At a young age Sam Underhill has already established himself as one of the best flankers in the game. Whether it’s for club or country, he’s praised for his impressive tackling ability on the pitch, and with his fierce reputation, many expect Sam Underhill to press on to become one of the all-time greats.
Born in the United States in July 1996, his family returned to the UK to Gloucester where he grew up and started his rugby union career as a youth at Gloucester Rugby’s academy.
Underhill made his senior debut for Gloucester at just 17, but soon made the move to Ospreys, playing in what was the Pro12 in the 2015-16 season. He also marked his first appearance for the side with a Man-of-the-Match performance against Munster. This was all while he studied for an economics degree at Cardiff University.
Sam Underhill’s next career move saw him sign for Bath in January 2017 where he is currently still a player and has over 50 appearances under his belt. This move also helped increase his chances for an international call up and he was rewarded with one in the same year, when he earned a place in Eddie Jones’ squad for the summer tour of Argentina. Prior to this he had captained the U18s team leading them to win the FIRA/AER European Championship title in Poland in 2014.
He’s been a regular feature for the England national side ever since his first senior call up. In addition to playing in the annual Six Nations – including England’s win in the 2020 tournament – he was one of the standout players from the World Cup 2019 side and played in the final, earning a runner-up medal following England’s loss to South Africa.
Sam Underhill has many great years ahead of him in rugby union and is certain to build on his already impressive legacy in the sport.