England sensation Henry Arundell seals move to Top 14 giants

Racing 92 have confirmed the signing of England star Henry Arundell, who will join the Top 14 club after the Rugby World Cup.

The 20-year-old outside back was left without a club after London Irish went into administration last month.

Racing 92’s new stars

Arundell has signed a one-year contract with Racing 92 and will remain eligible for England selection for the Rugby World Cup.

Racing 92 were reportedly in talks to sign Marcus Smith along with Arundell. However, that deal is believed to have fallen through.

Racing 92 confirmed Arundell’s signing, along with a host of re-signings, new acquisitions, departures and additions to the coaching staff.

The England star will be joined at the side by Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, who has signed with the club until 2026.?

The Top 14 outfit have also added Fiji star Josua Tuisova and Wales lock Will Rowlands to their payroll ahead of next season. There are further additions in the form of fly-half Tristan Tedder from Perpignan and scrum-halves James Hall and Clovis Le Bail from Stade Francais and Pau respectively.

Former England boss and Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster takes over as Racing 92’s director of rugby next season. He has recruited former France international Freddie Michalak to his coaching team, who will coach the backs, as well as renowned conditioning guru Paul Stridgeon – who worked for Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

The coaching ticket is completed by forwards coach Dimitri Szarzewki and skills coach Joe Rokocoko.

Meanwhile, the club bid farewell to players and coaches such as Briac Poussin, Michel Miro, Gilbert Gascou, Rory Teague, Didier Casadei, Philippe Doussy, Biyi Alo, Asaeli Tuivaka, Jon Maiau, Warrick Gelant, Anton Bresler, Ali Oz, Ben Volavola, Teddy Iribaren, Finn Russell and Louis Dupichot.

Henry Arundell’s career to date

Arundell rocketed to stardom during the 2021/22 season, with his scintillating footwork and rapid pace catching the eye.

A star in the London Irish Academy, he represented England at U18 and U20 level, scoring an impressive length-of-the-field try for the latter against Scotland in 2022.

He continued to flex his attacking prowess and scored on his first Premiership appearance against Bristol Bears, earning a maiden call-up to the senior England men’s team after just six Premiership appearances.

The outside back has a knack for scoring sensational tries, with one of his most memorable scores in the 2021/22 Challenge Cup quarter-final against Toulon, sprinting from his own try line to score a blinder.

?? Henry Arundell came off the bench to do this for London Irish in their #ChallengeCupRugby semi-final loss to Toulon today. ?pic.twitter.com/EJENgUu1xK

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) May 8, 2022

His brilliance for the Exiles earned him a call-up to Eddie Jones’ England squad for the 2022 tour to Australia, and the then-teenager made his debut in the opening Test against the Wallabies. He marked the occasion by touching down in the defeat despite being on the pitch for just seven minutes.

Not a bad first touch in international rugby from Henry Arundell. ?pic.twitter.com/A0fAfDh9hq

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 2, 2022

Arundell played over 20 times for London Irish in his first two seasons of professional rugby, posting an impressive ratio of a try every second game.

He was named the Premiership Discovery of the Season at the 2022 Premiership Rugby Awards.

He has been included in Steve Borthwick’s official Rugby World Cup training squad and will look to add to his seven Test caps.

READ MORE:?Winners and losers from England’s 2023 Rugby World Cup training squad