Henry Arundell

Henry Arundell

Date of birth	(2002-11-08) 8 November 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth	Dhekelia, British Overseas Territories
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	98 kg (216 lb; 15 st 6 lb)
School	Beechen Cliff School Harrow School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback, Wing Current team Racing 92 Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2021–2023 London Irish 23 (50) 2023– Racing 92 8 (35) Correct as of 18 January 2024 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2022 England U20 3 (20) 2022– England 10 (35) Correct as of 27 October 2023

Henry Arundell (born 8 November 2002) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a fullback for Top 14 club Racing 92 and the England national team. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life

Arundell was born on Cyprus in 2002, at the then Royal Air Force base in Dhekelia; a Sovereign Base Area and British Overseas Territory. He spent the first two years of his life on Cyprus before moving back to the United Kingdom. ^[3]

His father, Ralph Arundell, was an army officer in The Rifles (formerly The Light Infantry) for thirty years, completing tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. ^{[3] [4] [5]} His mother, Jane Arundell, is a nurse and health visitor working for the NHS.

Arundell started his sporting career at a young age, excelling at various sports while a pupil at Holt VC Primary School. ^[6] He subsequently attended Beechen Cliff School in nearby Bath. After his father joined the staff of Harrow School, Arundell enrolled at the all-boys London boarding school, putting him in the catchment area for London Irish's academy, which he joined aged fourteen. ^[7]

Club career

London Irish

In the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2022, a number of Arundell's performances drew attention, including two tries against Leicester Tigers in a semi-final; ^[8] a 20-minute substitute appearance against Wasps, scoring a try and being named Man of the Match, ^[9] and a try that started on his own goal-line against Toulon. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

His performances for London Irish saw him named as Premiership Rugby's young player of the season for 2021–22. ^[13] On 10 June 2022, Arundell signed a new "long term" contract with London Irish. ^[14]

Racing 92

After London Irish collapsed into administration in June 2023, Arundell joined Grand Paris-based French side Racing 92. ^{[15] [16]} After the Rugby World Cup, he played his first game for the Sky Blue and Whites at Toulon on 12 November and scored a hat-trick in a 31–26 narrow loss. ^[17]

On 12 December, Racing 92 announced his contract extension until 2026, ^[18] despite outside interest from Premiership Rugby clubs like Bath or Gloucester as well as National Rugby League teams. ^{[19] [20]}

International career

Arundell was highlighted as "one to watch" in the 2022 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, ^[21] and was the competition's joint-top try scorer, scoring four. ^[14]

Arundell was named as an "apprentice player" in England's squad for their 2022 tour of Australia. ^[22] He scored a try, from his first touch, on his debut on 2 July 2022, coming on from the bench. ^[23] As of July 2023, he has 7 international caps. ^[24] Arundell was named in England's 2023 Rugby World Cup squad on 7 August 2023, scoring a joint England record 5 tries on his World Cup debut against Chile on 23 September 2023 in a 71–0 win. ^[25]

Career statistics

List of international tries

As of 23 September 2023 ^[26]

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score
1	Australia	Perth, Australia	Optus Stadium	2022 England rugby union tour of Australia	2 July 2022	Loss	30 - 28
2	Italy	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2023 Six Nations	12 February 2023	Win	31–14
3	Chile	Lille, France	Stade Pierre-Mauroy	2023 Rugby World Cup	23 September 2023	Win	71–0
4
5
6
7

References

1. "Henry Arundell profile". ItsRugby. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
2. "Henry Arundell London Irish profile". London Irish. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
3. "Henry Arundell Discusses His Quick Climb To The Top After A Great Season With London Irish". Nix Olympia. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
4. ""Not born in England" - Five things you didn't know about Henry Arundell". Ruck. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
5. Correspondent, Will Kelleher, Deputy Rugby. "Henry Arundell: I feared England's 'big dogs' but I feel right at home". ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
6. "Henry Arundell". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
7. Evely, John (2 July 2022). "How Bath Rugby missed out on new England sensation Henry Arundell". SomersetLive. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
8. Bridge, Bobby (26 April 2022). "Henry Arundell-inspired London Irish end Leicester Tigers' treble hopes". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
9. Heagney, Liam (6 May 2022). "How 'really coachable' 19-year-old produced a 20-minute MOTM cameo". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
10. "Watch: Teenage star Henry Arundell scores stunning try in defeat to Toulon". Rugby Pass. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
11. Coles, Ben (9 May 2022). "The rise of Henry Arundell: Toulon wonder try suggests England prospect is the real deal" . The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
12. Spink, Alex; Sunderland, Tom (8 May 2022). "Henry Arundell scores incredible solo try as teenager swerves past helpless defenders". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
13. Godwin, Hugh (8 June 2022). "Inside Henry Arundell's breakthrough year, from pub trips with Marcus Smith and Ellis Genge to England hopes" . i Newspaper. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
14. "Henry Arundell: London Irish full-back signs 'long-term' deal". BBC Sport. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
15. Morgan, Charlie; Mairs, Gavin (16 June 2023). "Henry Arundell set to join Racing 92 after London Irish collapse". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
16. Westerby, John (7 July 2023). "Henry Arundell's plight encapsulates sad state of English rugby" . Retrieved 7 July 2023.
17. Cameron, Ian (13 November 2023). "The obvious question Henry Arundell hat-trick raises". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
18. "English winger Arundell extends Racing deal until 2026". France 24 . 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
19. Evely, John (10 October 2023). "Bath and Gloucester given boost by the RFU in pursuit of signing Henry Arundell". Gloucestershire Echo . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
20. Morton, Finn (17 November 2023). "England's Henry Arundell knocks back interest from two NRL clubs". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
21. "England U20: Six New and Six Old to Watch". nextgen Rugby. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
22. "England Summer Tour Squad". Rugby World. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
23. "Henry Arundell scores on England debut | 2nd July 2022 | News". London Irish. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
24. Sansom, Tom (16 June 2023). "England's Henry Arundell Completes Shock Move To The Top 14". Ruck. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
25. "Henry Arundell scores five in England's 11-try Rugby World Cup rout of Chile". Guardian. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
26. "Henry ARUNDELL profile and stats". all.rugby. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

External links

• Henry Arundell at Premiership Rugby
• Henry Arundell at ItsRugby.co.uk