Charlie Ewels: Five things to know about the Bulls’ new England and Bath lock

Jared Wright
england Charlie Ewels Five things to know about the Bulls' new The Bulls new England and Bath lock

England and Bath lock Charlie Ewels has joined the Bulls for the 2023 season and will return to the Premiership ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 27-year-old sustained an injury while on England duty last July and was effectively ruled out for the entire 2022/23 season.

Ewels joins the Bulls

However, he has returned ahead of schedule and heads to the Bulls for game time and to press for a place in England’s Rugby World Cup squad.

Due to the signings of Fergus Lee-Warner and Ted Hill, it is reported that Bath could not fit Ewels in their budget this season.

“It is a really exciting opportunity to be experiencing a new country and different competition,” Ewels told Bath’s official website.

“I’m extremely grateful for the support I’ve received from everyone here at Bath whilst I’ve been injured, particularly the medical and S&C departments.

“I haven’t played any rugby since June 2022, so to be able to gain some minutes with an unbelievable franchise like the Bulls is going to be a fantastic experience. I want to soak up as much as I can whilst I’m in Pretoria before returning to Bath.

“It hasn’t been easy this season not being able to contribute on the field, but I genuinely believe there is an exciting journey ahead of us, and I’m committed to being a part of that.”

Ahead of his debut for the Bulls, Planet Rugby highlights things you should know about the 6’6″, 112kg lock.

U20 world champion and captain

Ewels was a member of the England U20 team that won the 2014 Junior World Championship, partnering Maro Itoje in the second-row.

In 2015, he captained the side to a U20 Six Nations title and a second-place finish in the World Championship, losing to New Zealand in the final.

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Bath career to date

A graduate of the Bath Rugby Academy, Ewels showed early signs of his potential and earned his senior debut for the club at 19.

In 2019/20, he captained the side under former head coach Stuart Hooper and has racked up over 100 appearances for the team.

He has not played for Bath this season due to his injury, but he played 14 of their 23 Premiership matches last season.

England Test career

The lock earned a call-up to the England squad under Eddie Jones in 2016.

He made his Test debut against Fiji in November, with his first start coming in July 2017 against Argentina.

Ewels started all three Tests against Los Pumas that July and scored tries in the latter two Test matches.

He was part of the wider England squad for the Rugby World Cup but did not make the final cut. 

To date, he has played 30 times for his country.

Six Nations and unwanted record

While he made his Test debut in 2016, he had to wait until 2020 to feature in the Six Nations for the first time.

In just his second Six Nations Test, he set the unwanted record for the quickest red card in the Championship’s history.

He was given his marching orders for a late and high tackle on James Ryan, with the pair colliding heads.

His sending-off occurred just 82 seconds into the Test between England and Ireland.

Heroes and hobby

On the England Rugby website, Ewels lists Bulls and Springboks’ legend Victor Matfield as one of the players he admires, along with Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio.

Off the pitch, he is a car collector and takes his Ford Mustang to motor shows across the southwest of England.

READ MORE: Five things to know about Nemani Nadolo, the retiring Fiji winger

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