Pat Lam has confirmed for the first time on record that former All Black superstar Charles Piutau will leave Bristol Bears at the end of the season.
The news has long been expected in Bear country with Lam announcing earlier in the season the club have secured the services of England full-back Max Malins, 26, from Saracens ahead of the 2023/24 season. While Malins is currently playing on the wing for England and can also play at fly-half, as demonstrated during his highly successful loan year at Bristol in 2020/21, he has made it clear he wants to wear the 15 jersey full time.
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On Friday night 31-year-old Piutau rolled back the years with a sublime almost undefendable 53-minute display during Bristol’s 62-8 demolition of Northampton Saints. Speaking after the game Lam took the opportunity to confirm his marquee man’s departure; reminding rugby fans to savour every moment he and Semi Radradra - who will join Lyon next season - grace the Premiership.
Piutau’s future destination is currently unknown, but on the evidence of Friday night’s display it might be outer space because he was playing rugby from another planet, at one point beating half the Northampton team to set up Harry Randall for one of the Bears’ nine tries on the night. Piutua's final stats from the masterclass at Ashton Gate saw the full-back finish with 93m gained from 12 carries - including two clean breaks - while beating five defenders and throwing four successful offloads.
“I mean he is class,” Lam glowed. “The day when we announced that Charles was signing and that Semi was signing, I made it very clear that this wasn’t just for the Bears, it was for the Premiership.
“It's a privilege for us that he's playing for the Bears, but it's a huge privilege that we have these two rock stars of world rugby playing in the Premiership.
“Unfortunately with the salary cap being reduced and the way that everything is, they'll move on, but it's been a privilege to have them because it elevates our team, but it also elevates the Premiership.”
Piutau joined Bristol ahead of the 2018/19 season from Ulster, having previously played for Wasps and before that Super Rugby side the Blues, earning 16 New Zealand caps will playing in the Southern hemisphere.
While his club future is unknown, Piutau’s first stop after leaving the Bears in June looks set to be the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France having switched international allegiances from New Zealand to Tonga who he appeared for in the summer in the Pacific Nations Cup. Tonga have been drawn in Pool B of the World Cup along with South African, Scotland, Ireland and Romania.
Bristol have now officially confirmed the exits of Radradra to Lyon, centre Sam Bedlow to Sale Sharks and scrum-half Andy Uren to Benetton Treviso, while scrum-half Tom Whiteley left midseason for Leicester Tigers and winger Luke Morahan and lock Elliott Stooke moved to French Top 14 clubs Bayonne and Montpellier respectively back in December.
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