Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder believes star flanker Sam Underhill will go on to become one of the world's greatest players like All Black great Richie McCaw.
Blackadder signed Underhill on a three-year deal from Ospreys in January.
Underhill is already beginning to fulfil the immense promise that has seen him gain international honours for England at just 21 years of age.
And his mentor believes that he is in the mould of former Crusaders team-mate and All Black great McCaw, who also wore the number seven shirt.
“Richie’s core skill was mental toughness. I’ve not seen anyone that had the cardio capacity that he had. He would just go all day,” Blackadder told the Express.
“You see a lot of those traits in Sam. He doesn’t stop, he just fires into everything. He is physical, he is hard, he gets up and he does it again. His repeated efforts are right up there.
“For Sam, if he plays consistently the way he played that first game then there is no reason why he can’t be of that ilk, no reason at all.
"It was not a great night for Bath but it was certainly a great night for him. He was our star performer.
“A lot of sevens over here are big sixes whereas he is an out-and-out open-side which could be his point of difference. I can certainly see what Eddie Jones sees in him.”
Meanwhile, Underhill has spoken passionately in the past about his deep appreciation for the defensive side of the game.
“Some guys are really quick. I was never one of those guys. Some guys are naturally really good with the ball," he said.
"I probably wasn’t one of those guys either. But I suppose I’ve got a bit of a penchant for tackling,” said Underhill. “I like tackling – it is simple as that.”
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