Henry Arundel: Bath wing on its roundabout route to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup

The match will be Bath’s first Champions Cup semi-final in 20 years. Arundel has also taken a long way to this point than expected.

As a rugby-mad schoolboy from Beachen Cliffs in Bath, the club was the obvious career choice.

Arundel team-mates Myles Reid (up four years), Tom de Glanville (up three years), Ethan Staddon (up a year) and Villikesa ‘Billy’ Sela (up two years) were all bound for Bath’s academy from state school rugby programmes.

But, at age 14, Henry’s talent and his father’s career took him elsewhere. His father Ralph got a job at Harrow School in northwest London. Henry received a scholarship.

In the London Irish catchment area, he made his exile debut in November 2021, shortly after his 19th birthday. A number of fiery scores followed, most notably 98m virtuoso run against Toulon,, outsider Before being named in the England squad for the tour of Australia.

However, London Irish went into administration in June 2023 and Arundel chose to go to French club Racing 92.

It didn’t go as he expected.

Injuries and iffy performances have checked his progress. Former England coach Stuart Lancaster, who brought Arundel to the club, was sacked in February 2025 amid some poor results.

“There were moments where your form wasn’t great or you had an injury – and that could have an impact,” he says.

“You find the most improvement in adversity and I certainly gained some – a lot of skill and understanding from working with (All Black legend) Joe Rococo as back-three coach and Freddy Michalak (former France fly-half) as an attacking element.

“You learn a lot from the players around you, like Cia Kolisi, Gael Fico, Josua Tuisova. You play with big names.

“When Wayne (Farrell) came for my second year there was an Englishman I could chat to and really learn from.

“Even though at the end of the day, I was a 20-year-old kid in France, I lived alone and sometimes you need family around you.

“I see my family every week now rather than every few months. It’s so special to have that support system and maybe I didn’t appreciate it enough when I was a little younger.”