Sam Underhill to miss rest of Bath's season with ban

Bath's hopes of a treble have been dealt a blow with a ban ruling Sam Underhill out of the Gallagher Premiership play-offs.

Johann van Graan's team, already winners of the Premiership Rugby Cup and the European Challenge Cup, are favourites to lift the league title.

Their European Challenge Cup victory against Lyon in Cardiff last Friday saw England flanker Underhill receive a yellow card for dangerous tackling.

Despite a head-on collision with Davit Niniashvili of Lyon, referee Hollie Davidson only issued Underhill with a yellow.

However, following the game, Underhill was cited, and an independent disciplinary panel subsequently handed down a four-week suspension to the 28-year-old.

This means he will miss Bath’s home Premiership semi-final next Friday and would also be unavailable for the final on June 14th if Blue, Black and White were to reach it.

This absence is a major blow to Bath's aspirations, and there is also the possibility Underhill could miss the beginning of England's summer tour of the Americas.

Van Graan acknowledged the player's importance, stating: “Sam is a world-class player, one of the best defenders the game has seen. He’ll definitely be missed in the next few weeks but as we do here at the club, we’ll back our squad. We’ll respect the decision and move on. I am not worried. We are a very well-disciplined team.”

Despite this setback, table-toppers Bath have already secured a home semi-final. The indication is the highly-rated Guy Pepper will be Underhill’s replacement, as Bath continue their preparations for their final fixture of the regular season away at Saracens before entering the play-offs.