2023-11-17 16:25:03
The young winger or fullback of the XV de la Rose immediately established himself as one of the offensive weapons of the Ciel et Blanc.
Coming from a military family
Before breaking out at the highest level with London Irish, Henry Arundell traveled a lot when he was young. The reason ? His parents were both in the British Army. His father was in fact a colonel in the “Rifles”, a regiment of the British Army, and his mother was a military nurse.. “I lived in Cyprus for two years, then we moved around a little more because of my father’s postings: Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, America. It was cool to move around a lot, to discover different places,” he says. He himself was born in Dhekelia (on the island of Cyprus) and could, before choosing the XV of the Rose, have worn the colors of Cyprus but also of Wales and Scotland, due to his origins of his various grandparents.
Racing 92 has in its ranks another Henry, Chavancy, the child of the club, who has something in common with the English international: Mr. Chavancy senior was also a former soldier, general of the French armies, who notably commanded the Task Force La Fayette in Afghanistan.
A smashing debut with the XV de la Rose
It was Eddie Jones who launched the little prodigy onto the international scene. It was in July 2022, during the XV de la Rose’s tour of the Wallabies. And on this occasion, Henry Arundell, at 19 years and 236 days, became the youngest player in the back triangle to wear the England jersey, ahead of Alastair Hignell (19 years and 269 days) who had 14 caps between 1975 and 1979. For his international debut, Arundell scored a superb try against Australia.
Retained by Steve Borthwick for the last World Cup, the English phenomenon shone for his first match in the competition by scoring five tries against the modest Chileans. “He played really well and I think he is taking advantage of his opportunities. He’s a fantastic finisher, greeted the Rose coach. The message we gave him was to believe in himself on the pitch.” Only two players had previously managed to score a quintuple at a World Cup: Australian Chris Latham against Namibia and his compatriot Josh Lewsey against Uruguay, both in 2003. The record is held by an All Black, Marc Ellis, scorer of a sextupt against Japan in 1995.
Mayol, his favorite garden
It’s as if the Mayol lawn gives him wings. In May 2022, London Irish travel to Toulon in the Challenge Cup. And young Henry Arundell will light up the game at the end of the match. For one of the most beautiful essays of the year. Under pressure 5 meters from his goal, the young Englishman gently launches the machine but tears the defensive curtain of the RCT and then deposits Baptiste Serin at the halfway line. A supersonic race during which he then lands a superb frame-overrun on Aymeric Luc, before flattening into a corner. Impressive.
Last weekend, the Englishman, who now wears the colors of Racing 92, played his first Top 14 match. Once again in Mayol. And he did the talking again by scoring a hat-trick. Marking machine. Stuart Lancaster’s new protégé came to concretize the good work of his entire team, who woke up in the second act, managing to pocket the defensive bonus point and make the RCT tremble until the siren. He became the first English player to score more than three tries in a Top 14 match since Chris Ashton in March 2018, recalls Opta. But Henry Arundell’s exploits are not enough: the London Irish and the Racingmen lost by a narrow margin each time…
A powerful “moped”
A machine that grinds. Henry Arundell has a rather unique way of running for a winger or fullback. “Like a hooker”, some joke. With short, very rhythmic supports, with a straight torso. This allows him to develop formidable power – which he works a lot on bodybuilding – and to have an explosiveness which causes enormous damage. Questioned by Canal + after the setback against the RCT, he confided: “I run at 38 km/h.” A style that is the opposite of the long strides of Damian Penaud, a tall stake nicknamed “Horse” for his long volleys. Arundell’s races are more reminiscent of those of the former ‘moped’ of England’s 2003 world champions, Jason Robinson.
Juan Imhoff, the emblematic Argentinian winger of Racing 92, is under the spell of his new teammate. “His style of racing, I would love to have it! I focus a lot on the guys’ race, the technique, seeing if I can change mine. But Henry and I have different profiles. Look at the size of his canes, I’m not invited, he detailed to our colleagues fromAt the time of Rugby . But above all I see the way he works, and for a guy so young, that’s important. There is genetics, but if it is there, it is not by chance. He is methodical and works a lot on his race. Who should do enormous damage on the pitches of the Top 14 this season.
A season in the Top 14 then the XIII?
The serious financial problems faced by several Premiership clubs – in this case London Irish – has seen an influx of several top English players. Racing 92, now coached by Stuart Lancaster praised for his qualities as a trainer, jumped at the opportunity to enlist the promising Henry Arundell. For just one season. And with an exemption so that he can continue to shine with the XV de la Rose. The rest of its future is dotted. Will he stay in France or find a new base in England? The English phenomenon arouses desire. He would even have been targeted by several Australian rugby league clubs which play in the powerful NRL (National Rugby League).
But, according to the Daily Mail, he has already rejected two Australian offers, from the Wests Tigers, reigning champions, and the Dolphins, recently integrated into the competition. The player’s agent, Ryan Shahin, dismissed this hypothesis: “While we have received a few inquiries from NRL teams recently, Henry has never considered such a possibility and we have been clear in our response.” Only for now? By choosing to change “code”, Arundell would definitively abandon his international career at XV. Which would be a terrible waste… Continued in the next episode. At the end of his contract with Racing 92.
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