Henry Arundell BACK: Assessing England’s possible back-three combinations following Steve Borthwick’s shock decision

Bath-bound back Henry Arundell is back in the England set-up after a two-year absence, as he has been included in Steve Borthwick’s latest 37-man training squad. 

The Racing 92 ace exploded onto the scene with London Irish, and later announced his arrival on the Test stage with his very first touch of the ball, resulting in a try against the Wallabies. He later went on to score five tries in a World Cup match against Chile; however, due to his switch to the Top 14, he has been ineligible to represent England since then.

But, with the flyer now returning to the Premiership with Bath, he has been whisked straight back into the Test side and could very easily end up on the plane to the Americas for the summer tour too.

He is certainly a viable option for that tour given his attacking quality, but his versatility is also a huge tick in his box. Arundell has spent the bulk of his early career out wide on the wing, but he is more than capable of shifting over to full-back as and when needed, which could be a really clever tactic given George Furbank’s injury woes this year.

But, what combinations could Borthwick run in his back-three this summer? Well, here is our take on just that.

Arundell on the wing

It is more than likely Arundell’s fast-track back into the wider squad could see him back in the starting XV, and if that is the case, a return would likely come on the wing. The former London Irish ace has impressed here throughout his career, notably for England, with all of his 10 caps coming in this position in some capacity, and he would certainly add some firepower out here if Borthwick opted to start him.

One thing Borthwick is very keen on is keeping wingers and left and right options, and while Arundell is capable of playing both he has spent the bulk of his time in the number 11 shirt, which then keeps the number 14 jersey vacant.

There are certainly some good options to take that shirt, with Adam Radwan impressing lately for Leicester and Tom Roebuck also having a strong outing on the right in the Six Nations, but it would more than likely be occupied by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso following his return to action.

The Exeter winger was Borthwick’s go-to man during the 2024 Test season, starting six Tests in a row and featuring in eight of the 12 across the year, but has not played since December following double shoulder surgery. When he is at his best, though, he is arguably one of the premier wingers in the Test game and would certainly command a starting role this summer as a result.

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With the wing positions sorted, that leaves the 15 shirt vacant, but you’d imagine either Furbank or Freddie Steward will start here. Northampton Saints man Furbank has usurped Leicester counterpart Steward in the past year, but his injury woes this year could see him left at home this summer, which then allows Steward to return to the side.

There is also a very real possibility that Roebuck gets the nod on the bench.

Possible back-three: 11 Henry Arundell, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 15 Freddie Steward, 23 Tom Roebuck

Arundell at full-back

Another genuinely viable option for Borthwick this summer would be to deploy Arundell at full-back. As mentioned above, Furbank remains an injury doubt for this summer’s action, while Steward has also seen himself moved down the pecking order to accommodate Marcus Smith in the past, which could point to him possibly not even being the second-choice. Hence, this shout of Arundell at full-back.

With the Bath-bound back occupying the number 15 jersey, and for the sake of continuity, we can have Feyi-Waboso on the right wing, which just leaves the number 11 shirt open. England are blessed with some really strong options here, too. Roebuck, despite Borthwick’s love of specialised wingers, would again be a possible option here and will likely be high in the conversation given his brilliant form for Sale and Leicester’s Ollie Hassell-Collins and Bath’s Will Muir should see themselves included in the summer tour squad following the Premiership final, but it seems Cadan Murley is the front-runner to start on the left.

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The Harlequins back has been in electric form since returning from injury, scoring seven tries in the final five games of the Premiership season, and again, his explosive pace would really complement this exciting back-three combination.

Possible back-three: 11 Cadan Murley, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 15 Henry Arundell, 23 Tom Roebuck

Arundell on the bench

Borthwick has also recently adopted a 6:2 split, to good effect may we add, and Arundell’s versatility makes him a pretty decent option for that 23 shirt. Should he be used off the bench, that frees up the head coach to run with Murley, Feyi-Waboso and Steward as his starting back-three, knowing he has genuine cover for all three rather than a makeshift option.

Possible back-three and bench: 11 Cadan Murley, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 15 Freddie Steward, 23 Henry Arundell

Alternative options

While his shock return points to him being included in the Test 23, there is a genuine possibility that Arundell is left outside of the match-day squad. If that is the case, that still should allow Murley, Feyi-Waboso and Steward to start in the back-three, with either Roebuck or Joe Carpenter on the bench. Steward has been used on the wing for both Leicester and England in the past, which would mean Carpenter is the more likely option in this situation, as if anything happens to a winger, Steward could slot over, whereas if something happened to Steward, Borthwick would be without a trained full-back.

Possible back-three and bench: 11 Cadan Murley, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 15 Freddie Steward, 23 Joe Carpenter

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