UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS

Sam back on song after fearing he was finished

- Adam Hathaway

SAM UNDERHILL feared he would never wear the white shirt of England again when his World Cup collapsed last summer.

The Bath dream flanker was chopped early from Steve Borthwick's training squad but was called to France when Jack Willis was injured and was man of the match in the third-place play-off.

That win against Argentina ended a 20-match absence from England's ranks that started with a concussion in the second Test in Brisbane in the 2022 series against Australia. Underhill has since kept his spot, starting all three games of this Six Nations, with Ireland on Saturday at Twickenham and France a week later to come.

He said: "All I wanted was to get back in this team.