mens
Gallagher-Prime Minister
Bristol Bears boss Pat Lam has confirmed new boy Ethan Staddon will miss most of the season after becoming the latest of his stars to pick up a knee injury ahead of their Gallagher PREM campaign against Sale Sharks.
Flanker Staddon was set to be the Bears’ big-name summer signing who was lured away from West Country rivals Bath when his contract at Rec expired at the end of joining.
But he joined fullback Noah Heward on the operating table to repair an ACL injury before even making his Bears debut, although Lam said in his weekly media call that he believed he would recover.
“Ethan Staddon hurt his knee. I think he came in a little bit sore and he had surgery. So it’s his ACL and maybe his MCL.”
“It’s very sad for him because he trained really well and worked really hard to be in that starting group. He showed everything we brought him here for. He came for opportunity and development, and he flew. That’s everything we brought him here for.”
“So it’s a real shame for him, but hey, that’s life, that’s sport. I just spoke to him. He’s determined to come back, be stronger and better when he comes back,” Lam said.
Lam also confirmed that his star Fiji full-back, Kalaveti Ravouvou, will be sidelined for around 12 weeks, much longer than expected, after injuring his knee in Fiji. Pacific Nations Cup semi-final win over Canada earlier this month.
“Kalaveti was absent, absent for about 15 weeks Fiji in Nations Championship and World 15 then PNC, and he had a PNC semi-final, and he did a knee. He will probably be out for 12 weeks, so he will be back probably after November,” added Lam.
