Bears Send Out Their Big Boys For Exiles Clash

BRISTOL roll out big guns Nathan Hughes, John Afoa and brothers Charles and Siale Piutau against an Irish side that features star Australian signing Adam Coleman on the bench.

- Neale Harvey

With Pat Lam’s Bears flying high after four successive victories, it is a match they are expected to win, but skipper Steven Luatua is wary of complacency against the improving Exiles.

“We’re sitting in a very good place but any one of our first few games could easily have gone the other way so we’ll need to be on top of our game,” Luatua told The Rugby Paper.

“Irish are playing some great rugby and for a team that’s come up from the Championship and gelled so well, we thought we did a good job last year but they’ve done a better one.

“They’ve got a dominant forward pack and some good boys outside. Their results so far speak volumes about their threat.”

Three further changes see Toby Fricker handed a first league start on the left wing, while Andy Uren replaces Harry Randall at No.9 and Chris Vui replaces Dave Attwood at lock.