‘Arrogant’ Ben Earl 'absolutely did everyone’s head in'

Richard Wigglesworth knew Ben Earl was destined for the top from the minute he swaggered into Saracens’ changing room as a self-assured teenager.

Earl wins his 50th England cap in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations showdown with Italy at the Stadio Olimpico having become a mainstay of the back row since the 2023 World Cup.

While currently one of England’s most influential players, his early days at Saracens are remembered vividly by Wigglesworth, who at the time was the club’s scrum-half and now serves as Steve Borthwick’s number two.

“I shared a changing room with an 18-year-old boy coming in. He absolutely did everyone’s head in with his confidence/arrogance,” defence coach Wigglesworth said.

“He decided to brave it by sitting between me and Chris Ashton so that showed what balls he had straight away.

“We chucked his stuff out of the changing room every day for about two weeks, but he persisted and came back. He was brilliant.

“That would have only been done to someone like him who was right up for it the way he walked into the changing room with a swagger.

“This kid thinks he’s something so you try and bring him down a peg or two, but he instantly got on and we enjoyed having him in that environment.

“He was one of those guys you just knew was going to be good, but he almost needed to be whacked into shape in those early years.

“He trained for a year with us and then he came back the next pre-season and was honestly the best player. We were like ‘oh my god, this kid is special’.

“He may have bordered on arrogant and annoying but he’s turned into a confident man and, in my view, very likeable. I’m very proud of him, hopefully we make it a brilliant day for him.

“He had it tough early on in his career, but look how good he’s been for England, how consistent he is with big performances at big times. I’m hoping that we see the best of him in his 50th cap.”