Pat Lam: Bristol Bears boss praises returning centre James Williams

Bristol Bears boss Pat Lam has labelled returning centre James Williams as “the glue” which he hopes will keep his side’s midfield together this season.

Williams, 28, made his return to league action following a couple of months out through injury during Bristol’s comfortable 46-12 victory against high-flying Northampton Saints on Saturday.

After Saints saw Edoardo Todaro receive an early 20-minute red card, Williams produced a terrific return to form, assisting full-back Tom Jordan for an easy run in with a quickfire pass before kicking a pinpoint 50-22 in the build-up to Bears’ fifth and final try of a rampant first half at Ashton Gate.

Lam admitted he was impressed by Williams’ first Prem performance of the season after returning to a much-changed side in Bristol’s Prem Rugby Cup defeat at Exeter in an attempt to prove full fitness after suffering a pectoral injury and a broken hand last season.

“It is pleasing, and he is like the glue [to this side],” Lam told BBC Radio Bristol.

“We’re always going to have injuries, every team’s going to have it, but don’t worry about it when it happens. It’s all about the next game – getting everyone up to speed.”

Despite his side’s comfortable victory against then second-placed Saints, who have since dropped to third in the Prem standings, Lam acknowledged frustration at allowing Northampton back into the game after racking up a 35-0 lead at half-time.

The visitors scored two tries after the interval with a man light, outscoring Bristol by a point in the second 40 minutes, but Lam refused to accept the reason that his side lost the second half was because the match was effectively over as a contest.

“It is an excuse – we were disappointed at the scoreline of that second half,” Lam added.

“We have been giving teams too many soft entries on penalties. We gave a scrum penalty away, all that wasted energy, and then they score which was very annoying.

“However, at 12 [points] they [Northampton] could have gone again, but the boys got control and we were working with the message as if we were 12-3 down.

“We just missed a conversion to win the second half, so you can say that [Bristol took their foot of the gas], but I do not accept it, you’ve just got to be better.

“But when I think how many times in that situation we have allowed a bonus point – to get five points, and to give them nothing, is really pleasing for us.”