Ben Bamber
English rugby union player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ben Bamber (born 24 January 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a Lock for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks.
| Born | 24 January 2001[1] Trafford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 207 cm (6 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 134 kg (21 st 1 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
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]