I can be the answer to England’s breakdown troubles, says Underhill
Openside insists he is the man to take role through to World Cup, writes Mick Cleary
Bath openside Sam Underhill has been doing all that he can at England’s weekend training camp to persuade Eddie Jones he is the man to help to fix the team’s problems at the breakdown, declaring himself eager to start against France in Paris on Saturday. England name their side on Thursday for the trip to the Stade de France and the England head coach has selection issues to ponder after the 25-13 loss to Scotland.
Jones insists that the difficulties experienced in defeat at Murrayfield were of a collective nature, but there is little doubt that England have yet to establish anyone in the No7 shirt to take the side through to the World Cup in Japan. If the loss to Scotland was a jolt, then it could also prove an opportunity if Underhill’s promotion from the bench was to be the springboard towards a more long-term casting in that position.
That has certainly been Jones’s intent, only for injury to compromise his desire to test Underhill as well as Sale’s Tom Curry. The pair were blooded on last summer’s tour to Argentina, winning their first caps, with Underhill getting the nod into the autumn when Curry was sidelined by injury. The Bath flanker started against Argentina at Twickenham in November and Australia seven days later, only to come off early in that game with concussion, a blow that kept him out for several weeks. Underhill has had game time from the bench in the three championship matches to date, with mixed fortunes, and is keen to lay down his credentials from first whistle at the Stade de France.
“Yes, I do want to start,” said Underhill. “I was definitely itching to get on [at Murrayfield]. I thought the guys could have done things differently, although I don’t think I could have come on and solved things single-handedly. Scotland obviously got the better of us at the breakdown.
“We were slow to adapt and react to what was happening. We should have been quicker to realise how Nigel [Owens] was refereeing it. He was consistent, and you can’t complain because consistency is all you really need from a referee. We should have dealt with it ourselves more quickly: committed more numbers, made the game narrow. I was watching and thinking I could contribute.”
Underhill did get on in the 55th minute, replacing No8 Nathan Hughes, with Chris Robshaw moving across to the middle of the back row. If ever a player in this championship has had switchback experiences, it is Underhill. Lauded for his miraculous cover tackle on Wales centre Scott Williams a fortnight earlier, the 21-year-old then had to endure a sobering trudge to the Murrayfield sidelines after being yellowcarded only 10 minutes after coming on for a no-arms tackle on prop Jamie Bhatti.
“There was no malicious intent there,” Underhill said. “Looking back on it, it probably looks worse than I thought it did in real time. It’s fair enough. I am not going to argue with the decision that was made. For me, it’s just a lesson to make things more obvious. I was targeting the ball, but you need to make that [clear]. You’ve got a responsibility to one another, so I’m not going to complain about the same rules that keep us safe, ultimately, as players.”
Underhill speaks with a maturity that belies his age. As and when he does cement a place in the England line-up, it is a fair assumption that he will be part of the landscape for years to come. As Richie Mccaw and Sam Warburton have shown for New Zealand and Wales respectively, a high-achieving openside is an imperative.
“From a No7’s perspective, I still think there is a niche [role] there,” said Underhill. “You don’t have to be a line-out option, necessarily, and you have a bit of freedom in what you have to think about. I don’t really like the stats [about turnovers]. I would look more at the general influence at the breakdown. You could hold someone up in the tackle for four or five seconds and not get the turnover but you have slowed the ball down. As well as being in a position where you can influence the game, you can also have a leadership role within the team. That potentially gets overlooked.”
Underhill will have the perfect opportunity to show what he does have to offer at the Stade de France if he gets the nod from Jones.
‘We were slow to adapt to what was happening – we should have dealt with it ourselves’