Pat Lam provides injury update on Bristol Bears’ last standing fly-half Harry Byrne
Bristol Bears look set to be able to call upon the services of Irish international fly-half Harry Byrne this weekend with a doubleheader of games coming up.
Byrne limped off the field in the 71st minute of Bristol’s 55-35 victory over Newcastle Falcons on Sunday, sparking fears over this fitness with the Bears already without the injured AJ MacGinty [knee], Sam Worsley [finger] Max Malins [Achillies] and James Williams [hand], leaving them incredibly short of options in the number 10 jersey with Super Rugby touring side the Queensland Reds coming to Ashton Gate on Friday night and then Ampthill in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Saturday.
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But Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam has provided a positive update on the loan Leinsterman. Lam said: “He is good, thankfully he went down with cramp, so we said get him off now. Obviously, we have lost our four tens and he is the last one standing. We are looking to bring someone in this week in that area.
“We have got three Premiership Rugby Cup games coming up which are really important, otherwise we are going to have four or five weeks [during the knockout stages of that competition] without any rugby before the Premiership returns, so we are going to go all guns blazing for that.”
Having made just three appearances off the replacements bench for Leinster before arriving at Ashton Gate on a three month loan, Byrne has suffered with cramp on a couple of occasions since joining the free-running Bears. Lam has previously spoken about how new signings often require additional conditioning work in pre-season to get them physically ready to play Bristol’s high-octane style of rugby, time and training Byrne has been afforded due to the circumstances of his midseason arrival.
Bristol face Ampthill, Bedford Blues and Bath Rugby in the remaining pool stage games of the Premiership Rugby Cup. The league resumes on March 22 when the Bears host Exeter Chiefs.
