Will Hooley signs for Saracens

Saracens have signed USA out-half Will Hooley from Bedford Blues ahead of the 2020/21 Championship season following the London club’s automatic relegation for repeated salary cap breaches.

The 26-year-old, who can also play at full-back, moved to the Blues from Exeter Chiefs ahead of the 2017/18 season and soon earned an international call-up with the USA.

Since his full debut in February 2018 against Canada, Hooley has amassed 13 caps for the Eagles and featured at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Now a Saracen, Hooley claims he cannot wait to develop his game at a club he has admired for some time. 

“It was such an easy decision for me to make the move to Saracens,” he said to the club website ahead of a stint that will start with the targeted mid-August resumption of the remaining games in the suspended 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season. 

“Everything the club has built over the years, both on and off the field, is something to be admired. Ultimately, I wanted to test myself and challenge myself and I’ll do that around some of the best players in the world, some of the best youngsters.

“I’ve been craving to get back to that elite, everyday environment and Sarries is probably one of the best in Europe, probably one of the best in the world, so overall for my career this is a great move. It’s an honour to be here and I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.”

Saracens boss Mark McCall added: “We are excited to welcome Will to the Saracens family. He will bring a wealth of experience having played in the Premiership, more recently in the Championship and at a World Cup.

"Will is ambitious to move his game forward and we look forward to helping him do that at the club.”