Warrington and Wigan Circle Ben Earl for Cross-Code Move
Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors are both reportedly looking at ben earl for a possible cross-code move after next year’s Rugby World Cup. The Saracens and England back-row is 28, has already said he loves league, and he would need to wait until after his union commitments before any switch north.
Ben Earl and the league interest
City AM reported that both Super League clubs are weighing up Earl, who signed a new Saracens deal in 2025 and is said to be under contract through 2029. He told RugbyPass last month: "I love league, I watch more league than union but I don’t really know the ins and outs".
He added: "I’m on every fantasy and every tipping competition. I’m a massive student of the game and picking people’s brains all the time." Those comments fit the interest from two clubs with recent union links already on their books.
Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves
Wigan signed Christian Wade from Gloucester Rugby last year for a short stint before he switched back to union to play for Newcastle Red Bulls. Warrington fielded former England union centre Luther Burrell between 2019 and 2020. Earl would be looking at the same path, but with a much larger profile and a bigger contract to navigate.
Super League clubs get salary cap dispensation if they sign union players who have never played league professionally, a detail that makes a cross-code move more workable. Earl’s salary is reported to be around £600,000 per season and is boosted by an RFU central contract, so any deal would sit in that framework rather than around a simple transfer fee.
England, Saracens and 30
Earl said: "I would have loved to do it. If someone said, ‘what would be your one regret?’ it would probably be not giving it a go at one point." He also said: "I stay in touch with a few coaches out there and it’s always been, ‘What’s your situation?’"
His own timeline points to a possible opening later rather than sooner. "At the moment I am fully committed to playing for England and Saracens until a certain point," he said, before adding: "If I got to 30 and felt I couldn’t contribute anymore or needed a change of tack I’d love to get down there, but if union is a young man’s game, then league is a very young man’s game."
If that route opens after the Rugby World Cup, Earl would join Jason Robinson, Sonny Bill Williams, Jonathan Davies and Chris Ashton in playing both codes at the top level. Negotiations over possible NRL investment in English Super League are ongoing and could be concluded this month, adding another moving part to a market that may shift again before Earl reaches 30.
