Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Henry Arundell: England teenager set to face Australia on Saturday

Written by 
Published in Rugby
Thursday, 30 June 2022 23:11

Henry Arundell shot to fame on social media's small screens.

If that 90m score was the 19-year-old's entry into the mainstream, he has been making similar waves in rugby's backwaters for a while.

In February, a couple of months after his debut for London Irish, he slashed open Scotland's under-20s in similar style.

Three months later and England head coach Eddie Jones was in the stands to watch Arundell light up an end-of-season dead rubber against Wasps with a impudent chip, chase and score.

This weekend however is going to be about the biggest stage, rather than the small screens and modest venues.

Jones, having initially picked Arundell as an apprentice player for the tour of Australia, has named him on the bench for the first Test against the Wallabies in Perth.

Even his old coaches, who have seen him shine long before the cameras arrived, are surprised by his rise. But, then again, they are also used to Arundell confounding their expectations.

'For a first year out of school it is pretty incredible'

Patrick O'Grady first saw Arundell in action as a 14-year-old, freshly inducted into London Irish's Academy.

"You see those long-range tries now, but he would do very similar things on the field from a very young age," O'Grady told BBC Sport.

"Straight away you could see he had that natural athleticism, pace, power and ability to beat defenders.

"I remember when we were playing in the under-18 Academy League. Henry was playing two years up, and he scored two tries, in successive weeks, which were carbon copies of each other.

"The first was away to Bristol; he got the ball on the edge, chipped and chased over his opposite wing, caught the ball and rounded the full-back to score in the corner.

"A week later did exactly the same Exeter away.

"To have the skill and soft touch to drop the ball on to his foot, execute a perfectly weighted kick, get on to the end of it and have the footwork and pace to beat the last defender, all while playing against lads a couple of years older, was pretty eye-opening.

"What I didn't foresee though is him having an impact in the men's game so quickly and significantly.

"To see what he had done in his first year out of school is quite incredible."

There are the obvious attributes. The stuff that goes viral.

But O'Grady has seen more. The sort of things that Jones will want down under.

"From the highlight reels, people see the pace, power, footwork, strength, the step and acceleration, but if you strip that away, there are a lot of finer skills to his game," he said.

"His catch-pass is very good, he can kick off both feet equally well, and in pressure situations they come to the fore. I definitely see him adding a lot to the team, and not just in that obvious way."

'It was two even teams - until Henry got the ball'

Sean Turner is the director of rugby at Beechen Cliff School in Bath.

He coached Arundell before a change in Arundell's father's job combined with a scholarship offer took him, aged 14, to London.

"We are just a normal state school in Bath that takes its rugby seriously," Turner said.

"Henry joined a very good year group, but even then it was clear he was one of the better ones, if not the best.

"He would get the ball in the backfield and would have the ability to look up and scan the space and see where the weaknesses were to attack.

"That is remarkable for someone at that age."

After Arundell switched to Harrow School, Turner then had the task of trying to nullify the threat he had helped hone.

"We would come up against him at the Middlesex Sevens or Rosslyn Park Sevens," Turner remembered.

"It would always be two even teams until Henry got the ball and then he would do something ridiculous.

"Our boys would shrug their shoulders because there is not a lot they could do about it.

"If we lost though it would not be so bad because at least Henry got to win."

If his old team-mates struggled to get to grips with Arundell on the pitch, he made sure he kept in touch with them off it.

Beechen Cliff's team was strong even without his talents. Mackenzie Grahamexternal-link and Archie Maggsexternal-link have since signed for Bath. Will Morris is excelling in university rugby with Durham.

When Beechen Cliff won the under-15 Schools Vase competition in 2018 at Twickenham,external-link Arundell was on their side, even if he was no longer in their side.

"He would always come and chat with us after we played Harrow and he was in touch with all the boys before that final in 2018, giving them lots of encouragement, making sure they knew he was with them," said Turner.

"There is zero ego to him, he's a great lad."

Read 198 times

Soccer

Napoli honor Maradona on anniversary of passing

Napoli honor Maradona on anniversary of passing

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNapoli fans and club officials paid tribute to Diego Maradona on th...

Ronaldo double bolsters Al Nassr's ACL place

Ronaldo double bolsters Al Nassr's ACL place

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCristiano Ronaldo netted a pair of goals in Al Nassr's Asian Champi...

Raya warns Arsenal of 'in-form' Gyökeres' threat

Raya warns Arsenal of 'in-form' Gyökeres' threat

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDavid Raya has warned his Arsenal teammates that Sporting CP forwar...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Morant back for Grizzlies after missing 8 games

Morant back for Grizzlies after missing 8 games

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Ja Morant was in the lineup Monday night for the...

Rockets' VanVleet hit with $50K fine for tirade

Rockets' VanVleet hit with $50K fine for tirade

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRockets guard Fred VanVleet was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Monday...

Baseball

Ex-big leaguer Chirinos joins O's as bench coach

Ex-big leaguer Chirinos joins O's as bench coach

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBALTIMORE -- Robinson Chirinos replaced Fredi González on Monday as...

MLB alters Rays' schedule; 69 of last 103 on road

MLB alters Rays' schedule; 69 of last 103 on road

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Major League Baseball switched a pair of series involvi...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated