Underhill hopeful to make season start
England international openside flanker Sam Underhill is currently sidelined having had surgery on his ankle during the short off-season.
Underhill, 28, started in the number seven jersey in both of England’s narrow defeats away in New Zealand back in July, but returned home hurt which Bath have moved to correct.
The Blue, Black and White will kick off their pre-season campaign on Saturday when Munster come to the Recreation Ground.
Bath will then play Cardiff, Ealing Trailfinders and the Dragons before kicking off their Gallagher Premiership campaign with a repeat of last season’s final, with defending champions Northampton Saints coming to town on Friday, September 20.
Whether Underhill will be ready for that encounter remains to be seen, however, it looks highly likely he will be back by the time England kick off their gruelling Autumn international series with the All Blacks up first .
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan told the Bath Chronicle: “Sam Underhill will be a few weeks away. We looked at his ankle and decided to have a small procedure on his ankle.
“He will be back around the start of the season but there is no time line on that.”
The good news is Bath remain stacked with talented flankers despite the retirement of GJ van Velze and Chris Cloete at the end of last season, with Ted Hill and Miles Reid vying for spots in the starting XV along with new signing Guy Pepper who joins the club from Newcastle Falcons having established himself as one of the top tacklers in the Premiership.
Discussing the status of some of his other international stars who have been on national duty this summer, van Graan added: “Some of the internationals are only coming back in this week.
“Ben Spencer and Ollie Lawrence come back in on Monday and then basically the whole squad will be back together, apart from Thomas [du Toit].
“Thomas is still going strong - what a season he has had - but he is in good shape and going strong with South Africa.”
Discussing how the prop’s workload and recovery will be handled having gone straight into a demanding summer of international rugby with the Springboks, who are currently playing in The Rugby Championship, van Graan said: “We have got a good relationship with South Africa and he has managed to have a few weeks off.
“We will manage him throughout the season and he is working to a different timescale. When we have got a big block of time in February without a Premiership game we will look after him differently than other players; but he is in a good place mentally, loving his time with the Springboks and they are playing really well.”