Henry’s French leave won’t hold him back
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 02: Henry Arundell of England runs in for a try during game one of the international test match series between the Australian Wallabies and England at Optus Stadium on July 02, 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
JEREMY GUSCOTT
IT’S time for the RFU/Premiership to wake up and go, ‘Wow, what’s wrong with us that a young player with the talent of Henry Arundell can opt out of playing for England by signing a two-year contract with a French Top 14 club like Racing 92?’
That’s for them to answer, rather than hanging that responsibility on a 21-year-old like Arundell who is just embarking on his professional rugby career and finding a way forward after London Irish, his Premiership club, went bust.
I believe he’s made a mature decision given the variables in today’s game. It makes sense in a number of ways, whether it’s financially, in terms of the overall level of competitiveness between the English and French leagues, how many games he plays, the quality of coaching, or in terms of lifestyle.
Arundell has made the choice based on what suits him best, and it is a call which is ambitious and gives him the chance to explore his limits without a microscope over his every move.
Scrutiny comes with being a high-profile player in England, but in Paris rugby players are pretty anonymous. It’s a big city with a whole array of interests, and he can stroll around the streets of Paris relatively undisturbed – whereas in rugby communities like Bath, Northampton, or even a London rugby village like Richmond, he would be subject to constant attention.
It’s a brave decision for Arundell to pass up the opportunity to play for England, but the RFU’s decision – based on Premiership attempts to keep English talent in the top pro league – to put a time constraint on him was dangerous.
I understand why the RFU/Premiership tried to limit him to one season overseas before rejoining a Premiership club because of its salary cap implications, but it didn’t work.
The plain facts are that England has not lost a talent like Arundell for good, it’s just that he will not be available for two seasons. His move to France is not without risks, because Zach Mercer did the same by moving to Montpellier, and, despite being Top 14 player of the season, he did not make the England 2023 World Cup squad. However, Mercer is now 26, and at Gloucester – and he’s got time to press his case for England. When Arundell returns he will still be only 24, so, hopefully, time is on his side.
We should also remember that things can change very quickly in modern rugby union, as is evident by the way that Blair Kinghorn’s Edinburgh contract was bought out by Toulouse. So, while Arundell may have signed for two years, he is probably not totally locked-in.
Arundell will be getting a good salary at Racing, but I don’t believe it was all about the money. Stuart Lancaster initially signed him for just one season after being appointed as Racing’s head coach, but the winger/full back’s decision to stay longer after just a short time in Paris means he must really love it there.
Arundell is playing in an exciting team, with a head coach who is dedicated to helping him to improve and build a future both as a player, and as a person. When you look at Arundell’s YouTube clips, it’s clear that he was incredibly quick for a schoolboy, and also physically among the more mature kids. Then, when you look at his tries at U20 level, it’s his speed that stands out as being a few levels quicker.
Look at the try he scored on England’s 2022 summer tour of Australia and the speed is there, along with a couple of added extras. He has the strength to bounce off two defenders, using quick feet with a right step to find the gap, and then a right-left step in the space of a very few tight yards in the tramline to skin the last defender.
Even so, you could see in last weekend’s Racing v Harlequins European opener that the opportunities don’t always present themselves in the same way as they did when Arundell scored three tries on his Top 14 debut against Toulon.
Lancaster will know that there’s a lot he has to work on. While pace is not an issue with Arundell, there is plenty of room to make improvements when it comes to distribution, and also game awareness – especially at full back. What’s really difficult is deciding when to run or not. You have to compute everything that’s going on in an instant – it’s almost as if you have to feel it – and that is a natural ability.
As a youngster I played fly-half but was then moved to full-back. I knew it was essential to ‘feel’ the space, and to kick when it wasn’t there. But I’d never played there before, was unsure about it, and never felt comfortable – and Bath also had an incredible young full-back coming through in Audley Lumsden. So, I went back to 10, and then to centre.
My sense is that Arundell’s timing at full back is not yet natural – and precision timing is absolutely key. If you watch Ireland’s Hugo Keenan attack and catch a high ball, you can see that it is like a natural reflex after years of playing Gaelic football, as well as rugby. It means that he has spent hours more catching the ball than Arundell, and it is why under the high ball Keenan is either 9 or 10/10 , whereas Henry is 6 or 7/10.
It might not take Arundell long to get to that level, but your timing has to be impeccable – and at the moment if he was in a high ball competition against Freddie Steward I would bet on 7/8 going to the Tigers man.
Jason Robinson acquitted himself really well playing full-back in a very good England team because he understood that the aerial game, and distribution, are key at 15. He knew that if you make mistakes at the back you are stressing the entire team, and it is why the mantra about full-backs is always being a safe pair of hands.
Arundell will not be the first or last player to be unhappy about selection during a World Cup campaign. However, let’s be honest on all counts. The five tries he scored against Chile would have been scored by most finishers – and that playing against Samoa and barely receiving a pass was not the best use of his ability.
The reality is, he was not a first pick by Steve Borthwick during the World Cup, and there was no guarantee of him playing international rugby this season, or next. It will also have led him to the realisation that while the Top 14 is not international rugby, it’s the next best thing.
I don’t believe that it is a decision that will hold back Henry Arundell. He wants to play for England, but he also wants to develop in the best environment he can. I wish him the best.
