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the player he is
Ross Heppenstall meets the Bath Rugby and England flanker and finds out about the support team behind the shirt
Sam Underhill
Sam Underhill is one of English rugby’s most respected forwards, one noted for his refusal ever to take a backward step on the playing field.
A relentless will to win has characterised a career which has made him a mainstay of Bath Rugby’s back row and has earned him 40 England Test caps to date.
And behind the eloquent flanker’s success are a group of individuals who have played a key role in helping to shape his journey to the top of his profession.
Greg and Olivia
Underhill hails from a family of high achievers and the influence of his parents, Greg and Olivia, has been huge.
They met while they were doing officer training for the Royal Air Force and Greg was awarded an OBE in 2016.
Sam was born in Dayton, Ohio, as his father was stationed in the US with the RAF at the time and the family moved to Gloucester when he was 10 years old.
Greg used to encourage Sam to push himself athletically and they would often go for a run or a bike ride together.
“My parents have always been massively supportive of my sport,” says Underhill. “When you’re young, you don’t necessarily appreciate how much your parents do for you in terms of taking you to training and games.
“Not every parent can do that, so I was very lucky that mine were able to come and watch me play. They took time out from what they were doing to come and support me.
It was at Sir Thomas Rich’s, a selective grammar school in Gloucester, when Underhill began playing rugby.
A number of coaches honed his early enthusiasm for the game as he recalls: “Several people there really helped me in my rugby development when I started playing at secondary school.
“Rhys Williams and Rhys Davies were the rugby coaches and Chris Carter, the deputy head, supported the rugby programme. They were the guys who I had first had as coaches and they were brilliant.
“Rhys Williams was a Wales international still playing semi-professional at the time, in the Welsh league. He was an inspiring teacher in that respect because we could see he was still playing at a high level.”
As he entered his mid-teens, Underhill began to stand out as a prodigious talent who was destined for big things.
He played his first game at the age of 13 for his local club Longlevens, where he was coached by Gerard Jenkins, Rob Griffiths, Pete Jones and Pete Farrell.
“I played there from under-13s up until under-17s,” says Underhill.
“Gerard Jenkins was my mate Liam’s dad and he coached Longlevens, who are doing very well as a club now. My time there was a fantastic learning curve for me and I’ll always be grateful for it and the support I was given.”
Underhill then joined Gloucester’s academy and captained England Under-18s before moving to Wales to study economics at Cardiff University.
He credits the influence of numerous academy coaches with key roles in his development during his formative years.
“Pete Buxton, the ex-Gloucester player, was my first academy coach,” says Underhill.
Underhill went on to play for Bridgend Ravens while he was at Cardiff and then the Ospreys. “It was Steve Tandy who was my first senior first-team coach at Ospreys but Joe Bearman was also great for me there because when I first arrived I think he was 38 and I was 19. He was still playing in the back row and he was in ridiculous shape. Joe was a very experienced player and helpful because he had such a refreshing attitude to the game.
“I also used to do a liftshare with Joe, Ben John and Jonathan Spratt and those three guys were the older heads I used to lean on because we spent so much time in the car together.”
Underhill also has a close support network of friendships formed during his time at school and university, and through playing rugby.
Underhill has been with his wife Josie since 2017 and he credits much of his on-field success to her influence and support.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do anything I’ve done without Josie,” he says. “She is incredibly supportive of what I do; incredibly encouraging and understanding. I’m very grateful for her.”
They met through a mutual friend and the future Mrs Underhill (née Jennings) met his parents at a rugby match that he was playing in.
“The first game that Josie ever came to was also the first time she met my parents, which I guess was quite funny,” remembers Underhill. “It was my debut for Bath, away to Northampton, in 2017 and I actually got injured during the game, so Josie ended up having some joint concern for me along with my parents. “It was an unorthodox introduction, you could say.”
The pair married in December 2022 and Josie gave birth to son Freddie in August last year. Underhill adds: “I’m very aware that we, as rugby players, have a lot of time away from home and essentially work unconventional hours. How we eat, how we train and how we look after our bodies; those things are quite selfish in their nature. To have a partner who can appreciate it’s something you love and want to do – and supports you in that – I will never take that for granted.
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“They were very supportive on a practical basis, sorting out all the kit that needed buying – and then washing – and all the boots, gumshields, and fundraising for going on tours.
“That was amazing and the fact they were at all my games as well is another level of support. They have been right behind me every step of the way.”
Greg and Olivia are regulars at The Rec and still passionately follow their son’s career closely at club and international level.
“They are season-ticket holders – I have told them that I can get tickets for them but they like having their own,” adds Underhill.
Underhill’s three older sisters have also helped to inspire the 28-year-old as he explains: “A couple of them have been relatively competitive middle-distance runners at 5K and 10K. I grew up watching them doing cross-country and that was a big part in getting me into sport.
“I wasn’t a very good runner as a kid but seeing them inspired me to take it more seriously and that probably helped me when I took up rugby.”
I have told them I can get tickets for
them but they like to have their own
Underhill and his mum Olivia after a match at Gloucester
Sam Underhill
What makes
Age 28
Test caps 40
(30 wins, 10 losses)
England tries 3
Assists 1
Club Bath Rugby
Bath appearances 112
Bath points 75
*All info correct as of 1 February 2025
Sam Underhill
Age 28
Test caps 40
(30 wins, 10 losses)
England tries 3
Assists 1
Club Bath Rugby
Bath appearances 112
Bath points 75
(aka mum and dad)
Rhys Williams
– schoolboy coach
Produced by: Telegraph Media Group
Project manager: Alex Rose, Writer: Ross Heppenstall, Commissioning editor: Jim Bruce-Ball, Sub editor: Neil Queen-Jones, Picture research: Cat Costelloe, Designer: Jonathan Clayton-Jones, Web editor: Caroline Stacey Picture credits: Getty, Patrick Khachfe & Ryan Hiscott / Onside Images, Shutterstock
Longlevens Junior coaches
Academy coaches
He says: “I’m very lucky with the friendship group I have.
“I met a lot of good mates at school and then had a lot of good friends at university. Rugby is a very sociable community so you always have your teammates as people to rely on.
“But having friends outside of rugby who can be empathetic and understanding of your commitments – and lack of availability at times – is also something I’m very grateful for.”
England academy coaches John Fletcher and Pete Walton also became big influences on Underhill during these years.
“Fletch and Waltz were my England Under-18s coaches and they were pretty pivotal in me enjoying the game,” he says. “A lot of their ethos was about enjoyment, trying things and being confident.
“That was probably the first time I saw how fun rugby could be, so that was a big influence.”
Having joined Bath in 2017 Underhill is now firmly established as one of the best flankers in the Gallagher Premiership and at international level.
Citing his key influences at senior level he says: “Todd Blackadder was my first Bath coach, Neal Hatley was great to work under as well, and obviously I’m playing under Johann van Graan now.
Rugby is always a very
sociable community
teammates to rely on
I'm living out my
dream of playing
sport for a living
Greg and Olivia with Sam and his wife Josie in celebratory mode at Twickenham
Wales international Rhys Williams coached Sam Underhill as a schoolboy at St Thomas Rich’s in Gloucester
Ospreys coach Steve Tandy, pictured in 2016, and below, Underhill in action for Ospreys
Josie and Freddie
Gloucester’s Pete Buxton was Underhill’s first academy coach
Underhill’s Bath coaches Johann van Graan (current, main image); Neal Hatley (above left) and Todd Blackadder
“I’m living out my dream of playing sport for a living and to have someone alongside you is amazing.”
Fatherhood has helped inspire Underhill and he says of Freddie: “He’s only little but is quite a chunky lad already.” Proud dad Underhill is clearly seeing a future rugby star.
David Flatman with a post-match word for Underhill and son Freddie at The Rec
Underhill powers through South Africa’s defence in the
2024 Autumn International
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Watch: Sam Underhill on his team behind the shirt
I have told them I can get tickets for
them but they like to have their own
I have told them I can get tickets for
them but they like to have their own
so you always have your
Underhill’s Bath coaches Johann van Graan (current, main image); Neal Hatley (above left) and Todd Blackadder
Rugby is always a very sociable
community so you always have
your teammates to rely on