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'A no-brainer to extend': Arundell agrees to new London Irish deal

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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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.”

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Trevor 14 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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