Luatua’s return to fitness boosts Bears for Tigers clash
FINDING a winning formula in sport is the Holy Grail for all coaches - it turns out at Bristol Bears the answer is Steven Luatua.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam confirmed his captain is available for selection this weekend heading to Mattioli Woods Welford Road to take on Leicester Tigers, with the Bears having not lost a game Luatua has featured in during the 2020/21 campaign.
The Bears have lost six games in all competitions this season, home and away to Sale Sharks, 20-12 to Exeter Chiefs at Ashton Gate, in the first game of the season away at Wasps, and to Clermont and Bordeaux-Begles in the European Heineken Champions Cup - and former All Black Luatua didn’t feature in any of them.
However, the great news is the flanker has overcome the knock he suffered against Gloucester and is in contention to play this weekend.
Lam said: “Steven Luatua is massive for us and as we said last week we need to give him some time because we can’t afford to have him out (in the knockout games).
“There is still a bit of time and we will make a final call on him this week.
“We have lost four times in the Premiership this season and the Bordeaux game and Steven wasn’t involved in any of them which highlights his importance to us.”
Lam continued: “I had Steve as an 18-year-old when he was in the academy at Auckland Blues and to see where he was then to now, he has grown massively.
“He has been on this journey with me since I arrived (in Bristol in 2017) and we were in the championship and he has absolutely 100 percent invested fully into Bristol, our journey and the vision, and once he did that as a person it improved him as a leader.
“First and foremost what Steven does as a player is class, he constantly wins the breakdown battle, the technical stuff he does and the dark arts are unbelievable, and he is very comfortable in the wide channels.
“So as a rugby player he is always putting the effort in and as a leader he is naturally a calm guy. He is the one to calm us and keep everyone on the field focused.
“We have got some other good leaders but Stevie is a big part of it.”
Lam also confirmed he has winger Henry Purdy and scrumhalf Harry Randall back available for selection this week, with both men traveling as reserves and warming up with the side last Friday away at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Discussing Randall, who has not played a Premiership game since being named man of the match in the 20-7 victory over Exeter back in January, Lam said: “Harry has done a tremendous job. It has been a tough time for Harry. This whole time playing for me he hasn’t missed any games and then he got hurt with England [ankle].
“He was flying in January and he was well rewarded with his international selection but got injured, came back in the Bordeaux game and was only on for 10 minutes but got another injury [shoulder].
“It has been back to back so he has had a long period off so now he is running around like a child in the candy store.
“A lot of credit needs to go to Andy Uren, he has taken on a huge load and done a great job so it is good to have them both up for selection going into a crucial part of a season.”
Lam confirmed he is currently unsure on whether Australian international Luke Morahan will be able to feature this weekend having failed a head injury assessment on Friday night but he will know by today whether he can feature with the return to play protocols taking six days to complete.
Lam said while Bristol’s 22-12 defeat to Sale was played at a ‘brutal’ Test match intensity, his players have recovered well.