Kidney keeping Arundell positive as Irish aim for top four
DECLAN Kidney showed there is no place for favouritism in his London Irish side by bringing Henry Arundell back to earth with a bump.
But, despite dumping the golden boy on the bench for the huge win over Northampton Saints, the London boss is glowing about the way the youngster has fitted straight back into club life after his latest England exploits. Kidney could easily have felt pressurised to throw his 20-year-old lethal weapon into Premiership action with the battle for the top four reaching a crescendo especially knowing a moment of magic from Arundell could be decisive on the field.
Instead, the shrewd boss chose to stick by the players who have dragged the club to the verge of a dream play-off spot during Arundell’s Six Nations duty.
Kidney says there were no moans or groans from Arundell. “He’s a young man and lots has been written about him. He hasn’t had a huge amount of game time and, maybe I was guilty of continuing that situation by not starting him against Saints...but I don’t believe I am,” Kidney said.
“It would have been very hard to go to one of our back three and say Henry’s back and you are not starting. Henry accepted that, and he was the first to see why he was on the bench.
“It can be frustrating sitting there for 60 minutes but he didn’t let that get to him. When he did come onto the field he had an immediate and very good impact on a game. To come back from the Six Nations and be so positive in the camp says everything about him as a player and person. That’s one of his big strengths.
“Henry is a good player and will grow and grow. He knows there are still plenty of things for him to learn and help him grow his game. What will get him to where he wants to be is the resilience he has.”
Tom Pearson, far right, another vital young member of Irish’s push for Premiership, continues to press for a place in Steve Borthwick’s England summer camp as the battle for World Cup squad places heats up.
The flanker produced a man-of-the-match display against Saints and his performances could be key in the final two games against Saracens and Exeter. But Kidney continues to prefer not to build up Pearson’s growing reputation in the back row and says: “I am not going to be putting any pressure on him, or Steve (Borthwick), but if he plays consistently like that we will be delighted.
“He’d have watched the Six Nations and then come up against lads who played in the tournament. So
I suppose you are going to pull out a big one. But it’s one thing wanting to do it, and actually doing it. Tom is a high energy player and he is showing that for us.”
Last week’s announcement that young England wing Ollie Hassell-Collins is leaving for Leicester Tigers at the end of the season will have come as a blow to the ambitious Exiles who continue to dream of title glory despite and defying the odds and critics. But, no doubt, Hassell-Collins, far left, will want to ensure he leaves Brentford having achieved something special, and Kidney insists his team will continue to play with their usual open, attacking mentality despite the tension growing over the final few weeks of the season.
Exeter’s surprise loss at Bath has left Irish’s play-off hopes in their own hands. Two wins and they can clinch their place but Kidney insists: “There’s no pressure... there’s nothing expected of us. We’ve always said we are enjoying the journey and see where it takes us.
“I’m sure if you went down to one of the betting offices you still wouldn’t have got many of them saying we would be top four with just a couple of games to go. We enjoyed being in the Premiership Cup Final but we didn’t enjoy the result. So, we have to learn how to win and make sure we achieve what we want to achieve.
“We lost a big match against Exeter but we’ve also won a few big ones too this season. It’s only by staying together that we can do that.”