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Racing 92 statement: Henry Arundell confirms his future
By Josh Raisey
England star Henry Arundell has agreed a contract extension with the Racing 92 until 2026, providing a hammer-blow to England ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
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The 21-year-old joined the Parisian club in the summer after London Irish went bust, but was originally allowed to play for Steve Borthwick’s England at the World Cup and in the upcoming Six Nations due to exceptional circumstance. However, just like with Jack Willis and Toulouse, his decision to remain in Paris will rule him out of contention to play for England until he returns to play in the Gallagher Premiership.
That means England will be without the rising star for a large chunk of the upcoming World Cup cycle, but he will nevertheless be available for the World Cup.
Racing president Laurent Travers said in a statement (translated on Google): “We are delighted to see Henry extend his commitment with Racing 92.. He has just joined our workforce for a few weeks but has already demonstrated all these qualities of a great competitor and a great maturity.
“He fits perfectly into the club’s short and medium term objectives and we are convinced that he will be one of the driving forces to achieve them.”
Having only made his debut for England in 2022 as a 19-year-old, Arundell already has seven tries for England in ten matches. Though his minutes at the World Cup this year were low, he still came away with five tries- all against Chile in Lille. Life in Paris has started well for the outside back, with four tries already to his name despite only making his debut a month ago.
The Englishman is one of the most sought after players in the game currently, so this is a major coup for Racing to keep him at La Defense arena for the next three years, particularly as he will be unable to play international rugby for England during that time as it stands.
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?????? ???? ????, ??????? ???? ?????, ? ?? …⚡️#RacingFamily pic.twitter.com/A5FgNOCumV— Racing 92 (@racing92) December 12, 2023
Usual media hyperbole. Hardly “a hammer-blow to England ahead of the 2027 World Cup.” A young player, who needs to improve on key aspects of his game to make the grade internationally, chooses to play in France. The door closing behind Arundel is a door opening for someone else. Whether it ever opens again for him is another question.
In the long run england are really going to have to change their policy. Its incredible that we are able to still have 10 good teams (more than double what Ireland can manage!) but in the long run everyone needs to face facts and accept that all the top rugby players will be playing either in france or japan.
In the long term England should put all their money into developing young talent that can go on and secure top contracts elsewhere, but in the short term they need to put serious restrictions on foreign players playing in the prem - how does it make sense for Bristol to be giving a million pounds a year to Charles Piutau when Henry Arundell is having to go abroad for a payday he considers worthwhile?
Don’t blame him! He has already had one contract ripped up from English leagues poor financial state. Needs some stability for a while. Playing in a top league with top players will help his development and will be less pressure from the media! Good luck to him!
Not too fussed myself. He will still only be 23 or so when this is up, most players dont start hitting first team until that age. His ability is clear but with a coach as determined and experienced to bring on young talent as Lancaster, as well as playing alongside Kolisi, its a smart decision for me.
Well, that is a massive shame. But if the RFU aren’t going to budge on letting players play for England whilst playing overseas then they better pull their finger out and get English rugby into a better place. Not only is the money better in France, but it just looks like a better place to play rugby at the moment.
(Yes I’m aware that the English teams did well on the weekend, but it was one weekend. Let’s see how it pans out for the rest of the tournament).