Ben Earl will be Lions shoo-in if he outplays Ardie Savea

It is significant that amid the ignorance shown by some All Blacks players this week of their opposite numbers in the England side, it did not apply to No 8 Ben Earl.

Perhaps most significant was to hear the All Black No 8, Ardie Savea, sing the praises of the Saracens forward.

“I am a big fan of Ben and how he plays kind of similar to myself,” said Savea. “He is pretty ‘swaggy’ with the ball and runs hard. Ben’s nice. He’s got good feet at the line, and he’s a strong ball-carrier. That’s something we need to identify and nullify, but it will be very hard.”

Coming from last year’s world player of the year, that is strong praise indeed. Earl may still have much to prove if he is to be considered in the same class as the 30-year-old Savea, who has 81 caps and has previously captained the All Blacks.

But considering that the 26-year-old Earl had been cut adrift by former England head coach Eddie Jones, and found himself behind Alex Dombrandt at the start of last year’s Six Nations campaign when Steve Borthwick took charge, his standing on the international stage has soared over the last year.

“Ben was on the bench for two games [in the 2023 Six Nations] and we discussed areas to work on in his game, and he went away and worked exceptionally hard,” said Borthwick. “Now when I look at his work rate it is very rare.

“The thing that also pleases me with Ben - we meet every week - is he also identifies what he needs to work on and improve. Clearly I have done that analysis as well but he brings it to me. I sense a hunger in him and a desire to just keep getting better and it is exciting to work with a player like that

“Some players step into Test rugby and it happens straight away, some players need to step back and work towards it and that is what Ben has done – he has shown his international class.”

Earl has always been a remarkable physical specimen. At 6ft, he gives away a couple of inches to Savea but at 16st 12lbs, is over a stone heavier than the New Zealand forward (15st 8lbs). However, his ability to translate his club form to the international stage has been said privately to be in part due to an improvement in his conditioning, which has enabled him to make his involvements more impactful and more often.

That has been recognised by Borthwick’s eagerness to develop his skills as a centre or wing in training to enable the England head coach to have the positional flexibility to consider fielding a six-two bench.

Those close to Earl say that a better understanding of the game has also improved his communication and as a result his leadership skills on and off the field, with Borthwick naming him as one of his vice-captains for this tour. He has been identified as a future England captain.

Now his head-to-head with Savea, who is widely regarded as the most explosive back-row forward on the world stage, will provide the perfect testing ground for Earl, whose ability to provide go-forward ball for England will be critical to Borthwick’s side’s hopes of recording a first win on New Zealand soil since 2003.

“He, without question, has the speed and the skill set to be able to play almost anywhere on the field,” added Borthwick.

“He is an outstanding back-row forward. The growth with him in the last year has been enormous, and he can still grow even more. He’s got that attitude to test himself against the best. It’s wonderful, then having the flexibility to move him from that role into another role. That’s how we see it working.

“Fundamentally, in any unstructured situation you back him. He’s got the skill set, he’s got the pace, he’s also got a great rugby brain.”

While Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach, for now is focused on his side’s attempt to defeat the Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday, he will no doubt be also monitoring events in Dunedin with a view to beginning his selection thoughts for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia next year.

Should Earl outplay Savea on Saturday, it is likely the display will provide Farrell with compelling evidence that the England No 8 should be a shoo-in to make the Lions tour.

Warren Gatland, the former Lions head coach, previously judged his selection for the previous three tours on the white-heat moments when players fronted up in challenging circumstances, particularly away from home.

Against an All Blacks side desperate to launch Scott Robertson’s tenure with a victory against England, it is hard to think of a more suitable testing ground for Earl.