Bristol Bears set to turn to the transfer market in key position after another injury setback
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam is set to use some of the room he left in the club’s salary cap after going with a slimmed-down squad this season to try and bring in a tighthead prop as soon as possible following an injury to Lovejoy Chawatama.
The 32-year-old frontrower pulled his calf during the warm-up of the Bears’ 35-7 defeat to La Rochelle away at the Stade Marcel Deflandre in the second pool stage game of the Investec Champions Cup to promote Max Lahiff from the replacements and thrust 20-year-old academy prop Jimmy Halliwell onto the bench having made the trip to France as a traveling reserve.
Bristol director of rugby Lam told BristolLive: “Lovejoy pulled his calf in the warm-up of the game. We are unfortunate with Lovejoy, he looks set to be out for three months I would say.
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“Young Jimmy Halliwell stepped up but we are certainly in the market and we are going to have to look for an option there. Max Lahiff has picked up a few niggles and George Kloska has had a few niggles as well
“Gethin [Watts, head of recruitment] and our recruitment team are certainly on it.”
Lam's lack of options at tighthead was exposed again on Saturday as Lahiff was forced to pull out of the 54-24 win over Leicester Tigers with a toe injury, which saw Halliwell promoted again to earn his Premiership debut as a replacement after a long shift from Kloska who had one of his best games for the club.
Bristol have another challenging weekend to test their squad depth on the horizon with the club hosting the Queensland Reds on January 31 before playing Ampthill the following day in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
The Bears have already had to bring in three midseason recruits to bolster their squad so far this campaign with scrum-half Oscar Lennon and winger Toby Fricker coming in on short-term deals before they return to the USA to play in the MLR in the New Year, and lock Jamie Hodgson joined from Scottish United Rugby Championship side Edinburgh on a loan deal, making his Champions Cup and Premiership debut for Bristol over the last two weekends.
