Sam Underhill is the latest in a long line of current Bath players to put pen to paper ahead of next season on a long-term deal.
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan has recently called Underhill “world-class”, adding: “He is one of the best players in Europe and is an exceptional openside flanker. I am very glad he is staying at Bath.”
Underhill added: “I’m really pleased to be staying here. Bath feels like home and it’s an incredibly special place to play. This group has loads of potential and I’m excited to see where we can go.”
The rampaging west-country side has been in fine form in recent months, with the squad appearing to be in perfect harmony. Such is the environment that Van Graan has created, Bath have confirmed no less than 17 contract extensions ahead of next season.
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 25: (L-R) Sam Underhill, Freddie Steward and Henry Arundell of England put their boots on prior to a training session at Institut National du Sport on October 25, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
“All the players have bought into how we want to do things, and we are writing our own story and it’s about getting better”, Van Graan said in an interview with RugbyDump at the end of 2023.
“The day that I leave here I’d like to be able to say it’s in a much better place than I found it. We as a staff, as an owner, as a board have created a place where players can get better, and younger players are absolutely loving it.”
Clearly buying into the club ethos, the players are well and truly behind a side that has turned it’s fortunes around.
“You’ve got to make people believe in something, and that’s what I said from the start, this is never going to be about me, it’s about the club” the head coach had said at the time.
“I saw such an incredible opportunity with this club in terms of the history, but we can’t keep going back to the history, we’ve got to look forward to what we as a group want to achieve, and we’ve got a clear vision of that.
“At Bath, we have an incredible support base, and I believe that those supporters now believe that we are on the right track. We still have a long way to go, it’s maybe going to take another year or two years or whatever that might be, but there’s a plan, there’s belief in the plan and we’re working hard.”
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