Flanker Underhill eyes England’s clash with France as he returns from injury
Sam Underhill could return to the England side against France next weekend, after being named in Bath’s side to face Exeter Chiefs today.
Underhill missed England’s first three Six Nations fixtures with a hip injury but has recovered to start in Bath’s back row alongside Wales’s Taulupe Faletau at blindside and No8 Zach Mercer, against the Gallagher Premiership and European champions at the Recreation Ground.
Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper recently addressed Underhill’s potential return, suggesting that the flanker could end up rejoining Eddie Jones’s squad immediately.
“I guess the complication with is where he goes back to. I am not sure,” Hooper said at the time. “My view is we are rehabbing him to get fit to play for Bath and then if Eddie Jones sees fit to call him up beyond that, it is his call.
“He is a Bath player, but he is part of the elite performance squad, so if England want to call him up they can call him up. He is working with our guys [medical team] obviously in conjunction with England.”
Underhill is joined in Bath’s starting line-up by England prop Beno Obano, who has been released from the national squad to play this weekend.
Obano has not been selected by England in their past two matches against Italy and Wales, having been used as a replacement in the opening-round defeat by Scotland when he made his Test debut. Wasps prop Tom West is the only other player from the national squad to be released by England for match action in the Premiership, which means West’s club teammate, Paolo Odogwu, who was called up for the first time ahead of the Six Nations but is yet to make an appearance, has still not played any rugby since Jan 8 against Bath.
Exeter, meanwhile, have confirmed that Jack Nowell has suffered a hamstring tear in his ongoing recovery from injury. Nowell has not played since the Gallagher Premiership final win over Wasps at the end of October, with Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter still backing the player to be in contention for the British and Irish Lions tour. He said: “I am very aware his Lions selection will not only be decided on whether he has played for England, and the only thing I can encourage him to do is stay energised and rehab well and come back strong, and there will be enough rugby left with Exeter.”