England back-row Sam Underhill on French giant's Christmas wishlist

Former Champions Cup winners La Rochelle have put England back row Sam Underhill on their shopping list for next season despite him having another left to run on his contract with Premiership title chasers Bath.

Blindside flanker Underhill, 28, who started his career at Gloucester, making his debut in the Premiership Cup as an 18-year-old, has made 95 appearances for Johann van Graan’s outfit after joining from the Ospreys in 2017.

Underhill, who has won 41 England caps and scored two tries against South Africa and Japan during the autumn international series, wasn’t among the 17 players Steve Borthwick awarded an RFU hybrid contract.

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But a move to the side who are sixth in the Top 14 table this season with six wins and five defeats would spell the end of his international career if he makes the unlikely switch across the channel.

A member of Eddie Jones’ England side that were runners-up in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, he was born in the United States when his father was serving overseas in the Royal Air Force before moving back to the United Kingdom when he was a year old.

He played all eight of England’s internationals in 2024 before being dropped for the first game against the All Blacks after his early season appearances were restricted following his recovery from an ankle operation during the summer.

Underhill (6’1, 110kg) only agreed on a new deal to remain with Bath until the summer of 2026, just weeks before Northampton Saints defeated them in the Twickenham showpiece, which is likely to be enough to keep him out of French clutches.

But he ironically missed Bath’s 24-20 Champions Cup loss to Ronan O’Gara’s side at The Rec last Friday with an ankle injury that he suffered scoring a try against Japan in their final autumn international last month.