Lam’s Bears boosted by the return of Radradra
BRISTOL Bears’ superstar Semi Radradra is back in the country and has reported for duty to the Gallagher Premiership club’s Failand High Performance Centre.
Centre Radradra’s return to the UK from Fiji was delayed due to Covid complications on the Pacific Island but Bears director of rugby Pat Lam confirmed he is now back in the mix.
Speaking in his midweek press conference ahead of the trip to Wasps on Saturday in Round Two of the Gallagher Premiership, Lam said: “Semi arrived back in the country on Sunday with his family which is great At the moment we are just going through the process of checking him over and seeing where he is at following his time with Fiji and after the Olympics.”
Radradra returns to club duty later than most following his exploits in Japan this summer where he helped Fiji to win their second-ever gold medal at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in rugby’s shortened version of the game, sevens.
Following the success in Tokyo, Radradra returned to Fiji to see his family having not been back home since linking up with Bristol in the summer of 2020 straight from French Top 14 side Bordeaux Begles.
While it would be a shock to see Radradra’s name on the teamsheet this weekend to face Wasps at the newly named Coventry Building Society Arena, the 29-year-old is renowned for keeping himself in incredible condition all year round.
Radradra first seriously caught Lam’s eye during his time coaching the Barbarians to a 51-43 victory over England in 2019 and the Bears boss praised the approach to the game the Fijian 15-a-side captain took, not drinking with the majority of the players and doing extra training sessions in the build-up while the majority of the invitational side partied.
When Lam signed Radradra, he divulged: “I knew Semi in rugby league and I thought ‘wow what a player’. With the Barbarians, I got to meet him, and build a relationship. He stood out because while everyone was playing touch in training, or cricket after the session, he was doing his rehab and stretches and extra sprints and cool-downs. He is phenomenal because of the work he puts into his skills and into his body.”
Meanwhile, Lam has predicted a Gallagher Premiership season “with a lot of upsets” when it comes to results. There was no more surprising a sight after the opening round of action than to see Bristol propping up the league table. It followed a 26-9 home defeat against Saracens, and while that was far from a shock result, it served notice of just how competitive the 13-team Premiership promises to be in the next seven months. Saracens announced their top-flight return in emphatic fashion, scoring 17 unanswered second-half points at Ashton Gate.
Less than 24 hours later, revitalised Leicester comfortably saw off 2020 champions Exeter, while new-look Worcester eased past London Irish in bonus-point fashion.
“Without a doubt, it is one of the toughest competitions,” Lam said.
“We had a proper pre-season this year, and with Saracens coming back in, it is probably, I would say, one of the toughest ever, which is great. This is a season that there will be a lot of upsets, I would say.”
Bristol, Premiership semi-finalists in each of the last two seasons, head to Wasps on Saturday. Wasps sat out the opening weekend, and they look set to be major contenders, with former England assistant coach John Mitchell now part of Lee Blackett’s support team, and new signings including South African scrum-half Francois Hougaard.
Lam added: ““We’re under no illusion how tough it is. We haven’t won there (Wasps’ Coventry base) in the Premiership.”