Lam impressed with the ambition and attitude of new signing Frisch
PAT Lam says centre Antoine Frisch’s “ambition and attitude” in his job interview helped convince the Bristol Bears director of rugby to sign the Frenchman.
Yesterday, Bristol confirmed the signing of Frisch from Rouen in the French Pro D2, with the Englandqualified 24-year-old due to arrive in the West Country ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Discussing the signing, Lam said: “We’re excited to bring Antoine to Bristol to give him an opportunity to achieve his dreams.
“While we were impressed by his performances for Rouen, it was clear after Conor (McPhillips, Bristol assistant coach) and I met and interviewed him that he was worth a chance, as his ambition and attitude are aligned with the goals of our Bears Rugby programme.
“Although Antoine was born in France, his mother is from Devon where he spent a lot of time with family on holidays.
“He has a real desire to play and perform in the Premiership and at the Bears he has seen that, despite the strong competition in positions, if you put the hard work in and perform on and off the field, you will get the opportunity to impress.”
“Antoine played 24 times in the Pro D2 last season and was a standout performer for Rouen. It’s a tough, uncompromising competition, so we believe he has the tenacity and durability to cope with the demands of the Premiership.”
Having played under former Bristol head coach Richard Hill at Rouen, Frisch also spent a year at Loughborough University in 2015.
Frisch said: “To come to a club like Bristol with a world-class reputation is a huge challenge for me and I’m grateful for the opportunity. After meeting with Pat and Conor and hearing about the Bears vision and programme, I knew this is where I needed to be to grow as a player and a person. I’m excited to develop and learn alongside some of the best players in the world - I can’t wait to get started.”