Henry Arundell has been awarded the London Irish Try of the Season award for his effort against RC Toulonnais in the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final.

Arundell accrued a mammoth 82% of the public vote, with the Exile Nation electing the stunning solo score as their favourite throughout the 2021/22 season.

In what was his seventh and final try of the season for his Club, Arundell brought Irish back to the brink in the knockout European fixture at the Stade Félix Mayol in May.

The Exiles were 10 points to the good in the opening 35 minutes of the game, earning their lead from a Paddy Jackson penalty and Albert Tuisue converted score.

Toulon’s Louis Carbonel responded with three penalties either side of the interval, but it was their captain Charles Ollivon who took them to their first lead of the match with a clever snipe.

Both sides opened the final quarter with penalties to establish a six-point swing, leaving the door ajar for some magic to brighten a rather dreary day in the south of France.

A Gabin Villière clearance and consequent chase put a retreating Nick Phipps under immense pressure after an onerous bounce left the Australian with it all to do.

Offload enacted, the intended receiver was the 19-year-old replacement who somehow saw the space to manoeuvre through 98 metres of space, beating Swan Rebbadj, Anthony Belleau, Baptiste Serin, Aymeric Luc and Louis Carbonel.

Arundell slid over the whitewash and made history in one the great European tries that projected his name across digital platforms internationally.

In what was already a swell opening campaign in the senior squad, the full-back went on to have a record of 11 tries in 17 Club and England under-20s appearances and win Premiership Rugby’s Discovery of the Season gong.

Having only made his England under-20 debut on 4th February, Arundell continued his rise on the national scene by being one of two Irish players being called into the England senior squad to tour Australia this July.

He made a try-scoring debut and had the most metres gained by any England player (54) in just seven minutes of action in the first test in Perth, and will look to continue his red-hot form Down Under in the next fortnight.

With 6% of the vote, the second-place nomination was Kyle Rowe’s mazy run against Saracens in Round 8 of the Gallagher Premiership.

It was the second of three on the day for the Scotsman, starting in his own half to go on and beat five defenders to revive Irish en route to a famous 26-point comeback draw.

 

The Club would like to thank all members of the Exile Nation who took the time to vote in the poll and looks forward to seeing you at the Brentford Community Stadium next season!

 

You can book your place to see the boys in green next season by buying a Season Ticket here.

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