Rory Arnold

A towering lock and Australia’s tallest ever player at 208cm / almost 6 foot 10 inches, Rory Arnold shot to rugby’s professional level from well outside the traditional pathways.

Arnold played rugby league until he was 16 years old and did not try his hand at rugby until 2011 when a few mates convinced him to have a run around in third grade for the Gentlemen of Murwillumbah club. He moved to Queensland in 2013 and was almost immediately picked from the Gold Coast Breakers to represent the Combined NSW-Queensland Country side against the touring British & Irish Lions (L 0-64).

Arnold then upped and left Australia to join Griquas in South Africa’s Currie Cup and it was there he caught the eye of former Brumbies and South African national coach, Jake White. In 2015 Arnold won the Australian Super Rugby Rookie of the Year and earned a call-up to the Wallabies training squad. A year later, Arnold made his Test debut in the opening match of the three Test home series against England.

Despite stiff competition from Adam Coleman and Izack Rodda, Arnold went on to earn a total of 26 caps through to the end of RWC19 before he left Australia to play for Toulouse in France. In 2021, a COVID-related relaxation of the Giteau law allowed national coach Dave Rennie to name six overseas-based players, including Arnold and fellow giant lock Will Skelton, for the end-of-season Spring Tour.

In early 2022 reports suggested that Arnold was poised to become Australia’s highest paid rugby player as he considered an A$4.5 million, multi-year deal in Japan.

Highlights

2016 Arnold won his first Test cap at lock in the run-on XV for the 1st Test against England in Brisbane. He played a total of nine Tests over the course of the season, seven as a starting lock.

2017 Arnold was capped in each of the opening six internationals only to be overlooked for the Rugby Championship. A knee injury, one that subsequently required surgery, ruled him out of Spring Tour calculations.

2018 He picked up a further four caps, two as a starting lock, before a fractured eye socket suffered in the Captain’s run ahead of the Test against Italy brought his season to a premature close.

2019 Arnold started in seven of the season’s 10 internationals and attended his first Rugby World Cup where he was capped against Fiji, Wales, Georgia and England.

2021 Following his return to the Wallabies’ for the Spring Tour, Arnold was capped in the final three Tests of the year - against Scotland, England and Wales.

2022 Arnold returned to Australia for the wedding of his brother Richie, a move that opened the door for his selection following Samu Kerevi’s season-ending injury at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Arnold earned three caps, against Argentina in San Juan and from the two home matches against South Africa.