Bath Rugby’s dynamic flanker Sam Underhill is set for a tense wait as an independent disciplinary panel reviews a citing complaint against him for a dangerous tackle during the EPCR Challenge Cup final.
Underhill played a pivotal role in Bath’s 37-12 victory over French Top 14 side Lyon at the Principality Stadium on Friday night. However, his upright, head-on-head tackle on Lyon full-back Davit Niniashvili in the 26th minute drew controversy. Referee Hollie Davidson issued Underhill a yellow card, sparing him from a red, much to the relief of Bath fans.
This caution comes against a backdrop of Bath’s previous setback last season, where a red card for loosehead prop Beno Obano derailed their Premiership title hopes. Now, Bath has secured a home play-off match in the upcoming Gallagher Premiership play-offs—potentially facing West Country rivals Bristol Bears on June 6—but Underhill’s future participation is uncertain due to the citing complaint lodged by commissioner Philippe Lenne from Belgium.
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Rugby analyst Andy Goode, reviewing the tackle during the broadcast, questioned the decision to only issue a yellow card, stating: “I think he has a clear line of sight there. I don’t think there is any mitigation for downgrading the card from red to yellow. You are very, very lucky.”
The disciplinary hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, will be conducted by a panel chaired by Pamela Woodman (Scotland), alongside Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) and Donal Courtney (Ireland). Should the panel uphold the complaint, Underhill could face a suspension of at least three matches. Given the seriousness of the offense—likely classified as midrange—he could face a ban lasting up to six weeks. Typically, such bans can be reduced due to a good disciplinary record or attendance at World Rugby’s ‘tackle school.’ However, Underhill’s chances of leniency may be limited as he was already red-carded earlier this season by the same referee, Hollie Davidson, during the Challenge Cup last 16 knockout stage.
Aside from the tackle controversy, Underhill delivered an outstanding performance in the final, recording five dominant collisions—the highest of any player—along with a match-high 20 post-contact meters and securing a turnover.
Bath and their fans now await the panel’s decision, which could significantly impact their aspirations in this year’s Premiership play-offs.