Henry Arundell was close to moving to Bath, but Racing 92 pushed ahead in pursuit of the London Irish wing. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
Racing 92 is the favorite to hire Henry Arundell after being suspended by the London Irish, with England teammate Will Joseph ready to join the Harlequins.
Sources say Ben Loader, the third Irish defender to join the Stormers in South Africa on a two-year deal after impressing the Cape Town franchise in the Champions Cup.
Meanwhile, Northampton Saints have made contact with Castle Chunya Munga, a former student of Eddie Jones, as they also look to bolster their pack's back five with the addition of England's up-and-coming Tom Pearson following the departures of David Ribbans, Lucan Salakaya-Lotto and Carl Wilkins. Salakaia-Loto's unexpected departure has freed up a spot on the salary cap for the Saints to keep an eye on the market.
The Saints are watching Chunya Munga. Photo: PA/John Walton
Arundell, an explosive 20-year-old, has been among the most in-demand Exiles players in recent weeks as the club's future teetered on a knife-edge. Bath, the club he supported as a teenager while attending Beechen Cliff School, is considered one of the potential fans who were interested in his future with the Stormers.
French teams have their own salary cap to keep an eye on, and Irish departure times won't help players and staff find destinations because so many teams have finished recruiting for next season.
The source suggested a deal with Iz- no races have been run for this yet, but it looks like Arundell could link up with Stuart Lancaster in Paris for the 2023-24 Top 14 campaign. There he would potentially share the backline with Fiji phenom Josua Tuisova as well as Christian Wade.
Sia Kolisi, the iconic Springbok captain, would be another notable addition to the Racing team.
Arundell, who has seven matches, and Joseph, who has one, were both named on Steve's first list. Borthwick's training squads.
They and Pearson, without a cap, will compete for a place in the final 33-man World Cup team.
The move to France will not affect Arundell's availability for the tournament. In addition, his eligibility will be subject to scrutiny, although he will certainly have a strong case for remaining available to Bortwick through at least the 2023-24 season.
The Rugby Union will treat each player on an individual basis, with those forced to leave the Irish language recognized as exceptional cases, subject to the approval of the Professional Gaming Board. With the same approach, Jack Willis remained available to England for the recent Six Nations following his move to Toulouse after the Wasps had gone into administration.
For the 2024-25 season, the Premier League salary cap should rise again from £5m to £6.4m, which could help some London-based Irish players find top-flight roles. Judging by the demise of the Worcester Warriors and Wasps, it's clear that others will be looking to join Championship teams or go overseas.
Joseph, who made his England debut on an Australian tour a year ago, is one of those left behind. in the Premier League with the Harlequins. Like Arundell, he was the subject of considerable interest on both sides of the English Channel. The 20-year-old is supposed to have negotiated with the Saracens, who also spoke with Loader and La Rochelle, before choosing the Harlequins.
Joseph, who can cover the center and flank from the outside, seems to be the perfect replacement for Joe Marchand, who joined the Stade Français.
Injury has hampered his 2022-23 season but this week's England recall shows Joseph's position and the prospect of him sharing the back row with Danny Kare, Marcus Smith, Andre Oesterhuizen and Kadan Merli is tempting . /p>
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