Elliot Daly becomes second England player to pledge future to Saracens

Elliot Daly has become the second England player to pledge his future to Saracens, vowing to stick by the disgraced club in the Championship next season. Daly only arrived at Allianz Park in November following his World Cup exploits with England, joining a club in turmoil after their initial 35-point deduction and £5.36m fine. It was Daly’s arrival into an already star-studded squad that raised further suspicions over whether Saracens had breached the salary cap. A refusal to open their books mid-season brought about an additional 70-point penalty and condemned them to relegation.

Jamie George was the first England international to commit his future to Saracens, while Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola have revealed they are in negotiations with the club. “My plan is probably pretty similar to Jamie,” said Daly. “I am still in contract. At the moment I am not thinking about that. It is coming but we have the rest of the season to sort it out. At the moment, I am just thinking about the next couple of games with England and then when I get back to Sarries then start talking about next year.

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“My first day at the club wasn’t the best, not the best day you could ask for. It’s a big thing and it’s not to be taken lightly but the way that they dealt with it I thought was really good with the players.

“I’ve got no regrets about joining. The way that we train, the players there, the coaching staff, it’s an amazing club to be at. We’ve got the rest of the season until June to work out what we’re going to do next year but it could be a massive positive [with a chance to rest].”

Daly has started both England’s Six Nations matches so far this season back on the wing, having spent 18 months at full-back. His move has allowed George Furbank to slot into the No 15 jersey, making a difficult debut against France before tasting victory for the first time against Scotland. If he keeps his place against Ireland next Sunday he will make his first appearance at Twickenham, continuing a rapid rise for the 23‑year-old, who not so long ago was playing for Cambridge in England’s fourth tier.

“I’ve still only played 30 games for Northampton,” said Furbank. “So even though things had been going reasonably well in the Premiership I wasn’t really expecting a call-up. To get it was slightly surreal in itself. Wasn’t really expecting to be involved in the first game at all.”

Furbank was a keen cricketer in his youth and attended Bedford school, which lists the former England captain Alastair Cook among its former pupils. It was there that he found himself a member of a Take That tribute band – though his England initiation song was Don McLean’s American Pie – while his studies are continuing with a six-year degree from the Open University in environmental science.

“It’s been tough the last few weeks,” he added. “I’ve not got much done but I sat in front of the laptop on our two days off. Smashed out a couple of assignments. We’ve got tutors we can liaise with. There were three questions: one about properties of soil, one about rivers.”

Furbank lists Saracens’ Alex Goode – who has consistently failed to convince Eddie Jones of his talents – among the full-backs he admires most and having had little opportunity to show his attacking ability in his first two caps, is hoping to do so against Ireland. He is also aware of the aerial threat posed by Andy Farrell’s side, with Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray pulling the strings.

“They’re two world-class operators, especially when it comes to the kicking game,” said Furbank. “It poses a big challenge for us. If we get that aerial battle right then it gives us a big chance to get into the game and put on to them what we want.”