Pat Lam issues brutal Bristol Bears injury toll update following win

Bristol boss Pat Lam believes that Louis Rees-Zammit will “get better and better” after he made a try-scoring return to the Gallagher Prem.

The Wales wing featured for his first Prem appearance since December 2023 after leaving rugby union to pursue an American Football career.

Training squad stints followed with Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, but he he did not make a regular season appearance and was snapped up by Bristol as their star summer arrival.

And he signed off a strong all-round performance with Bristol’s fifth and final try as they beat Leicester 42-24 in front of a 20,000 crowd at Ashton Gate.

“That was his first 80 minutes since he has come back,” Bristol rugby director Lam said.

“Every day he is getting better and better, and what I liked about his game today was that he was physically good in the contact as well. He did not get it easy, and that will give him a lot of confidence.

“When he first came, I wasn’t sure how quick his transition would be in terms of a new team and the way we play, and his transition back into rugby fitness. I am really proud of him.

“His detail and desire to get better and keep pushing himself. he will just get better and better now.”

It was not all good news for Bristol, though, as backs AJ MacGinty, scrum-half Harry Randall and wing Gabriel Ibitoye all suffered injuries that forced them off.

Lam added: “AJ looks like he has done his Achilles. That looks the most serious. Harry Randall and Gabriel Ibitoye are hamstring injuries.

“The one thing about AJ is he is so professional, and in the past he has come back quicker. You never know.”

Rees-Zammit, Ibitoye, flanker Fitz Harding, hooker Gabriel Oghre and replacement Josh Carrington scored Bristol’s tries in a bonus-point success, while Tom Jordan added four conversions and two penalties, with MacGinty also landing a penalty.

Wing Adam Radwan touched down twice for Leicester in Geoff Parling’s first Prem game as head coach, with half-backs Jack van Poortvliet and Orlando Bailey also scoring and Bailey booting two conversions, but Tigers had to be content with a losing bonus-point.

Parling, meanwhile, refused to use Leicester arriving 45 minutes later at the ground than planned as any kind of factor behind their defeat.

“The bus driver took two wrong turns,” Parling said. “We had to walk from the other side of the ground through the fans.

“We started pretty well in the game. There are no excuses.

“There was some good effort and endeavour. I saw a group that worked hard for each other. We are still getting to know each other a little bit.

” I can’t fault the general effort. I saw elements of our game coming through that we have been working hard on over the last five weeks, and we weren’t afraid to play.”