row Ben Earl". Rugby World. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Ben Earl signs new contract at Saracens". Premiership Rugby. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b Baber, Andy (13 June 2018). "Rising Stars:Ben Earl". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Premiership Rugby Cup Final: Northampton beat Saracens with three first-half tries". BBC Sport. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Bristol Bears: Saracens duo Ben Earl and Max Malins join on loan for 2020-21 season". BBC Sport. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b Garry, Tom (16 October 2020). "European Challenge Cup final: Bristol Bears 32-19 Toulon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. ^ "England U20s crush France 59-17 in Six Nations opener". Sky Sports. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  10. ^ "World Under-20 Championship final: England 17-64 New Zealand". BBC Sport. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  11. ^ O'Sullivan, John (16 March 2018). "England flood through as Ireland run out of steam and bodies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  12. ^ Jones, Chris (20 January 2020). "Six Nations 2020: England call up eight uncapped players". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  13. ^ a b Grey, Becky (31 October 2020). "Italy 5-34 England: Visitors' victory proves enough to win Six Nations title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  14. ^ a b Henson, Mike (6 December 2020). "Autumn Nations Cup: England beat France in sudden death". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2022.

External links[edit]