Bristol Bears lost key second row Joe Joyce to an hyperextended elbow in the final moments of the warm-up at Welford Road on Saturday.
Joyce will not be assessed by the medical team back at Bristol’s High Performance Centre but is in a race against time to be fit to face Clermont Auvergne on Friday night in the club’s increasingly important last 16 knock-out round game in the European Challenge Cup.
The Bears’ 46-24 defeat to Leicester Tigers in the league this weekend means Pat Lam’s side are now outsiders to make the Premiership playoffs, increasing the importance of the European clash.
Joyce’s injury just five minutes before kick off forced a late reshuffle for the Bears with backrower Magnus Bradbury moving from number eight to lock.
But the Bears find themselves short of experience Premiership performers in the second row going into the business end of the season with Lam confirming Ed Holmes will not play again this season.
Bristol signed Elliott Stooke in November after he was made redundant by Wasps when they went into administration, to provide lock cover but then released him in December after he was offered a better contract by Montpellier. An administrative error in that process cost the Bears a five-point deduction in the Challenge Cup and now his absence is also being felt on the pitch.
Discussing the injury to Joyce, director of rugby Pat Lam said: "He hyperextended his elbow in the final drill of the warm-up. It was a tough one because we are struggling for locks. Ed Holmes has been ruled out for the season and Joe Batley is down - hopefully he is not too far off - obviously Sam Jeffries is injured so we only went in with two locks. To lose Joycey wasn’t ideal. Magnus slipped in there and DT came off the bench.
"I thought the boys managed it well and I loved the way they problem-solved taking responsibility for different areas.
Batley is out with a knee injury, Jefferies has a shoulder issue and Holmes is sidelined with an ankle ailment.
Looking ahead to Clermont, Lam said: "We are looking forward to the game, we have just got to dust ourselves off. It is a six day turnaround, we have a few niggles and a few injuries and we will have to manage our training and have a lighter week to be full on against Clermont because they are going to be fully loaded."
