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Watch: Semi Radradra runs in a try despite doing his hamstring

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Semi Radrada had no hesitation in putting Bristol before his own well-being on Friday night, the Fijian international managing to run in a European Challenge Cup try despite pulling his hamstring when approaching the 22-metre line at Ashton Gate.

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The Bears were trailing 13-17 in the 38th minute of the round-of-16 match at home to Clermont when James Williams embarked on a mazy run from inside his own half that bamboozled the visiting French cover.

On drawing the final defender, he popped an inside pass to the supporting Radrada and that put the Fijian in the clear. However, within a couple of strides of taking the ball, Radradra was seen wincing and slowing, but he carried on through the pain barrier to make it over the line despite getting tackled to score the try by the posts that was converted for a short-lived 20-17 advantage.

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Radradra was immediately replaced by Ioan Lloyd and there will now be fears that this latest injury could mean that the powerhouse midfielder has made his last appearance for Bristol. Beaten last weekend at Leicester, the Bears are unlikely to reach the Gallagher Premiership playoffs which means they have just three regular-season games remaining before Radradra’s end-of-season switch to Lyon in the Top 14.

Sale are due in Bristol on April 14, followed by an April 22 trip to Exeter and a May 6 home finale versus Gloucester. Director of rugby Pat Lam suggested to local media in the aftermath of the Clermont defeat that it was too soon for a proper assessment of the damage sustained by Radradra.

“It’s a hamstring. Fair play to him, he did it about 30 metres out and he could have stopped but he still worked his way to the try line to get the points. It’s a big loss losing Semi. He has been in very good form but we will hopefully see him before the end of the season.”

Despite some time-consuming injuries along the way, including a serious knee operation that left him waiting until December to get this season started, the 30-year-old has worn the Bristol shirt on 52 occasions, scoring a tally of 16 tries that Lam explained last month to RugbyPass would have been more but for his generosity when it came to finishing off guaranteed scores.

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“The big thing for Semi is his legacy is already locked in stone here in what he has done in the environment, the person he is, the standards that he set, the unselfish stuff he does,” said Lam at the time. “Some of the biggest things? You just have to look at how many tries he has gifted to other players, just handed a player the ball.

“That sums up who he is. He is very selfless and he spends a lot of time with players, young players. He is always thinking about how he makes people around him better, whether that is on or off the field. That is his legacy and that is something we have been privileged to experience. It is always going to be a privilege that Semi Radradra is always going to be a Bristol Bear.

“He has had a big impact here and the resilience and the toughness of the guy – the medics will tell you during the injuries that he had, a lot of players would not have made it because but because of who he is and his professionalism, that is why he has made it back.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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