Steve Borthwick should strongly consider using Henry Arundell for Englandβs matches in the Rugby World Cup as they look towards the knockout stages.
The ex-London Irish winger has only featured once in the competition so far, scoring an English record of five tries against Chile in game week three.
Arundell has explosive qualities that cannot be replicated by anyone else in the English back line which could cause real problems for any team in world rugby.
Moreover, at only 20-years-old Arundell should not only be an asset for this world cup but a player who will feature heavily in all international tournaments over the next decade.
Joe Marchant will start on the right wing against Samoa this weekend and although he is a talented player, he lacks the power and raw speed of Arundell as well as the disadvantage of being more comfortable in the centres than on the wing.
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Max Malins offers a more realistic challenge as he is a pacey player with experience playing on the wing and a real knack for scoring tries, yet even he is more an out and out full back rather than a winger.
That said, having signed a lucrative contract with French heavyweights Racing 92, reportedly worth Β£200,000 a year after the administration of London Irish, the English winger will be unavailable to represent England for the upcoming year.
This would suggest that Malins is the wiser option to give international minutes to as at only 26-years-old will still more than likely feature at the next, if not next two, world cups and would substantially benefit from any experiences that he could gain.
However, yesterdays reports that Gloucester Rugby are considering Arundell as an option to replace Louis Rees-Zammit, who seems set on a move to Wales, ahead of the season after next (2024-25) change things drastically.
If Gloucester were to get their man, it would make that the English speedster available for international duty again in little over a year, at which point he would still be five years younger than Malins is now, looking forward to at least three more world cups in his career.
Surely the experience for Arundell at a much younger age than Malins would have a much greater impact later down the line on the English national team as a whole?
The fact that Arundell is the best option for the position anyway, only solidifies his need to be selected even more.
In truth, Borthwick needs to reconsider his entire back line if we want to challenge sides such as Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand.
Looking ahead of the knockout stages my starting England back line would be: Alex Mitchell, George Ford, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Marchant, Arundell and Freddie Steward, with Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell and Malins on the bench.
