One of the shining stars of the U20 Junior World Championship, Argentinian full-back Benjamin Elizalde, has joined Bristol Bears following a standout tournament in South Africa.
The 19-year-old, who can operate across the back three and in the midfield, is a prolific goal kicker, is one of the brightest talents in Argentina and a key cog in the Los Pumas U20 side that finished fifth in the U20 Junior World Championship.
The 6ft 2in, 93kg playmaker joins from Deportiva Francesa and has also represented Argentina XV.
Director of Rugby, Pat Lam, said: “Benjamin is one of the most exciting young talents in the world game and I’m really pleased to bring him into the Bears environment.
“His performances for Argentina at the Junior World Cup showcased his obvious talent and I believe he will have the opportunity to further develop his potential at the Bears within our environment.
“We have been monitoring Benjamin closely for a while now and we know how highly rated he is by Felipe Contepomi and his Argentina coaching team. Benjamin’s well-rounded skillset, ability to play across the backline and attacking threat fits the Bears Way perfectly.”
Elizalde said: “I am very happy to have signed with Bristol and for the opportunity they have given me.
“It is a very prestigious club with great players from whom I can learn a lot. I can’t wait to start training with the team and to fight for my place alongside a fantastic squad.”
Owen Farrell names four rugby players he can’t stand, including a Springbok
Former England captain Owen Farrell is never afraid of sharing an opinion or two – especially when it’s about someone he doesn’t particularly like.
The Bath lock won the last of his 24 caps for England back in 2016, which could have a lot to do with his relationship with the current England captain.
He revealed: “On the pitch, I struggle a lot with Owen Farrell. We just don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things,
“He hates me with a passion. Despite my earthy roots, he thinks I am a posh c***. He hates that. I bagged rugby league once jovially. I was saying it to take the piss kind of thing, ‘a bloody sport for the peasants’. He f**kin’ hated it.
“He had a bit of a shout at me and went off to the toilet and I followed him.
“We all had a drink or two after the game but we didn’t need to get carried away with this. I was in the urinal behind the door and he was three or four down and as I got in his dad walked in as well, he was coaching at the time. He was, ‘I don’t want to fuckin’ hear it’ or something like that and as he walked out he went to open the door and slam it into the back of me. There was like a stop on the floor so it hit the stop and almost clocked him back…
“We never really addressed it after that. That was where it started and it was like a drunken little bit of argy that went too far. He is an incredibly competitive athlete and he is also very f**kin’ good, he has got high standards. He is a very competitive athlete and in order to be that good, you have to flirt on the wrong side of competitive.
“So whenever we play each other there is always some element in the game where one of us is running at the other one or we are trying to bang each other. There always seems to be an element of that to it. I am sure he is like, I don’t even know that Dave is playing.”