VIDEO: England flyer stirs up Habana comparison
REACTION: Bath boss Johann van Graan compared Henry Arundell to South Africa great Bryan Habana after the England wing scored two key tries for the reigning Prem champions in a come-from-behind 36-29 win away to Saracens on Sunday that took them three points clear at the top of the table.
Arundell picked off an 80-metre intercept after Bath had fallen 0-14 behind in north London and then, with the scores level at 29-29, the electric flyer ran in the match-winning score four minutes from time when given sight of the tryline by England teammate Max Ojomoh.
Van Graan worked with Habana, who scored 67 tries in 124 Tests, at the Bulls from 2005 to 2009, and the South African said that he can see similarities between the Springbok great and the 23-year-old Arundell.
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Trademark Henry Arundell! 💨
Nobody catches him ⚡️
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— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 30, 2025
“You can go and look at YouTube – we played the Brumbies in Canberra and Bryan had this straight-line run, and that’s the thought that went into my head in terms of speed,” Van Graan said.
“They’re the two quickest players that I’ve coached, and Bryan became one of the world’s best.”
“I’ll liken him to one player – Bryan Habana.”@BathRugby boss Johan van Graan is full of praise for Henry Arundell’s phenomenal speed and desire to improve. pic.twitter.com/11KEAAaIM9
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 30, 2025
He added: “Henry’s got a long way to go, just game by game, but he works so hard on his game. The speed bit was there for all to see, but he was also fantastic in the air.
“We’ve all been so impressed since the first day he joined us: what he does off the field, his nutrition, the work in the gym, his skills extras. Where he started the season and where he is now, there have been a lot of big improvements.”
Ojomoh was the match-winner in England’s victory over Argentina last week.
And Sunday’s appearance, albeit as a last-quarter replacement, was another indication of Ojomoh’s quality as the centre looks to retain his England place for the Six Nations amid strong midfield competition.
“Max has had a great last seven days,” said Van Graan. “He’s a real confidence player – that pick-up and accelerate. It then looks so easy, but you’ve still got to put that pass right in front of Henry, and he did that.”
