Western Daily Press (Saturday)
BOSS LAM SELECTS THE BIG GUNS FOR QUINS TIE
PAT Lam has named arguably his strongest Bristol Bears side of the season to tackle visiting Harlequins in this afternoon’s first Gallagher Premiership semi-final.
Former All Black Charles Piutau is back in the starting XV at full-back having been rested, while hooker Harry Thacker is given his first start of the campaign after surgery on his neck last summer.
Thacker was due for a start last weekend in round 22 of the top flight before the game was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak at London Irish.
So far this season, Thacker has made just one first-team appearance, from the bench against Sale Sharks.
Andy Uren gets the nod over Harry Randall at scrum-half, with the latter named on the bench having only just retuned from a shoulder injury.
Harlequins name a side with just one change from that which beat Newcastle 54-26 last weekend with captain Stephen Lewies returning in the second row.
Harlequins have not been in the play-offs for seven years and have won just once on four appearances in the semi-final, on their way to lifting the trophy in 2012.
Bristol have never reached the Premiership final, having been knocked out in the semi-finals twice, in 2007 against Leicester Tigers and last season against Wasps.
Lam said: “I’m excited. There has certainly been another lift as we get to the end. You’ve got to remember that a year ago we started stage one of training with small groups, sevenhour days, guys coming in in groups of six. It’s 52 weeks ago.
“It’s been a long year and some serious commitment by a lot of people to get to this stage and we have got 94 per cent availability on the basis of some quality work from our head of medical Rory Murray and his team and our head of S&C Kev Geary and his team. It’s been a massive effort.
“We have used 44 players in the 21
Premiership games (this season) and some of the so-called rock stars have played less.
“So when I look at who has played the most, it’s a pretty satisfying list. Andy Uren, Jake Woolmore, Piers O’Connor, Will Capon, Yann Thomas, Dan Thomas, It has been a massive effort and we are looking forward to it. Huge credit to Rory and Kev and to the players.
“They (Quins) have scored secondmost tries in the league, we are third, there is a good chance it will be open.”
Bristol Bears: C Piutau; L Morahan, S Radradra,
S Piutau (co-capt), M Malins; C Sheedy, A Uren; Y Thomas, H Thacker, K Sinckler, D Attwood, C Vui, S Luatua (co-capt), D Thomas, N Hughes. Replacements: W Capon, J Woolmore, J Afoa, J Joyce, B Earl, H Randall, I Lloyd, P O’Conor.