Jones: Underhill will be called up within six months

4:12 PM GMT

Eddie Jones says Ospreys flanker Sam Underhill will be called up by England in the next six months.

Underhill has shone at the Ospreys this season in their back-row and is on England's radar but plays in the Guinness PRO12. This means he is exempt from selection for the national side unless the Rugby Football Union invokes the exceptional circumstance clause which permits Jones to pick those based outside of the Aviva Premiership.

He was omitted from the 26-man squad which will train in Brighton next week but Jones has been impressed by Underhill. And in an interview with Sky Sports News Jones revealed the RFU is working on a solution that will see him become available for England.

"He's been playing very well for the Ospreys," Jones said of Underhill. "We've still got the situation that he's playing outside of England and we have to sort that situation.

"I think we're coming to a resolution and there's no doubt he'll be selected in the England squad in the next six months."

While Underhill was omitted from the training camp for Brighton, Jones said the three-day programme will give him the opportunity to fine-tune his squad for the three-Test tour against Australia.

"They've all got a great opportunity; the competition for places will be intense," Jones said. "We have players from the top four teams playing so they will come back into it. We have 40 players competing for 30 spots."

Regarding the prospects of some of those in the Brighton training camp, Jones described Bath's Charlie Ewels as a "good young lock" and said Harlequins prop Kyle Sinckler has "great athletic ability".

Also featuring within the squad are New Zealand-born Northampton Saints back-row Teimana Harrison and Sale fly-half Danny Cipriani. Jones said Harrison has "come out of the woodwork at Northampton" and has been pleased by his post-Christmas form while Cipriani has a chance to impress and move himself up the pecking order.

"Danny as a youngster was one of the most talented players in the world," Jones said. "He's come back from a number of serious injuries and he has a chance now to push his case forward. He's got Owen [Farrell] and George [Ford] ahead of him but he has talent and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do."

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Jones: Underhill will be called up within six months