Henry Arundell highlights the superstars of Racing 92 and decisively explains why he chose a higher rugby education over a quick fix with England.
The former London Irish wing is home to six of the biggest names in recent rugby, but they are all coaches, not teammates.
To start, England star Arundell compares his Racing boss Stuart Lancaster to legendary New England Patriots chief Bill Belichick.
Arundell then leads the Racing assistants, and from ex-All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko, through Dimitri Szarzewski, Bernard Le Roux and Yannick Nyanga, he ends with Frederic Michalak.
Arundell plans to return to England in 2026. During his Paris adventure he wants to combine his English roots with a pinch of French flair and a touch of Fijian magic.
Listen to Henry Arundell on the latest Evening Standard Rugby PodcastThe 21-year-old already has ten England caps, a third-place finish at the World Cup and the chance for a generative Test career, but considers himself anything but a complete player.
Arundell cannot represent England abroad and has turned down a chance to play for Bath next season, but did so with the understanding of Red Rose boss Steve Borthwick.
Instead, the try-scoring sensation is looking to take advantage of a French finishing school that offers as much stardust as technical detail.
"Those five young assistant coaches have basically completed rugby," says Arundell Standard sport.
"Fred has six European titles, Yannick has three, Dimitri has one and several Top 14 titles.
"With Yannick it's bad luck, with Bernie it's tackling, with Fred it's decision-making and trying to get a bit of French flair.
"But with Joe, it's his intelligence that I can admit I underestimated.
"You look at his style of play and you think, 'wow, what an incredible athlete and a great ball player', but he has incredible rugby intelligence.
"You can watch games, training, clips, assess other players and just talk about how you could defend them, how you could attack another team or identify their weaknesses.
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'Joe is so good at that, but he is also relaxed and wants boys to play freely.
"He brings that Fijian element where those guys in the Top 14 can tear it up, just like they were playing at home with their friends.
"Then with Fred, he is France's highest ever points scorer, he played in the 2003 World Cup and then in 2015.
"But even he struggled with it early on and got things wrong. Listening to him and learning from those experiences is invaluable.
"Joe was also at the 2003 World Cup and went on to win the Top 14 in 2016. Their playing experiences are recent, which allows them to approach things from a player's perspective."
Former teacher Lancaster has rebuilt his coaching career from England's worst ever World Cup performance in 2015, through a dynasty spell at Leinster and now to Racing in Paris.
Arundell seized the opportunity to work with the former England boss in France after London Irish fell into administration last season.
He's a mastermind, a complete mastermind
Henry Arundell on Stuart Lancaster
Now enjoying the long association with Lancaster, Arundell looks directly to eight-time Super Bowl winner Belichick for a quick comparison.
"He is a mastermind, a complete mastermind; I have come across two coaches who blow my mind when it comes to work ethic and they are Stuart and Steve Borthwick," says Arundell.
"It's unbelievable how much rugby they watch and how much effort they put into coaching the player.
"The way Stuart wants to nurture every player, regardless of background, and maintain the standards of a senior player, that's what's so good. And that's where the Bill Belichick comparison comes into play.
"He's certainly similar in that he doesn't care how many caps you have, what you've won, whether you've won two World Cups as captain or whether you're in your first year of professional rugby, there are standards." that must be met.
"If you're not good enough you don't play, and if you're good enough you get a chance. And if you get the chance, you should take it."
Arundell has been a top try scorer for a number of years and is well on his way to becoming a great try scorer too, but remains determined to add as many strings to his bow as possible.
"It would be easy to come from the World Cup and think you're ready, but there was a bit of a shock at first because of the huge competition in the squad," he says.
"Training is like a competition because you can compete against Francis Saili and Juan Imhoff, just as two examples, if one or the other doesn't start for some reason.
"I think I would have been one of the most delusional people in the world if I thought I could solve it just by playing in the World Cup or the Six Nations.
"Those memories are incredible and I'm so grateful for them, but there's no way I can ever be satisfied with them.
"If you learn it anywhere, it is in the Top 14, with the quality of opposition every week, against the best internationals in the world.
"So there are absolutely no regrets about my decision to be here. As much as I would love to continue playing for England, I know I made the decision I thought was right.
"I know I could go back to England in 2026 and not be selected again. But if that happens, I can live with that, instead of going home and regretting it because maybe I was afraid to come back and take a risk.
"If I ultimately failed because I was too afraid to take a risk, that would affect me even more."
English players often head to France at the end of their careers for a big new experience before time runs out.
Arundell has bucked that trend, but to tackle a learning curve that England boss Borthwick understands.
"When I told Steve I was staying here, away from the private elements, I explained it the way I have done it now," says Arundell.
"It's about how and what I can learn, and from whom. And he had a lot of understanding for that. He completely understood, even though he wanted me to come back. But this is really a period of development for me."
