- England full-back Henry Arundell has only featured once so far at the World Cup
- He was left upset by Owen Farrell during a pre-tournament training session
- But sources say Farrell was just continuing his efforts to keep standards high
Henry Arundell was left visibly upset after being told to ‘chase those f***ing kicks’ by Owen Farrell during a training session before the World Cup.
The England captain’s demanding and confrontational leadership style led to emotions running high during one session, but sources with knowledge of the incident insist Arundell was not singled out for special treatment, with Farrell setting high standards for all his team-mates.
Former England fly half Andy Goode claimed earlier this week that Arundell has been largely overlooked by coach Steve Borthwick during the World Cup because he had ‘a bit of a scrap in training’ with Farrell, a version of events strongly denied by all those involved.
The Saracens fly half is renowned for demanding a high work-rate during training, with sources telling Mail Sport he was simply exhorting Arundell to raise his intensity levels during a training session before the tournament started.
Arundell has made just one appearance in France, during which he broke England’s scoring record by grabbing five tries in the 71-0 pool stage rout of Chile, although Borthwick’s team selection is not thought to have been influenced by any lingering tension with the captain.
Mail Sport understands England full-back Henry Arundell was left visibly upset after being told to ‘chase those f***ing kicks’ by Owen Farrell during a training session before the World Cup
But sources insist that Arundell (right) was not singled out for special treatment by Farrell (left)
Farrell missed England’s first two games of the tournament through suspension before playing the final matches of the pool stage against Chile and Samoa.
The 32-year-old will start at fly half in Sunday’s quarter-final against Fiji with George Ford dropped to the bench.
The RFU declined to comment.
Steve Borthwick’s non-selection of Arundell is not thought to have been influenced by any lingering tension with Farrell despite claims from former England fly-half Andy Goode
The England skipper became his country’s all-time record points scorer on Saturday vs Samoa
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