Henry Arundell will be ineligible for England until 2026 under RFU rules on foreign-based players after signing new contract with Racing 92 in France
- Arundell is one of English rugby’s brightest prospects but will remain in France
- RFU rules state players outside England can’t represent the national team
- Arundell moved to Paris following the demise of London Irish earlier this year
Henry Arundell has signed a new contract with French giants Racing 92, one which immediately makes him ineligible for international duty with England as a result.
Arundell – the brightest prospect in the English game – moved to Paris after the demise of London Irish. RFU rules state players with clubs outside England can’t represent the national side.
He had been expected to be available for the Six Nations under the RFU’s exceptional circumstances policy but that changed earlier this month forcing Arundell into a decision.
The 21-year-old was offered the chance to ensure a return to the Gallagher Premiership for next season and the guarantee of being available for international selection with the offer of a new hybrid contract partly funded by the RFU.
Instead, he has – as was forecast – decided to stay with Racing.
Henry Arundell won’t be eligible to represent England after signing a new deal with Racing 92
Arundell joined Top 14 club Racing 92 in June after the demise of Premiership London Irish
Arundell (left, next to Owen Farrell) was a part of England’s 2023 World Cup campaign, making two appearances at the tournament and notably scored five tries in their 71-0 win against Chile
Arundell’s new deal with the side coached by former England boss Stuart Lancaster is until the summer of 2026, the year before the next World Cup in Australia.
It means Arundell won’t be able to play Test rugby until the autumn of 2026 at the earliest.
Laurent Travers, president of Racing 92: ‘We are delighted to see Henry extend his commitment to Racing 92.
‘He has just joined our squad a few weeks ago but has already demonstrated all the qualities of a great competitor and great maturity.
‘He fits perfectly with the club’s short and medium term objectives and we are convinced he will be one of the driving forces to achieve them.’
Arundell last week indicated his preferred situation was to stay with Racing – where he is a club team-mate of iconic South African team-mate Siya Kolisi – and also play for England.
But that is not possible given the RFU and the 10 Premiership clubs do not want to change English rugby’s controversial current foreign policy.
That’s despite national head coach Steve Borthwick already seeing a host of former England stars turn their back on international duty to play club rugby in France.
He was briefly left unemployed when his former club London Irish went into administration
Under the stewardship of Stuart Lancaster at Racing, Arundell will be able to hone in on new skills and could return to play for England at the next Rugby World Cup
Jack Nowell, Jack Willis, Joe Marchant, David Ribbans, Sam Simmonds and now Arundell are all unavailable to Borthwick as they play in the TOP14.
Arundell’s Racing contract extension means he will remain available to play for the British & Irish Lions against Australia in the summer of 2025 if selected.
The offer of developing his game under Lancaster’s guidance has proved too good to turn down.
Arundell has also enjoyed a strong start to his Racing career, scoring a hat-trick against Toulon.
Meanwhile, Saracens and England No 8 Billy Vunipola faces a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night which could result in a six-week ban when the verdict is heard on Wednesday morning.
Billy Vunipola could face a six-week ban for a dangerous clear-out in Saracens’ Champions Cup defeat to the Bulls last weekend
Vunipola was sent off for Saracens against the Bulls in the Champions Cup defeat in South Africa last weekend for a dangerous clear-out.
Given Vunipola was also red carded while on England duty against Ireland in the summer for a high tackle, a lengthy suspension is likely although it should mean he will be back in action before next year’s Six Nations.
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