Bristol Bears have moved quickly to bolster their squad with a trio of injury cover agreements after a crisis in the front row.
Following injuries to Max Lahiff and John Afoa against Exeter, Pat Lam has seen fit to bring in temporary replacements as his side look to cement their place at the top end of the table.
Former Connacht duo Peter McCabe (prop) and Niyi Adeolokun (wing) pen short- term deals with the Bears until the end of the 2019/20 season, while Cardiff Blues prop Keiron Assiratti signs on loan with immediate effect.
Props McCabe and Assiratti arrive as front row reinforcements following injuries to Jake Armstrong (ankle), Max Lahiff (head) and John Afoa (calf), while Irish international wing Adeolokun comes in as cover for Toby Fricker (groin).
Lahiff and Afoa were both injured in Tuesday night's loss against Exeter Chiefs, the Bears first loss eight games after a club record winning run.
McCabe made 37 appearances for Connacht having made the switch to Galway from Munster in 2017, while former Wales U20 prop Assiratti has made 39 appearances for the Blues.
Adeolokun, who made 94 appearances for Connacht and has one cap for Ireland, was a try scorer for Pat Lam’s title-winning Connacht in the 2016 PRO14 final and links back up with the Bears Director of Rugby at Ashton Gate.
The winger represented the Barbarians under Lam and played England alongside Semi Radradra, Charles Piutau, John Afoa, Chris Vui and Steven Luatua.
Lam said: “With the unprecedented playing schedule in the Premiership that we face, it’s important to ensure we have plenty of depth and cover in key positions, especially with the midweek fixtures.
“Losing Max [Lahiff] and John [Afoa] on Tuesday has left us light in the front row especially with Jake [Armstrong] already unavailable, so we needed cover immediately.
“The guys come straight into our environment and will be working quickly to learn our system and the Bears Team Culture. I’d like to thank John Mulvihill at Cardiff for his co-operation in agreeing Keiron’s loan deal."
The three new signings could jump straight into the starting XV for the Bears next game, an away trip to third place Sale on Saturday before games against Worcester and Northampton.
Bristol will be looking to widen the gap between themselves in second and Sale in third, a gap which currently stands at just three points.
