Saracens sign ex-England U20 centre Sam Spink from Western Force

Saracens have announced the signing of centre Sam Spink from Super Rugby Pacific's Western Force ahead of next season.

The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons in Perth having made the move after his previous club Wasps went into administration in 2022. He had spent nine years at Wasps after coming through their academy.

At 103kg, the former England U20 international will add further ballast to Saracens' midfield.

“There is still plenty of work to do here in Australia with the season only half way through but I’m very excited to be heading home and joining such a great club like Saracens. There is a really exciting young group forming and I can’t wait to be a part of it going forward,” he said after the signing was announced.

Spink's future director of rugby Mark McCall added: “Sam has had a number of difficult challenges to contend with early in his career-injury wise and the demise of Wasps - but has shown great resilience to overcome these challenges and had the courage to travel to the other side of the world in order to progress his development.

"He is a tough, abrasive player and at 24, has both the potential and drive to take his game to the next level. We are delighted he has chosen to do that at Saracens.”

Western Force general manager of rugby Matt Hodgson said: “Sam will leave the Club with our best wishes for his future success. He has embraced both the Club and the city and given his all during his time at the Force.”

The Force currently sit at the foot of the Super Rugby Pacific table at the midpoint of the season, but Spink is hoping for a strong second half of the campaign before his departure. He said: “This was a really hard decision as I’ve absolutely loved my time here, but it feels like the right time to be heading home.

“Returning to a club close to home was tempting having been away for a while and I feel I’ve got unfinished business in the Premiership given how everything ended suddenly at Wasps.

“Now I’m just excited to rip into the second half of this season with a class group of boys and get a good set of results going forward to put ourselves in the mix come playoff time.”