| Date of birth | 24 January 2001 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Trafford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 207 cm (6 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 126 kg (19 st 12 lb) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Bamber (born 24 January 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a Lock for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks.
Bamber initially played rugby league and was on the books of his boyhood club, Huddersfield Giants in 2018. [3] He was spotted by scout Alan Tait who recommended him to Pat Lam at Bristol Bears and although initially reluctant to change codes to rugby union he did eventually sign. [4] In June 2020, he was promoted to train with the senior Bristol Bears squad. [5] In 2021, he signed a dual-registration contract to allow him to play on loan at Dings Crusaders in Lockleaze. [6] However, he injured his shoulder and despite recovering, quickly injured the other shoulder at an England U20 training session and demoralised, briefly quit the game. He worked, amongst other things, as a shelf-stacker in Flixton, Greater Manchester. [4]
After a trial with Sale Sharks in March 2022, Bamber signed a full-time contract with the club. [4] He made his debut for Sale that season in the Premiership Rugby Cup. [7] During the 2022–23 season he played on loan at Sale FC Rugby Club in National League 1 where he impressed, being awarded the Supporters’ Player of the Year. [4] [8] In February 2023, he signed a new contract with Sale Sharks. [9] In December 2023, he made his first European Champions Cup start for Sale Sharks against Stade Français. [10] Bamber was named as the RPA 15 Under 23 MVP of the month for April. [11]
On 1 January 2021, Bamber was called up to the England U20 squad although he did not make an appearance due to a shoulder injury. [12] [13] In February 2024 he played for the England A side against Portugal. [14]