Rugby can be a dreadfully cruel game. It the physical nature of the game which draws players and fans alike - but it comes at a cost.
Two years ago forward Sam Jeffries was being tipped by Pat Lam and former All Black Steven Luatua as a future England star.
The remarkable rise of Northampton Saints flanker Lewis Ludlam, who went from a player fighting for a contract at his Premiership club to playing for England at the Rugby World Cup in Japan in the space of 12 months, shows just what is possible.
When he signed a new two-year contract in 2017-18 Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said: “Sam embodies the Bristol Rugby vision – he’s a young English player who has come through our academy system and has all the ingredients to be an international standard player, if he continues to work hard.”
But injuries happen to every player and in many regards it is just luck of the draw at how serious they are.
Today the Bristol Bears confirmed Jeffries will take a break from professional rugby in order to fully recover from a long-term knee injury, which has seen the back rower sidelined for over 12 months.
The 26 year-old – who arrived from Bristol University in 2016 – will join Bristol Bears’ backroom staff on secondment as Professional Development Manager.
“Sam [Jeffries] and I had a really honest discussion and we wanted to offer him an opportunity to stay in the environment and still be part of the Bears journey,” explained Lam.
“Sam is an excellent character who has faced a really difficult time with injury. He is a long way off being ready to play Premiership Rugby, but our culture is about togetherness, love and developing people on and off the field.
“It would have been easy to let Sam go, but we know what value he can bring to the environment and we have a responsibility of care to the individual. Sam will provide the link between our staff and their off-field requirements.
“There’s evidence in the past of previous players who have recovered from these sort of injuries by taking time away from the game – Juan Smith is an excellent example. We will leave the door open for Sam to return to the playing squad if that situation presents itself. He’ll continue to rehabilitate and we will monitor his progress.”
Highly rated Jeffries made his debut in the B&I Cup victory over Ulster 'A' in January 2015, before establishing himself in the side during the latter stages of the 2016/17 Aviva Premiership campaign. He went onto shine in Pat Lam’s Championship winning side of 2018, scoring in the promotion clinching victory over Doncaster Knights.
Jeffries said: “I’m obviously really disappointed to not be able to play because I love pulling on the jersey and being part of the team. The past twelve months have been frustrating from a personal perspective and the long-term plan is still very much to play professional rugby.
“However, having sat down with Pat [Lam], I’m really excited about joining the management team and continuing to contribute to the Bristol Bears vision. I am grateful to Pat and the club for their understanding of this situation – it really underlines the culture that we have here.
“As somebody who has taken a keen interest in off-field career development, educational and workshop opportunities and the commercial responsibilities of the game, I’m looking forward to taking on the role.”
