Simmons: Arundell will be brilliant for a long time
HENRY Arundell has the mental strength to battle through his lengthy injury despair and return just as fast and explosive as ever, says London Irish teammate Rob Simmons.
The England youngster faces a prolonged absence from the field having undergone an ankle operation which is hoped will get him back in action early in the New Year.
Arundell, 20, who became an instant Test hit in Australia during the summer, missed out on his country’s disappointing home autumn campaign after being injured against Gloucester five weeks ago.
Under pressure Eddie Jones will be anxious to have his dynamic try-scorer fit and firing again come the Six Nations. But the Exiles, struggling in the Premiership and now facing a tough European campaign, will be without his services for a while.
Declan Kidney’s men start their Champions Cup campaign at home to Top 14 holders Montpellier on Friday and Australian lock Simmons, below, insists: “You feel for him. It’s never easy going through injuries and being out for a while. He’s had his surgery and that’s tough.
“It’s now a test for him but he’s a strong guy mentally, and I’m sure he will come out the other side of this and be ready to challenge himself out on the field.
“He’s a guy you want in your team because he’s a special player. He is blessed with out and out pace and he has such an amazing skill set that he is going to be a brilliant player for a long time in the future. He also has the ability to play in multiple positions so that hurts also for the team with the fact he’s not been available.
“Opposing teams have been paying him extra special attention because he’s got this crazy ability…but he still comes out on top.”
Despite Arundell’s absence, Simmons believes Irish can put their Premiership strife to one side and prove themselves capable of a few upsets in Europe’s leading competition. He says: “Hopefully, heading into the European games will revitalise us and give us a bit more energy. It’s a very special competition which we’ve not been in for a while, and I know the fans are excited about it. We’re excited about trying to do something special for them.
“Montpellier are an excellent side but we’re coming in with a hell of a lot of belief and we can beat any team on our day. This competition is a step up from the Premiership because they are all the top performing teams in their countries. It’s a funny tournament now where you play just two teams and you need to fall on the right side of those games. Whatever the competition, we are hungry to do well and win.”