Birth name | Ralph Ian Adams-Hale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 31 March 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Kimpton, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Roundwood Park School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | King's College London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ralph Adams-Hale (born 31 March 1997) is an English former rugby union player who played prop for Saracens and represented England at youth level.
Adams-Hale lived for much of his childhood in the village of Kimpton, Hertfordshire before moving to St Albans for the Saracens academy squad.
Adams-Hale attended Roundwood Park School and subsequently studied physics at King's College London, although "would have been at Cambridge had it been possible to juggle the logistics". [1]
Adams-Hale began playing rugby at a young age, playing junior rugby with Harpenden RFC. [2] He played back row when he was a teenager. [2] He continued up to senior level with Harpenden, and also became a key figure in his school First XV.
Adams-Hale was a member of the England under-20 squad that completed a grand slam during the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. [3] Later that year he started for the side that finished runners up to New Zealand in the final of the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. [4]
In October 2018 Adams-Hale made his club debut for Saracens in a Premiership Rugby Cup match against Leicester Tigers and also featured in the final of that competition as they finished runners up to Northampton Saints. [5] [6] At the end of that season he came off the bench in the Premiership final as Saracens defeated Exeter Chiefs to retain their title. [7]
After Saracens were relegated for salary cap breaches, Adams-Hale featured in the 2021 RFU Championship play-off victory over Ealing Trailfinders which saw Saracens gain promotion and an immediate return to the top flight. [8]
Due to persistent injuries and on medical advice Adams-Hale was forced to retire from professional rugby at the end of the 2023-2024 season. [9]