Sam Underhill to miss England's autumn Tests after bicep rupture
England will go into their autumn internationals without Sam Underhill after the flanker ruptured a bicep on club duty for Bath.
The 30-year-old left Bath's 33-17 Prem win away at Harlequins in the 48th minute on Friday night. A scan confirmed the rupture, and Bath expect him to have surgery on Thursday and be sidelined until December or January, according to BBC Sport.
That rules him out of England's November Tests against Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The three-match series forms part of the autumn Nations Championship.
It is rotten luck for a player who has just fought his way back to fitness. Underhill, capped 51 times, played in all five of England's Six Nations matches this year. He then missed the summer internationals against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina to have an operation on a shoulder injury.
Underhill is a flanker, the forward whose core job is tackling hard and competing for the ball on the ground after a tackle. England have valued him for that physical edge for years. He was called into the 2023 World Cup squad as injury cover and has remained a regular pick when fit.
For fans, this means England must find another specialist to do the heavy defensive work in November. Australia and New Zealand both move the ball fast and test the tackle count. Japan do the same with pace and stamina.
Bath confirmed the news in an injury update issued ahead of Prem Round 2, following the opening weekend, according to Bath Rugby. The champions made a strong start at the Stoop, with the 33-17 victory reported by RugbyPass, but the win came at a cost.
Underhill is not the club's only absence. New signing Jamie Bhatti broke a forearm in pre-season and is unavailable. Prop Vilikesa Sela is out until November with a toe injury from pre-season. Wing Will Muir has no return date yet after injuring his shoulder last season.
There is better news elsewhere. Half-back Ben Spencer and centre Louie Hennessey are both expected to return to team training in October.
