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'Loan deal' for England's Ben Earl may already be done and dusted

By Ian Cameron
(Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)

England and Saracens backrow Ben Earl looks likely to sign a loan deal with Bristol Bears that will see him spend next season in the West Country.

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The backrow was named in England’s Six Nations squad last month after outstanding form for Saracens in both the Premiership and in Europe. He made his England debut against Scotland and has become a prime target of rival clubs following the automatic relegation of Mark McCall’s team.

Earl had been linked to Northampton Saints, Gloucester and Bristol in recent weeks, though it now appears the Bears have won the race to capture the openside.

RugbyPass understands the young backrow is eager to remain in the Premiership to further his elite playing experience and maintain his fledgling England career. Unlike other senior players who have far more experience under their belt, Earl may feel the top-level exposure is still vital for his personal development.

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A product of the Saracens academy, he has been at the North London club since he was 14. Earl made his senior Saracens debut as a replacement in the LV= Cup in November 2016 and featured a further four times, including his first outing in the Aviva Premiership.

He starred for England Under-20s at the Junior World Championships, scoring in the final against New Zealand, and went on to collect some early season minutes in the league this term.

Earl captained his country in this year’s U20 Six Nations prior to crossing for a try on his first Premiership start against Exeter Chiefs.

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Yesterday Elliot Daly became the latest senior player to pledge allegiance to Saracens, following England hooker Jamie George.

“Yeah I reckon I’ll stay, pretty similar to Jamie. I am still in contract,” said Daly ahead of Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland.

“We have the rest of the season to sort it out. At the moment, I’m just thinking about the next couple of games with England and then when I get back to Saracens, we’ll start talking about next year.”

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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