The Times - UK (2020-10-14)

(Antfer) #1

60 2GM Wednesday October 14 2020 | the times


SportRugby union


whom were members of the Scarlets
academy in their younger years. “I got
roughed up a bit back in the day,
having older brothers,” Randall said.
“I think it stands me in good stead
today.”
In recent weeks, back on his feet
after that alarming injury, Randall has
shown his ability to survive the hard
knocks. With the Challenge Cup final
against Toulon to come, he now has
the chance to demonstrate he is ready
to take the next steps up. Coaches on
both sides of the Severn Bridge will be
monitoring his progress with interest.

Randall returned from his injury to


T

he initial reaction when
Harry Randall went to
ground, screaming in agony
and writhing in pain,
suggested that he was going
to be out of action for quite some
time. Some of his Bristol Bears team-
mates wandered over to check on
him, quickly averting their gaze when
they caught sight of the deep wound
just above his right kneecap, slashed
open when he was caught by a stray
boot during his side’s game away to
Worcester Warriors last month.
Callum Sheedy, his half-back
partner, joined Bristol’s physios
kneeling over the stricken scrum half,
patting his head in reassurance. As
treatment was being administered to
Randall, 22, both teams retreated
quickly into huddles, going into the
familiar charade that takes place
whenever a serious injury has
occurred: puffing chests out, barking
encouragement and readying
themselves for a return to the fray,
while simultaneously casting nervous
glances towards a friend in distress.
In such moments a shiver runs
down the spine of a rugby player, a
swift and chilling reminder of the
occasional brutality of their chosen
profession. But they must fight the
feeling in the knowledge that, within
seconds, the next collision awaits.
“I don’t think my reaction helped,
screaming like a child,” Randall said.
“I saw the gash and thought, ‘Oh
God, this looks horrendous,’ and it
was the same for my team-mates.
When you get a deep gash like that,
you can see white stuff and people
think it’s the bone, but it’s actually fat
tissue. You don’t see many open
wounds like that.”

When Randall posted a photo of
the wound the next day, Instagram
applied a filter, protecting its delicate
viewers from “sensitive content” and
requiring an extra click to view the
injury in all its gory glory. Helpfully,
he posted another slightly less
gruesome photo of the wound once it
had been stitched back together, a
considerable work of embroidery.
Two weeks later, remarkably,
Randall was back in action, coming
off the bench as Bristol overcame
Dragons in their European Challenge
Cup quarter-final, all ten stitches still
holding the gash together under
heavy strapping. “I had the stitches
out after the Dragons game,” he said.
“People thought the injury was a lot
worse than it was, but there wasn’t
any structural damage to my knee. I
suppose I was fortunate
because if it had gone
further into my knee, it
could have been a lot
worse. It was a pretty
unusual injury.”
Seven days after that
return to action, he was
wearing the No 9 shirt
for Bristol’s Challenge
Cup semi-final against
Bordeaux-Bègles at Ashton
Gate. More than that, with his
right leg strapped from shorts to
socks, Randall was playing a starring

role, including one delightful dink off
the outside of his right boot, threaded
through the onrushing defence, which
bounced up for Max Malins to score a
wonderful try. Bristol were through to
the final, which they will play against
Toulon in Aix-en-Provence on Friday.
At 5ft 8in and 11st 5lb, Randall fits
the mould of a darting, diminutive
scrum half and these high-profile
occasions could showcase the game-
breaking skills that have helped to
propel Bristol’s rapid rise up the
Gallagher Premiership this season.
He is one of the rising stars of
English scrum-half play, as a number
of contenders look to catch the eye of
Eddie Jones, the England head coach,
and challenge Ben Youngs’s hold on
the No 9 shirt. Both Youngs, 31, and
Willi Heinz, 33, were included in
Jones’s training squad last
week, along with Alex
Mitchell, 23, of
Northampton, who was
chosen as an apprentice
last season. Ben
Spencer, 28, has
prospered since moving
to Bath and Dan
Robson, also 28,
continues to shine for
Wasps, but Randall’s

Livewire Randall chasing


‘dream’ England call-up


performances for a resurgent Bristol
— full of electric breaks, nimble
footwork and inventive playmaking
— have been hugely impressive too.
“It’s my dream to play international
rugby,” Randall said. “I’d love to be
called up, but my sole focus at the
moment is playing for Bears and to
keep performing as well as I can for
them.”
His progress is also being
monitored just across the Severn
Bridge from Bristol, because Randall
is also qualified to play for Wales,
whom he represented up to under-18
level. Born in Slough, his family
moved to Wales when he was four
and he attended Llandovery College
before moving to study at Hartpury
College, near Gloucester, at the age of


  1. He then switched to the England
    age-group system, joining Gloucester
    from Hartpury and moving to Bristol
    two years ago. A distinctive Welsh
    accent remains, though, and he is
    aware of his dual eligibility.
    “I believe I’m qualified [for Wales],
    yes,” he said. “My family still live
    down there, so when I get the chance
    it’s nice to pop back down there.” His
    half-back partner at Bristol, Sheedy,
    was another player eligible for
    England and Wales (and Ireland) and
    last week was selected by Wayne
    Pivac, the Wales head coach, in his
    squad for the autumn. Does Randall,
    then, consider himself English? He
    pauses before answering. “Yeah,” he
    says. “I was born in England, my
    parents are English, so, yes.”
    The scrum halves that he admired
    in his formative years were neither
    English nor Welsh. “I always enjoyed
    watching Will Genia [the 110-cap
    Australia No 9] when he was in his
    prime,” he says. “More recently,
    Aaron Smith [of New Zealand] has
    been a joy to watch. They’re both
    players I strive to be like.”
    Randall’s father, Joby, was a centre
    for the Wasps colts team that featured
    Lawrence Dallaglio, going on to
    captain Slough before the family
    move to Wales. There are two older
    brothers, Jake and Charlie, both of


Bristol scrum half has


fought back from grisly


injury to target place in


Eddie Jones’s squad, as


he tells John Westerby


His moment of magic in the semi-final


Randall set up one try against Bordeaux-Bègles in the semi-final. He chipped
through the defensive line, with full back Max Malins racing through to score

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Randall posted a picture of his wound
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Malins
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