Electric Henry Arundell 'has got a bit of Jason Robinson about him'

Out with the old and in with the new? Given England's 29-player squad to prepare for the arrival of Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday only features one uncapped player, such a swingeing statement might be a little wide of the mark, but with the hurried recall of 20-year-old Henry Arundell and the omission of England's most-capped player, Ben Youngs, head coach Steve Borthwick has shown that he will not be swayed by experience or reputation when it comes to selection.

Youngs, with 122 England caps, has been a mainstay of the national side since his 2010 debut while Arundell, the 20-year-old London Irish wunderkind with just three caps, is a relative newbie, with hooker Jack Walker – an unused replacement in the Calcutta Cup defeat – the only uncapped member of Borthwick's squad to face Italy.

Last season, the Exiles' utility back made European rugby fans sit up and take notice when he single-handedly blitzed through Toulon on the way to scoring the solo try of the season in the Challenge Cup. Arundell's appeal then went global, as he bulldozed two Wallaby defenders before leaving James O'Connor for dead en route to scoring a try on his first touch of the ball on debut for England in Australia.

Rugby was witnessing the birth of a superstar, a once-in-a-generation talent. Eddie Jones, Borthwick's predecessor, was not always of the "if you're good enough, you're old enough" mindset but clearly his successor is, with Arundell set to come off the bench at Twickenham on Sunday.

Owen Farrell, England's captain, agrees. When asked on Wednesday whether Arundell was someone who possessed genuine X-factor, Farrell said that the 20-year-old's all-round package reminded him of one of English rugby's most devastating strike-runners, Jason Robinson.

"He has [X-factor], yeah, definitely," Farrell said. "He’s got everything when it comes to a running game; people have speed, strength, can ride tackles, feet. And usually people have one – maybe two – of them, he’s got it all.

"You saw that unbelievable try he scored against Toulon and you thought 'brilliant', but then he came on the Australia tour and he was doing that in training every other day. When he got the ball in his own 22 and he was against you, you were thinking, 'Anything could happen here.' There are not too many people who do that, who put everyone on the edge of their seat when they get the ball. He is one. I don't want to compare him to anyone but I remember growing up, watching Wigan, and then into rugby union, every time Jason Robinson got the ball something would happen. I'm not comparing him, but he's got a bit of that about him, Henry."

Even though Farrell stopped short of a direct comparison, if Arundell can come anywhere near emulating the achievements of Robinson – a World Cup, a Premiership and almost 100 caps for England across both codes of the sport – then England have a stick of rugby dynamite on their hands. Borthwick's side struggled for wide penetration against Scotland – an observation laid bare and hammered home by the tremendous two-try display of opposing wing Duhan van der Merwe – and the head coach has clearly sought to rectify that immediately.

Arundell's swift development could continue in earnest as soon as Sunday against Italy. Although the London Irish back was only officially recalled to the squad last Sunday after the defeat to Scotland, he had been in and around the England squad towards the back end of last week. The 20-year-old's expedition is proof of how highly rated he is by the England coaching team. Kevin Sinfield, Borthwick's defence coach, has not worked with the tyro for long, but already likes what he sees.

"I've probably only had three sessions with [him], so my knowledge is going purely off what I have seen in training, but he is an outstanding individual," he said. "Henry is super-talented and very, very gifted as a rugby player.

"I think we’ll get an indication of [his ceiling] over the coming weeks but I’ve been mightily impressed by how he’s gone about his business. The coaching team informed me about what he’s been like in camp previously and on the summer tour. We’ve got a real talent on our hands. Owen [Farrell] would know him better than I do but I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far."

England's summer tour, global headlines and a probable Six Nations debut – all in less than a year. Arundell's rise is almost as rapid as the feet which carry him. And, should he come off the bench against Italy on Sunday as expected, he once again will have the chance to prove that good enough is old enough.