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England are backing Sam Underhill to deliver on Saturday night in Paris and demonstrate that he should have been picked on the 2021 Lions tour by Warren Gatland. The openside was the starter at No7 throughout the three-game Autumn Nations Series that culminated in London with a win over the Springboks three months after the Lions – minus the non-selected Underhill – fell to a two-one series defeat.
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Underhill has since had his issues with concussion, covid, illness and being part of a Bath side struggling at the bottom of the Gallagher Premiership, but Jones also reckoned that getting snubbed by Gatland for the Lions had a deep impact on the back-rower now backed to be at his best when England look to ruin France’s Grand Slam party.
“I have got no doubt,” said Jones when asked if Underhill is set to shine in his first Test outing since November. “He has been through a little bit of a difficult period. Missing out on the Lions probably stung him a fair bit and probably more than he has felt.
“We all know when we have missed out on something we want we feel like we have put it away and parked it and sometimes it stays with us and then you get one or two other things to happen and there is a bit of woe me about it.
“He has probably gone through that period and those periods are the sort where the really good players rebound, they learn from it and come back better players. From what I have seen in Sam, there is just that sparkle in his eye, a want to be the best player he can be and we will see that Saturday.”
Jones admitted he couldn’t believe his luck that Underhill has got his fitness right at the very moment that Tom Curry became unavailable through injury, allowing England to pick a like-for-like replacement to face France in Curry’s absence. “Having lost Tom Curry the timing of having Sam Underhill available and fit and ready to go is uncanny. We have been really blessed in that area. Sam at his best is one of the best openside flankers in the world.
“His ability to chop tackle, his ability to get his head over the ball, his ability to be a powerful ball carrier is second to none and he has come back into camp after what has been an extremely difficult period for him. I don’t think we should discount he has been through a long concussion rehab, he had illness, he had the injury, he has been playing in a club team that has been struggling which is difficult for your morale as a player
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“When your club is struggling, you’re getting a consistent run of injuries but he has come back in with a spring in his step and his job is to make sure he is the best version of Sam Underhill on Saturday and I’m sure we are going to see that.”
Jones added that the length of the domestic season in England will continue to impact his squad and that the only time he will ever have a full-strength squad at his disposal is the build-up to a World Cup.
“I just think now more so than any time the length of the season in England is daunting and players come in and out and we have just been more aware that the players will probably have these periods where they are going to be out for periods of time and they need that recover. We have got Tom Curry out for probably eight to ten weeks.
“It’s a good chance for him to rebuild his body. He was going on the back of the Lions tour so we have just got to be more accepting that this is going to be more part of the normal going forward and your ability to get your best team on the field is only going to be seen at the World Cup where you get three months to prepare the players properly. Otherwise, you have got to make do with what you have available.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Thought you’d left us Nick. Good to have you back writing for us. So hunter ikitau works? I reckon wright kellaway as two of the back 3. Tim Ryan and Toole looking good for strike winger but I still want the power of korobeiti and figure our forwards still need him to help them out. Million dollar question is who plays 10? I’m thinking Noah for his kicking and combo with wright. Reckon the pair adds up to an attack and kellaway will help. Can you comment on Zac Lucas in Japan? How is he going?
1 Go to commentsMack Hansen, Ethan Roots, Taine Plumbtree, Louis Lynagh, Emmanuel Meafou? Which country do you want to pick your Barbarians from?
3 Go to commentsInstead of apologising, try to act like an adult, fcknut.
1 Go to commentsLooks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
5 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
3 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
2 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
7 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
3 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
2 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
2 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
5 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
5 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
16 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
16 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
16 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
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