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| 26 Mar 2020 | |
| Sports |
| Rugby |
| Ben Earl gains his first cap for England Ben Earl (JH 11-16) wasgoing from strength to strength in his rugby career before the Covid-19 pandemic brought international sport to a grinding halt. Here is a roundup of his sporting successes over the past three months. Ben Earl (JH 11-16) was one of eight uncapped players to join England’s Six Nations squad this season. He gained his first England cap during the Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland at Murrayfield on 8 February. The match ended with a 13-6 victory for England with Earl making a telling contribution off the bench. Earl also played in the match versus Ireland at Twickenham when England were victorious 24-12. Before the match, England coach Eddie Jones identified the young back-row player as a “glimpse of the future for England rugby.” Earl was a late substitution in England’s thrilling 33-30 defeat of Wales at Twickenham, but unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to what could have been a thrilling finale to the Six Nations championship as England chased the leaders, France. Just before the season was brought to an early close, Earl’s club, Saracens confirmed that the player had committed his long-term future to the club until summer 2023. However, Earl will be on a season-long loan to Bristol Bears for 2020/21 following Saracens relegation due to the salary capping scandal. Earl joined the Saracens Academy in 2012 aged 14 and has progressed to become a valuable first-team player. Saracens Director of Rugby, Mark McCall said: “Nothing brings more joy to everyone at Saracens than seeing a young player grow in our system, play for our club and represent his country. Ben is an exceptional young man with a huge future in rugby.” A personal insight into Earl’s career appeared in the Daily Mail on 25 January, on the eve of the Six Nations campaign, link here |
