England head coach Eddie Jones has backed Sam Underhill to get back to his best and rekindle the form that made him a star at the 2019 World Cup.
Underhill was one of the best players at the tournament in Japan, with him and fellow flanker Tom Curry duly being dubbed the ‘Kamikaze Kids’.
The pair’s careers have gone in different paths since then, with Curry captaining England during this Six Nations and Underhill being dogged with fitness issues.
Underhill is, however, back in the team for Saturday’s trip to France and will make his first appearance for England since November last year.
And asked if he can hit the levels Curry has recently, Jones said: “I’ve got no doubt mate, I’ve got no doubt.
“I think he’s been through a little bit of a difficult period. I think missing out on the Lions tour probably stung him a fair bit, probably more than he’s felt.
“We all know when we’ve missed out on something we want, we feel as though we’ve put it away and parked it.
“Sometimes it stays with us, another couple of things happen and there is a little bit of ‘Oh me, oh my’ about us.
“He’s probably gone through that period, and those sort of periods are where the really good players rebound and learn from it.
“They come back better players. What I’m seeing from Sam is that sparkle in his eye and that real want to be the best player he can be. I think we’ll see that on Saturday.”
