'It’s very sad for him': New Bristol Bears signing to miss most of the season

Bristol Bears boss Pat Lam has confirmed that new boy Ethan Staddon will miss most of the season after becoming the latest of his stars to suffer a knee injury ahead of their Gallagher PREM campaign against Sale Sharks.

Flanker Staddon was supposed to be the Bears big-name summer signing of being lured away from West Country rivals Bath when his contract at the Rec ended at the end of join.

But he has joined full-back Noah Heward on the operating table to repair an ACL injury before he even made his competitive debut for the Bears, though Lam said on his weekly media call that he believes he will bounce back.

“Ethan Staddon has injured his knee. I think he arrived with a little bit of a niggle, and he’s had some surgery as well. So it’s his ACL and maybe MCL as well.

“It’s very sad for him because he was training really well and really pushing to be in that starting group. He was showing everything that was the reason we brought him over here. He came for an opportunity and development, and he was flying.

“So, it is a real shame for him, but hey, that’s life, that’s sport. I was just talking with him. He’s determined to bounce back, be stronger and better when he gets back,” said Lam.

Lam also confirmed that his star Fijian back, Kalaveti Ravouvou, will be on the sidelines for around 12 weeks, much longer than expected, after he injured his knee in Fiji’s Pacific Nations Cup semi-final victory over Canada earlier this month.

“Kalaveti was away, away for about 15 weeks with Fiji in the Nations Championship and the World 15 and then PNC, and he had the semi-final of the PNC, and he did his knee. He’ll probably be out for 12 weeks, so he comes back in probably after November,” added Lam.