Bristol ready to welcome back two lethal stalwarts

Bristol Bears fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of the return of two lethal attackers into their backline in the form of Charles Piutau and Luke Morahan, who have both been on the sidelines for several months nursing Achilles tendon injuries.

The Bears are currently in a strong position in the Premiership, having ascended to second place on the log after their 27-19 away victory against Harlequins yesterday (Saturday) while they also managed to take a win from the first two rounds of the Champions Cup recently.

Piutau, who was far and away the best attacking back in the 2019-20 tournament will be welcomed with open arms, as will the superb finishing skills of Morahan.

Piutau’s replacement, Max Malins, who has performed admirably in the former’s absence, picked up an injury against Quins which sparked a reshuffle in the backline. Piutau’s return will thus bring some stability back.

“We are in a good place. I think Charles Piutau and Luke Morahan should be ready to go next week, Chris Vui isn’t too far away so we are starting to bring guys back,” said Pat Lam.

“The boys who have been here since the start with the short turnaround from last season have done a great job but we are starting to get more and more depth and be able to give guys breaks so we are pleased where we are but that first half showed we still have a bit of work to do.”

Lam said that there were some harsh words lashed out at half-time against the Quins:

"I just opened the door that went out to the bus and said ‘There are two doors you can choose’.

“‘If you’re going to continue playing like that, not as the Bears but just play as individuals, then just step on to the bus.

“‘But if you want to go back out there, go back out there and play as the Bears’, because we were woeful for the first 40 minutes.

“The opportunities were definitely there, but we had to do it as a group, so we had to go back out there, flick the switch and change the mindset and the boys started to turn it on and play as one team.

“These guys are a good side, but that was a good lesson to us and we still won the game, with five points, at a place where I haven’t won with Bristol.

“To get five points here is a massive effort.”