Semi Leads Bears Attack In Paris
Pat Lam will bank on the attacking force of Flying Fijians captain Semi Radradra in the European Rugby Challenge Cup this weekend in Paris.
The Bristol Bears Director of Rugby made the comment after the team made a stunning comeback after trailing by 12 points with six minutes left to play to beat Harlequins 35-33 to extend the lead by 12 points in the Gallagher Premiership Rugby standing.
Radradra came through his return from a knee injury unscaved and in fact ended up playing twice as long as initially planned.
Centre Radradra, who created a try for Piers O’Conor with a stunning offload, had been out for two months to repair a tear in a tendon in his knee, but looked bright on his return if slightly rusty.
Playing Radradra in the final game of the Gallagher Premiership
ahead of potentially back-toback games in the Heineken Championship Cup was designed in part to get him up to full speed to face his former club Bordeaux Begles at Stade Chaban -Delmans. Discussing Radradra, who undoubtedly is the central focus of the Bears’ attacking strategy in the backline, Lam said told Bears Rugby: “He was only going to play 40 minutes but the second half was so slow, it was stop start. The medical team was checking with him and he said I want to stay on.
“We were just about to make the change and bring on Alapati Leiua for him and then Niyi Adeolokun started getting cramp.
“Semi ended up playing 80 and there are a few things, particularly around the breakdown, he needs to tidy up, but he showed what he can create.”
The Fijian centre made a much awaited return from injury and nonchalantly was brilliant, throwing one handed passes and offloads throughout.
His highlight moment came in the first half as he came in as first receiver off a scrum and managed to draw in three Harlequins defenders before getting one of his five offloads in the game, away to O’Conor to race over.
Other Results: Leicester Tigers 26-12 Newcastle Falcons, London Irish 36-33 Bath, Worcester 14-62 Northampton, Wasps 19-20 Sale.