Bristol Bears fans curious to see how Championship loanee Richard Lane adapts to the Premiership may have to wait another week, with the latest new arrival at Abbots Leigh primed to feature in Friday night’s A-team fixture against the Royal Navy.
Lane joined the Bears this week on an initial one-month agreement from Bedford Blues to help provide cover and depth at full-back following the injuries to Charles Piutau and Luke Morahan, with Henry Purdy and Ioan Lloyd deputising in the position.
Lane is a well-established player in the second tier, having spent the last five seasons with Bedford and is known for his ability under the high ball and expansive running style, but may need a little more time before he’s thrust into Premiership action.
With Pat Lam set to name his team for Saturday’s south west derby against Bath on Friday lunchtime, the Bears director of rugby admits the clash with the Navy at Dings Crusaders’ Shaftesbury Park ground (kick-off: 19:15) provides a good opportunity for the 28-year-old.
That all being said, such is the extent of the injury crisis at the club - with the Bears seemingly cursed at tighthead, scrum-half and full-back - what may be true now, may not be by tomorrow morning.
“He actually fits in quite perfectly,” Lam said. “I was speaking to John Barnes (Hartpury director of rugby) and he was saying that whenever they play Bedford the main thing was how do we stop Richard Lane? He’s been the form full-back in the Championship for many years.
“Just talking to him, he’s a lot more experienced - he’s 28 - he’s got his own business, he’s married, which gives him a different perspective, so he’s buzzing; coming to the environment, he’s done well so far.
“We’ve got a game on Friday against the Royal Navy, so it’s not on Saturday (against Bath), he’ll definitely feature on Friday.
“Obviously what he does here is completely new to what he’s done at Bedford, so it’s about meeting the guys, learning our ways and be available for selection. If it’s not this week then certainly next against Quins.
“As I say to the guys, ‘everyone is available’. Because what I name at the start of the week, that can change right up to kick-off. I would say the last 7-8 games, the team at the start of the week wasn’t the team that ended up playing; niggles, injuries in training, internationals, recalls - all these things come in. So we’ll see how the week goes but the main thing is he’s here, he’s fit and available and he’s an option.”
Not only has Lam had to contend with all the selection conundrums and decisions that the continual injury issues have thrown up, fitting square pegs into round holes on occasions, which then has an impact on other areas of the field, affecting tactical planning, but the 53-year-old has also been busy with recruitment, something that ideally wouldn’t be the case at this stage of the season.
Lane was joined by scrum-half Oscar Lennon from Hartpury this week, prop Jake Armstrong was recalled from Edinburgh and before that, No9s Max Green and Toby Venner were signed on short-term deals, with the latter out for the season following an ACL injury.
Given the stage of the season - with a number of teams competing for titles and suffering their own injury issues - coupled with the logistical issues of trying to get players to move in February makes it all the more complicated.
There’s also the situation the Bears are dealing with, knowing certain individuals such as Harry Randall and Kyle Sinckler will be back within a few weeks, but having to find short-term deals to fill their positions.
That therefore all-but rules out the overseas market, due to the complexities over player registration and getting people into the country, settled and up to speed.
There’s also the salary cap juggling that has been taking place, with CEO Mark Tainton contacting the Premiership to successfully secure, as Lam calls it, “a dispensation on a dispensation” as both Tom Whiteley and then new signing Toby Venner were ruled out for the season.
“It’s all very well a player being available, whether that be in Australia or South Africa or Argentina, but ultimately the challenge is how quickly we can get them in,” Lam added.
“All the best high-profile (players) aren’t available because they’re all playing and within contract, so you’re talking about other team’s guys who are fourth or fifth-string. Overseas is always difficult because of getting them into the country, do they have the criteria and meet the visa requirements?
“There were some players that I knew but we couldn’t get them into the UK due to the short amount of time.
“Players are coming back so we’re looking short-term to fill a gap. If you’re talking overseas players, realistically, by the time you’ve done all the paperwork and it comes back, it could be two weeks before they even arrive in the country.
“When you’re looking around the Premiership, every club needs at least three (players per position), so you’re looking at fourth and fifth. So then you go down to the Championship but obviously the teams competing there, they don’t want to let one or two go. That’s why relationships are important.”
