Sam Underhill 'excited' by 'freak athlete' Chandler Cunningham-South, says England 'building to something bigger'

Sam Underhill says Chandler Cunningham-South is a "freak athlete", as he evaluated the young flanker's impact since breaking into the England senior side during the Six Nations.

The 20-year-old has featured in all three Six Nations matches so far for Steve Borthwick’s side, and Underhill has been taken aback by the youngster’s sheer physical prowess.

England take on Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday as they bid to recover from their loss to Scotland on Matchday 2.

“He [Cunningham-South] is a freak athlete,” Underhill told TNT Sports.

“He's phenomenal. I don't think I've seen someone with as much raw power.

“I couldn't believe it [his age] with the way he moves and the way he learns. He's young, so he would be relatively new to like the set-piece element.

“He is sort of moulding himself into [a number six role]. But, yeah, he's a freak athlete. And he’s powerful, can move well, jump and he can run.

“We excited to see what he can do.”

Borthwick’s men head into Saturday’s clash against Andy Farrell's Ireland still reeling from their 30-21 defeat to the Scots on February 24.

It was England's fourth consecutive defeat against their northerly rivals as they were beaten at Murrayfield, with Duhan van der Merwe the star of the show after becoming the first Scotland player to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick.

Despite that sobering result, Underhill thinks England are heading into the right direction under Borthwick.

“This is the first full campaign I've done with Steve,” he added.

“It's a very forward-thinking group, and I think we're building to something bigger than obviously the performances we've produced.

“There’s that feeling that we're doing something in right in my in my head, and the way it feels when we’re playing.

“You're never as good as you think you are and you're never as bad as people think you are. So, I see a lot of potential and the good stuff we're doing.

“Maybe people outside don't quite see that unless you're in the environment. But from what we're trying to do, I think we're not a million miles off.”

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