Rugby Lam full of praise for young trio ahead of Worcester test
BRISTOL Bears’ young trio of John Hawkins, Fitz Harding and Jack Bates have drawn praise from Pat Lam for helping give his side momentum heading into the autumn.
No 8 Harding, 22, lock Hawkins, 24, and centre Bates, 20, all stood out in the 45-33 victory over London Irish on Saturday in just their second win of the season and first bonus point performance.
Harding was named man of the match at the Brentford Community Stadium, Bates scored his first Premiership try playing at outside centre with Semi Radradra injured, and Hawkins impressed from the bench after replacing Joe Joyce in the 21st minute following a clash of heads.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s home Gallagher Premiership game against Worcester Warriors, Lam said he was pleased how the trio stepped up when called upon with the Bears hit by injuries, but made it clear they had earned their spots in the matchday 23.
He said: “It is more about performance. It is having players available who are performing. When they are performing it gives me selection headaches, it is not about names it is about who gets the job done.”
Discussing the performance of the trio, Lam said: “He is getting better and better is young Jack. This is all part of his development. There is no way he is the finished article but he is getting opportunities but it is about him continuing to learn, like all the other guys.
“Fitz Harding, three games down the road, is playing to a really high standard.
“John Hawkins came on and that is his first involvement of the season. I just had a quiet word to him and said ‘Mate well done. It is not a coincidence, it doesn’t just happen that you play well.’ He has worked phenomenally hard on his game.
“He has done a lot of work on his contact skills with Omar Mouneimne, with Jordan Crane and Conor McPhillips, with John Muldoon on the line-out and it has all come together for him.
“It is not rocket science, you put the work in and you get the rewards.”
England Under-20s international Bates and forward Hawkins look set for a run of games in the next month with the Premiership taking a two-week break for the Premiership Rugby Cup with games against Exeter Chiefs and Warriors scheduled, following tomorrow’s game against Worcester.
Bristol are expected to have their ‘coach on the field’ Callum Sheedy back to face Worcester at Ashton Gate tomorrow. Sheedy has been away training with Wales this week but is one of four fly-halves inbn the squad and has not been selected for tomorrow’s team to play South Africa at the Principality Stadium. Dan Biggar will start at No 10, with Gareth Anscombe the back-up option on the bench.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Bristol Bears academy second-row Charlie Rice has been tipped as a player to watch by director of rugby Lam.
The teenage lock has been rewarded for his training, academy and second-team performances by being selected by Lam to train against the England senior team at Pennyhill Park this week as Eddie
Jones’ side prepares to face Tonga at Twickenham in their opening game of the Autumn Nation Series.
Jones and his coaches rang around the Premiership clubs this week to ask for some additional players to run in opposition and Lam put forward the SGS Filton student who also impressed at the weekend in the Bears A-team’s 43-12 defeat to Gloucester.
Speaking about the former Gordano Sharks and England U18 international on Wednesday, Lam said: “Young Charlie Rice did extremely well in our A-team hit out against Gloucester. The young second-rower is a local boy and England were looking for someone from our academy to and train with them this week in the build-up to Tonga so he is going to train with them on Thursday. He was buzzing and boys gave him a big congratulations. He is all excited, a little nervous, so he is going to join the camp to go and help prepare England.”