Sam Underhill has been called into England’s World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Jack Willis. The tough-tackling Bath flanker joined his teammates in Lille on Sunday and comes straight into contention for England’s quarter-final next weekend.
Underhill was part of England’s wider training squad early in the summer but was released in July – a move that is understood to have stunned a host of his teammates. Tom Pearson, Tom Willis and Alex Dombrandt all remained in camp for longer but Underhill has World Cup experience, having been such an important member of Eddie Jones’s side in 2019, and Borthwick has turned to the 27-year-old after losing Willis to a neck injury.
Underhill’s call-up means the Kamikaze Kids from four years ago are reunited, with Underhill joining Tom Curry in the ranks. Willis made only one appearance for England across the pool stages – against Chile – but, as demonstrated by the fact that Alex Mitchell and Jonny May were left out of the original squad before establishing themselves as first choice, Underhill will be given every chance to press his claims for selection in the quarter-final next Sunday.
He has not appeared for England in more than 12 months and has struggled with injuries since the 2019 World Cup but at his best he is one of the most destructive tacklers in the Premiership. Asked if Underhill could force his way into Borthwick’s thinking for their last-eight match, the defence coach, Kevin Sinfield, said: “Without a shadow of a doubt. He’ll come in hard, there’s no doubt about that.
“He’s a smart guy and he’ll pick things up really, really quickly and we require a simple plan anyway – because of the time we have had together, it is meant to be that way. Sam will be great. He is a Test match animal and is a fantastic player. He knows what it is like to play well at World Cups. He has done it previously and he brings a great deal of experience too.
“It is probably only fair to say we’re really disappointed to lose Jack Willis and wish him the best and want him back on the field as soon as possible. One door closes for someone and another one opens. Sam was outstanding with us during the summer. He trained the house down but unfortunately for whatever reason he didn’t stay with us.”
Sinfeld also confirmed that Jamie George and Manu Tuilagi were both fit and would be available for selection this weekend despite picking up knocks in the 18-17 win against Samoa.
