Top tackler Earl relishing test against a ‘proper team’
BEN Earl says Saracens will be motivated by finishing in the top two and ensuring a home tie in the play-offs against Exeter today rather than delivering a potentially fatal blow to the Chiefs‘ bid to finish in the top four.
The rivalry between the top two sides in the Premiership on the field in the latter half of the 2010s extended to the boardroom when Sarries were in 2020 relegated for breaches of the salary cap.
Exeter were among the clubs who called for Saracens to be stripped of the league titles they won in the years when they spent above the limit.
“There is a massive rivalry with Exeter and there has been a bit of a bite between the two teams over the years,” said England flanker Earl, the top tackler in the Premiership this season.
“We are massively excited about the prospect of playing a proper team, knowing we will get punished if we are slightly off it.
“The elephant in the room is what they need out of the game, but we have Harlequins breathing down our necks and it is as big an afternoon for us as it is for them. We have a two-game block in which we can do a lot of good in terms of making the semifinals and securing a home match.
“The best team I have played against this year was the Chiefs at Sandy Park. They were well oiled and had a plan.
“We have rarely had a full squad this season and we have been a bit too eager to do well which is why we have been up and down. We have to build momentum as we approach the home straight.”
Despite his form since returning from his loan season at Bristol, Earl has not been called on by England this session having been an ever-present since the second match of the 2020 Six Nations, although all his 13 caps have come as a replacement.
“I am taking things week by week,” said Earl. “I have liked a lot about my game but there is still a lot to improve on. I am more rounded since I joined Bristol and have a perspective on how I think the game should be played.
“I am paying a lot more attention to the mental side of the game. Calum Clark (the club’s wellbeing head) has helped me a lot.
I was successful during the early stage of my career but it has been more up and down in the last 18 months. I have learned to provide more of what the team requires than my highlights reel.”
