England have suffered a major injury blow with Sam Underhill set to undergo surgery after rupturing his bicep.
The Bath flanker will miss England’s November Nations Championship campaign after suffering the injury during Friday night’s 33-17 victory over Harlequins.
Underhill lasted just 48 minutes before being forced from the field, with Bath boss Johann van Graan immediately fearing a serious injury.
Scans have now confirmed those concerns, with the 30-year-old requiring an operation on Thursday.
Surgery confirmed
“There are a few types of injuries where I want to know straight away,” Van Graan said.
“That’s why I went straight down [to the tunnel].
“At the time it was very much, ‘we need to wait for the scan, but this could be a bicep rupture’, and the scan turned out to be exactly that.
“He will get operated on on Thursday.”
There has been no exact return date placed on Underhill, although Van Graan expects him to be sidelined for several months.
“That’s a few months out of the game, so it’s not ideal from Sam’s point of view,” he added.
“But as with every player who gets injured at this club, we’ll do our best to get him back as soon as possible.”
Van Graan suggested Underhill could return in December or January.
England blow
The timing represents another frustrating setback for the back-rower.
Underhill had only just returned to action after a shoulder problem kept him out of England’s summer Tests in July.
Friday’s appearance against Harlequins was his first competitive game back, but his latest injury means he will now be unavailable for Steve Borthwick’s November internationals.
His absence opens the door for another back-row option to force their way into Borthwick’s plans.
Bath are also without summer signing Jamie Bhatti after he fractured his arm during pre-season, while Will Muir is recovering from shoulder surgery.
There is better news surrounding Ben Spencer, who is expected to return towards the end of October, while Vilikesa Sela is targeting a comeback around late November.
