'A no-brainer to extend': Arundell agrees to new London Irish deal
Teen sensation Henry Arundell has committed to an unspecified length, long-term contract at London Irish. It was May 13, after the initial wave of hype has materialised about the 19-year-old, when the Gallagher Premiership club’s director of rugby Declan Kidney insisted to RugbyPass that the scorer of that incredible length-of-field try at Toulon in the Challenge Cup wouldn’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
“We have never divulged contract situations of different players but he is here with us,” said the DoR when asked last month about the youngster’s future in the coming seasons. Having since been called up by Eddie Jones and taken part in two England camps ahead of their June 19 fixture versus the Barbarians, the profile of Arundell has increased even more.
However, unlike Phil Cokanasiga, the 20-year-old who has quit London Irish for Leicester next season, Arundell believes his future is best served with the Exiles and has now agreed to a new contract. A club statement read: “London Irish is delighted to confirm the signature of full-back Henry Arundell to a long-term contract with the club.
“Arundell has had a stellar inaugural season with the Exiles’ first team, making 14 appearances in green whilst scoring seven tries. He started life at Hazelwood as a 14-year-old, joining the academy whilst studying at the Harrow School to go on and win the U18 Academy League title.
“Making his Irish debut in a 29-20 win against Saracens in the Premiership Rugby Cup last November, Arundell has since attained his first playing berths and scored in the Gallagher Premiership and EPCR Challenge Cup.
“The 19-year-old has also continued his development in the England international set-up, making his debut in the U20s side in their 2022 Six Nations campaign, becoming the joint-highest try-scorer in the tournament with four. The Irish prospect played an instrumental role in the club’s domestic and continental cup runs this season, contributing scores to vital try bonus points in the pool stages of each tournament whilst registering a brace against Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final.
“Arundell was nominated for the Rugby Players Association’s 15 U23 award for April and was the player of the match in the comeback Irish draw against Wasps in round 24 of the Gallagher Premiership. Henry was also crowned the Land Rover discovery of the season at the 2021/22 Premiership Rugby end-of-season awards.”
Kidney said: “Henry has given a good account of himself during his first season with senior rugby. He has worked hard on the training pitch, and we have seen his efforts pay off. We are delighted that his development will continue with London Irish, and we are excited to help him on his journey.”
Arundell added: “It was a no-brainer to extend my time at London Irish. The club has given me so much already in my young career and I want to repay their faith in me in the years to come. With the squad and coaches that we have at London Irish, the future is exciting and I’m very happy to get the chance to be a part of it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments