Saracens wickedly troll Bristol with Earl contract extension video

Saracens have brilliantly trolled Bristol on social media with their coverage of Ben Earl agreeing to a contract extension with the London club. It was last week, shortly after the Bears announced that Max Malins would be joining the Ashton Gate club for the 2023/24 season, when speculation flared that Earl, who was on loan at Bristol with Malins for the 2020/21 season, could also make the same permanent move.

Bristol had published a snazzy, humorous video that confirmed Malins would be re-joining Pat Lam team’s next season from Saracens and they followed it shortly afterwards with a post directed at Earl, whom they had holding a picture of him with Malins and Harry Randall. “Hey, Ben Earl,” it said with a waving hand emoji. “Miss you x.”

The variety of online responses came thick and fast. “Don’t tease us like this”. “Er…you already have one - be satisfied”. “Holy fooking shirt if this happened I’d throw up”. “Do it I beg you”. “That would be epic”. “Make my year”. “Vui and Heenan looking at this like”. “Great effort, but no chance lads. Earl will be with Saracens for years to come.”

With so many people thinking the Bristol post suggested that Earl could also be joining Malins in signing for the Bears, the club soon posted a follow-up message to clarify the situation. “Guys, it’s a joke, relax,” it stated with a laughing face emoji.

A week later and Bristol have been left laughing on the other side of their face after Saracens trolled them back with their hilarious video announcement that Earl had committed to an unspecified length contract extension to stay in London.

In the one-minute 47-second message titled ‘You never forget your first, do you’, Saracens included in the video the picture of Earl with Malins and Randall and it shows him throwing it in the dressing room bin and instead beaming at a framed picture of the back-rower sitting in the middle with Maro Itoje and Nick Isiekwe. Follow-up messages read: “Hey, Bristol Bears, it was just a fling” and “Hang it in the Louvre”.

Away from the social media banter, a club statement read: “Saracens are delighted to confirm that Ben Earl has extended his contract at the club. The back-rower, who was the Gallagher Premiership player of the season last year has gone from strength to strength in recent times and is now regarded as one of the best back-rowers in the league.

“Earl, who has 13 England caps, is closing in on a century for Saracens after cementing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet alongside the likes of Billy Vunipola and Theo McFarland in the back row.

“The 24-year-old’s performance level has continued to rise in recent times, with a highlight coming during the Premiership semi-final when his hat-trick ensured Saracens’ passage through to the showpiece at Twickenham.”

Earl said: “Saracens is the club I call home and I’m delighted to have extended my contract here. We have a massively exciting journey ahead over the coming years and I’m determined to play my part in making sure we achieve our goals.”

Saracens boss Mark McCall added: “Ben is an important and popular member of our squad who is well respected by everyone at the training ground. His performances over the last few seasons have been consistently strong but his game has gone to a different level at the start of this campaign. We are obviously delighted that he will be extending his time at the club.”