by Of all the French clubs England star Henry Arundell could have chosen after last season’s London Irish relegation, there was Racing 92, in the suburbs of Paris, the one-time champions of France in the professional era and three defeats times. the competitors in Europe.
So why did this 21-year-old, with the life of England rugby at his feet, a member of Steve Borthwick’s World Cup squad, choose to move to a flat in the suburbs of Paris, with an unfamiliar language and culture?
Whatever the answer, the move – even if it only lasts this season, with Bath hoping to bring the ruck back to England – has so far been very successful. Arundell has already scored four tries in two starts for his new club, including a hat-trick on debut at Toulon. Finances may have played a part, of course, but there is another Englishman at the heart of the journey; former England head coach at the time. Stuart Lancaster has been in charge of the French aristocrats since July, ending a seven-year association with Leinster which saw the Irish province win four domestic titles and a European Cup. There was also the opportunity to work alongside Lancaster’s lieutenants: former France lieutenant Frédéric Michalak and former All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko.
“I didn’t know Henry before but we had a chat and I convinced him I could create a good opportunity for him to develop and grow as a player,” Lancaster said ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup meeting with Harlequins. “With the likes of Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O’Brien, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, the boys I coached in Ireland and England, I would be confident in my ability to develop young players. He was eager to get used to France and the environment we created here.
“He started after the World Cup, he’s probably been here six weeks, and he’s been great in training – a very professional and mature attitude for a 21-year-old. Mature in terms of his outlook on life and what he wants to achieve. We had the opportunity to play him on the wing when he was 15. Both options are open.”
‘I’m not going to hold Arundell back’
One task for Lancaster is to manage Arundell. The utility back, whether through injury or tactical reasons, was not as prominent as he had hoped for his country during the recent tournament in France, starting in two games but scoring five tries against Chile in the pool before managed 66. minutes against Argentina in the bronze final. Despite his youth, there is no sense that Arundell’s game time limit is necessary.
“I don’t think Henry would agree to that,” Lancaster said. “I’m not going to hold him back on that. That said, I have a large squad to manage. We have 26 league games and definitely four in Europe, so 30 to start. So he’s not going to play every minute of every game, but neither is anyone.
“He wasn’t begging [after the World Cup] but he was definitely excited to get a chance to train. The way we train is very much about games… meaning it was always going to be thrown in. He wanted to go, for sure.”
Lancaster clearly did a successful job selling Racing 92 to Arundell, but why was the head coach drawn to the French giants, with their snazzy indoor stadium and location outside the traditional heartland of French rugby, in the south-west.
“There were a number of factors: one was the challenge of the Top 14 and coming to live in France and trying to adapt to a foreign culture and learn it, and trying to be successful,” Lancaster said. “Racing in the Top 14 was successful back in 2016 and they were in three European Cup finals without a win. They want to try to get that first star, and more Top 14 wins.
“One of the most important factors is that Racing said there was no plan B: ‘We want you to come.’ That was persuasive. All that had to be done was to find out when the time was right to leave Leinster and take on this challenge. From the family side, Sophie and Dan [his children] who are now 21 and 22, Nina [his wife] able to move across with the dogs.”
‘The goal of racing is to win the double’
Lancaster’s Racing 92, after nine games, are at the summit of the Top 14 table with a whirl, with six wins. Lancaster is not necessarily surprised by the profile or the siege, but he knows the great challenge of fighting on two fronts.
This weekend, however, eyes turn to Europe, a competition that has not historically dominated the French psyche. So how much of a priority is it for Racing 92 this season, with Lancaster’s European prowess now part of their training?
“I put the question to all the players and all the staff,” Lancaster said. “What is more important? Because the Top 14 is huge here in France, but I would obviously be doing both competitions a disservice if I said one was more important than the other. I had the privilege of coaching a team that did the double in 2018, the satisfaction the players and coaching staff received from that particular year is probably unmatched in any experience in my career, so the goal is try to win both. .
“I had a good experience [the Top 14] with Leinster in Europe. There weren’t many places I wasn’t; Clermont-Ferrand was one, at the weekend. It has a high profile in the country, with television, and how the teams have very strong identities based on towns or the history of the area; every game feels like a Leicester v Northampton game.”
A challenge that Lancaster – Arundell, too, is very happy about.
