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Bristol deliver encouraging update on paddle-board injured Randall
Bristol are now expecting to have Harry Randall back in action for them in the not too distant future, beating the initial prognosis of a two-month layoff with a hip flexor injury sustained while with England at their Autumn Nations Series training camp. It was October 27 when the rookie Test level scrum-half sustained the injury, hurting himself during a squad paddle-board exercise in the sea off Jersey.
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He was cleared by the England medics to take part in an on-pitch training session afterwards but Randall would end up having to withdraw from the squad for the matches versus Tonga, Australia and South Africa. It was the following week when Bristol boss Pat Lam confirmed his player was likely to be sidelined until in or around the new year. “I have seen guys get injured just stepping off the bus,” said Lam at the time in reference to how Randell was hurt while paddle-boarding.
“All sorts of ways they can get injured, it happens. Of course, it’s frustrating to lose a player like that, but it’s no different when I lose them anywhere. I’m a realist and understand that players will get injured. That is why I always say to the guys when I name a team, everyone has got to prepare to play because so many times someone pulls out at the last minute and we just have to adapt and change.”
With the Autumn Nations Series now over, Lam has now given an update about his club’s international contingent which included England tighthead Kyle Sinckler and Wales’ Callum Sheedy as well as Randall. “You have a lot of confidence when they are away that they are in good hands and you want them to focus on that and then you make a decision (about their selection for Bristol) when they come back.
“The EPS [England elite player squad] players have a week off, so Kyle has a week off to go and Callum is back and then Harry is not far away. It’s all good. It [Randall’s injury] has improved. He is looking a lot better so he hopefully is not too far away.”
"It was very difficult for anyone to get past MacGinty, Aki at 12 and Henshaw at 13"
– Bristol boss Pat Lam has been telling @heagneyl ??? about his title-winning stint at Connacht working with new Bears signing AJ MacGinty#Connacht #Bristol #Sale https://t.co/NVLLe1YwfE
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 24, 2021
The injury to Randall was the second serious setback he had encountered while on England duty this year. Having been called into the squad for the Six Nations while still uncapped, he injured an ankle during training in the mid-February fallow week and it wasn’t the early April Champions Cup fixture at Bordeaux that he was available to play again for Bristol. Randell went on to make his Test debut in the summer series, starting the England matches versus the USA and Canada, and Bristol will look to have him involved at some stage in their busy block of fixtures.
“This end of November, December, January is a tough block when you look at Saints, Gloucester, Scarlets, Stade Francais before Christmas, Leicester, Exeter, Sale so it is a big run. That is why it is important why our depth is strong and our form is strong,” said Lam, who added the release of his Samoan players for next Saturday match versus the Barbarians was never a runner. “No, because everyone knows it [the game] is outside the window, so it is not a discussion because it is a world rule.”
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Having won just one of the opening six Premiership matches, Bristol signed off before the recent break with a win over Worcester which lifted them to eleventh on the table and they will now look to build on this when they host Northampton, a club they haven’t lost to since September 2018 in the league.
“The first thing we needed to get right from the very beginning was the work rate,” explained Lam about how he has gone about improving his team following their shaky start to the 2021/22 campaign. “The team was built on work rate, on outworking the opposition, making sure we that we get off the ground quickly and move.
“That was the main focus and we had lost that, certainly in the first couple of games. And then the second thing was recognising that when we do it in the team the Bears way, we are very effective so it was about getting everyone on board and certainly those games have helped.”
Switching to their current five-game winning streak over the Saints, 26-24, 20-14, 47-10, 18-17 and 28-21, the Bristol boss said: “Every year it is always a good game. The last time we lost to Northampton was my 50th birthday, we had a fancy dress party that night at Ashton Gate.
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“I remember that because we lost 44-40 and then since then the competition has always been tough. They have been good games because both teams have got a great attitude to play good rugby, but it is one you have got to be very precise on because they can cause you a lot of damage. The last one was close and it has always gone right down to the wire in the last three years.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments