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Saracens raid Championship for highly-rated former England U20's scrum half

Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Saracens have added to their scrum half stocks by raiding the Championship.

With Ben Spencer likely to be on England duty with England during the Rugby World Cup, Mark McCall has moved to add depth to the position.

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Alex Day will join the club from Cornish Pirates in the summer and will vie with Spencer and the experienced Richard Wigglesworth for game-time.

Formerly of Northampton Saints’ Academy, the scrum-half had great success early on in his career with England Under-20s.

The 26-year-old won back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2012 and 2013 before winning the World Rugby U20 Championship, where, besides starting in the final against Wales, he skippered his country to a 109-0 victory over USA, scoring a hat-trick.

Day moved on to Pirates in 2015 in search of regular game time and found it, going on to be an ever-present in his first three seasons in Cornwall.

Regarded as one of the best nines in the Championship due to his great core skills, he was voted Cornish Pirates’ Players’ Player of the Year for the 2017/18 campaign and is relishing the opportunity to make the step up to the Premiership again with Saracens.

Alex Day, the former England U20’s captain, warms up before match against Scotland U20’s in 2013 in Plymouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
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“I spoke to Judgey and he mentioned how great the culture is at Saracens,” he said.

“They’ve been really successful over the past five years or so and I’m excited to be a part of that.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Cornish Pirates for everything they have done for me during my time at the club.”

Director of Rugby Mark McCall said: “Alex has been a consistent performer in the Championship over the past few seasons and we are looking to having him at Saracens.”

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M
MA 3 hours ago
How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions

In regards to Mack Hansen, Tuipoloto and others who talent wasnt 'seen'..

If we look at acting, soccer and cricket as examples, Hugh Jackman, the Heminsworths in acting; Keith Urban in Nashville, Mike Hussey and various cricketers who played in UK and made the Australian team; and many soccer players playing overseas.


My opinion is that perhaps the ' 'potential' or latent talent is there, but it's just below the surface.


ANd that decision, as made by Tane Edmed, Noah, Will Skelton to go overseas is the catalyst to activate the latent and bring it to the surface.


Based on my personal experience of leaving Oz and spending 14 months o/s, I was fully away from home and all usual support systems and past memories that reminded me of the past.


Ooverseas, they weren't there. I had t o survive, I could invent myself as who I wanted, and there was no one to blame but me.


It bought me alive, focused my efforts towards what I wanted and people largely accepted me for who I was and how I turned up.


So my suggestion is to make overseas scholarships for younger players and older too so they can benefit from the value offered by overseas coaching acumen, established systems, higher intensity competition which like the pressure that turns coal into diamonds, can produce more Skeltons, Arnold's, Kellaways and the like.


After the Lion's tour say, create 20 x $10,000 scholarships for players to travel and play overseas.


Set up a HECS style arrangement if necessary to recycle these funds ongoingly.


Ooverseas travel, like parenthood or difficult life situations brings out people's physical and emotional strengths in my own experiences, let's use it in rugby.

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