FRESH ENGLAND BLOW AS UNDERHILL IS OUT FOR THE SEASON
ENGLAND’S NatWest 6 Nations hopes were dealt a new setback last night after Sam Underhill was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The flanker suffered a foot injury in training and scan results yesterday revealed a torn ligament. Medics had initially hoped he could return to fill the No 7 jersey in next week’s finale against Ireland — before Bath coach Todd Blackadder revealed the worst. ‘He’s torn the ligament under the big toe,’ Blackadder said. ‘That effectively rules him out for the rest of the season.’ Underhill came off the bench in the defeat at Scotland but was quickly sent to the sin-bin. Injured wing Jack Nowell will also miss England’s final two Six Nations matches, starting against France in Paris on Saturday, while skipper Dylan Hartley faces a fitness test this morning on a calf strain to see if he can face the French. Meanwhile, wing Jonny May has said England’s players have been at full throttle in training after the Calcutta Cup defeat. May said: ‘The boys have been training hard and smashing each other in training. It’s not that we were complacent but sometimes you do get beaten and it does bring an edge and a desire to get back out there and put it right.’ England head coach Eddie