Semi Radradra

Offer made to Semi Radradra after his weekend Top 14 trip - report

The Fijian powerhouse is out of contract at the Bears at the end of the current season and he has been linked for some time with a switch back across the Channel.

It was the summer of 2020 when Radradra first arrived in Bristol from Bordeaux and within months of joining, the midfielder won the Challenge Cup final with the English club.

However, with a squeeze now on salaries in the Premiership via the reduced salary cap and the reduction from two to one marquee player per club, the expectation is that the 30-year-old will return to the Top 14 for next season.

Semi Radradra joins Fiji 7s team in Tokyo

It has been several years since the 29-year-old played sevens rugby competitively.

Before meeting up with the team in Japan, Radradra participated in the Super Sevens Series that was held in the UK.

According to the Bristol Post, Radradra played for the Official Wooden Spoon Marauders Sevens team where they won the plate final.

Fiji has two matches on the opening day of the 7s competition.

They will face Japan on 26 July at 12pm (local time) before taking on Canada at 8pm.

Fiji will then play Great Britain on the next day.

Fiji could fly Bristol's Semi Radradra direct to Olympic Games

Negotiations, as RugbyPass revealed last week, are ongoing with Bristol and two other European rugby clubs in a bid to get players released with Castres’ Vilimoni Botitu and Pau’s Aminiasi Tuimaba also targeted for inclusion in the final squad for the Games. Fiji’s seven squad is currently in quarantine in Brisbane before taking part in a tournament in Townsville. The plan is then to fly directly to Japan from Australia for the Games.

'Semi definitely has an intention and a desire to play in the Olympics'

Fijian-based Tuwai was recently named the best 7s player of the decade at the World Rugby awards while Radradra’s 2020 move to Bristol in the Gallagher Premiership cemented his position as arguably the best rugby player in any version of the sport.

Baber has the unenviable job of replicating the 2016 gold medal triumph fashioned by Ben Ryan in Rio, and his preparations have been severely affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw the originally scheduled 2020 Games postponed for a year. 

Ex-All Black Pat Lam blows up about Fiji's treatment of Semi Radradra

Lam is fuming that Radradra appeared to suffer a leg injury early in Fiji’s Eight Nations Cup victory over Georgia in Edinburgh last weekend, but was not replaced by coach Cotter.

Now Lam says he will make a formal complaint to World Rugby over Fiji’s injury management of Bristol’s star player.

The Fiji centre is now set to miss Bristol’s opening two Champions Cup games against Clermont Auvergne and Connacht.

Fiji Rugby attempt to calm fears as entire camp placed in quarantine

Their participation in the eight team tournament was put into question when four positive tests, understood to include captain Semi Radradra, forced the cancellation of today’s match with France.

There is understandable frustration in the Fiji squad which has been training in France and has twice been struck by positive tests resulting in players having to isolate.

Bristol include Radradra to face Bordeaux, the club he helped reach the Challenge Cup knockout stages

Radradra was on fire in last weekend’s quarter-finals, scoring once and providing the assist for a number of other tries as Bristol tore Dragons apart at Ashton Gate. He will now look to do likewise to Bordeaux, the club he helped last winter to progress from the group stages.   

The Fijian is included in a Bristol XV that shows five changes from the win over Dragons, Siale Piutau returning to action following his three-match suspension for an incident in the Premiership at Worcester.  

Radradra starts again as Bristol Bears make 9 changes for Exeter Chiefs

Piers O’Conor also returns from a neck injury to start when Bristol welcome table-topping Chiefs to Ashton Gate on Tuesday (7.45pm KO).

Director of Rugby Lam makes nine changes from the side that secured a seventh successive Premiership victory over Gloucester in round fifteen.

Charles Piutau and Luke Morahan are recalled to the backline, while Harry Randall is also included.

In the pack, Max Lahiff and Bryan Byrne are named in the front row, while Ed Holmes and Dave Attwood form the second row partnership. Dan Thomas is selected at openside.

Bristol tweet containing 'disturbing' Radradra video goes viral

There was much negative commentary last weekend following the restart of the Premiership where explosive players such as Fijian flyer Radradra and new Sale signing Manu Tuilagi were largely deprived of the ball.

Their lack of involvement in the action was attributed to low frills rugby in penalty ridden matches – the six games across the opening weekend of the Premiership suffered from 164 penalties being awarded, an average of more than 27 per game.

Frustration over Radradra and Tuilagi being starved of the ball for their new clubs

Fans were widely anticipating the Bristol Bears and Premiership debut of Fijian powerhouse Radradra, who arrived at the club from Bordeaux, after his sublime showing at the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

England centre Tuilagi completed a high-profile transfer from Leicester Tigers to Sale over the break, bringing one of the world’s most dominant ball carriers to an already power-packed roster.