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| Full name | Benjamin Thomas Spencer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 31 July 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Stockport, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb; 13 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bramhall High School Ivybridge Community College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Benjamin Thomas Spencer (born 31 July 1992) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Premiership Rugby club Bath and the England national team.
Spencer began his youth rugby at Manchester and went on to represent Cambridge during the 2010–11 National League 1 season. In August 2011, after impressing during a pre-season trial, Spencer signed for Saracens. [1]
In March 2015, Spencer kicked a last-minute penalty as Saracens defeated Exeter Chiefs 23–20 in the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup. [2] In May 2016, Spencer was a second-half substitute for Richard Wigglesworth as Saracens defeated Racing 92 to win the European Rugby Champions Cup for the first time. [3] The following season, Spencer was again a replacement as Saracens defeated Clermont to retain their European title. [4]
Spencer was Saracens' top try scorer in the 2017–18 season. [5] He scored a penalty as Saracens beat Exeter 27–10 in the Premiership final in 2018, and then the following year scored a try as Saracens retained the Premiership title. [6] [7] Spencer won his third European Rugby Champions Cup, this time starting the final, as Saracens defeated Leinster. [8]
Spencer joined Bath in a three-year deal ahead of recommencement of the 2019–20 season. [9]
In May 2024, following an impressive season in which he led Bath to their first Premiership final in almost a decade, he was named in the Premiership Team of the Season for the 2023–24 campaign. [10]
Spencer was a member of the England under-20 squad that competed at the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa. [11] In January 2012, Spencer scored a try on his debut for the England Saxons in a victory against Ireland Wolfhounds. [12]
On 9 June 2018, Spencer made his senior international debut for England against South Africa, arriving from the bench during the first match of their 2018 summer test series. [13]
On 27 October 2019, Spencer was called up to England's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as an injury replacement for Willi Heinz. [14] He then made his first World Cup appearance as a substitute in the 2019 final against South Africa. [15]
In October 2024, having previously always played off the bench for England, Spencer was named as a starter for the first time for the 2024 Autumn Nations Series fixture against New Zealand. [16] Subsequently, in January 2025, following injuries to Alex Mitchell and Jack van Poortvliet, he was recalled into the senior training squad ahead of the 2025 Six Nations. [17]
