Ben Earl

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.

Ben Earl
Birth nameBenjamin Arthur Earl
Date of birth (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998
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

Early life and education

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

Club

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

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

England

Club

References
  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. 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. 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. Baber, Andy (13 June 2018). "Rising Stars:Ben Earl". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. "Premiership Rugby Cup Final: Northampton beat Saracens with three first-half tries". BBC Sport. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  7. "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. 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. 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. Henson, Mike (6 December 2020). "Autumn Nations Cup: England beat France in sudden death". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
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