Rugby / Bristol Bears
Chris Vui is very good at rugby
In the countdown to kick-off on Friday night, Chris Vui was taking part in some solitary catching practise next to the touchline in front of the Lansdown Stand, gobbling up all of the high-balls raining down on him.
The Samoan was celebrating his 29th birthday under the lights of Ashton Gate Stadium just a day after signing a four-year contract extension.
But it was not a happy birthday, ending in a chastening 32-49 defeat against London Irish, with a red card for Siva Naulago and scrum-half Tom Whiteley finishing the game on crutches.
is needed now More than ever
If only Bears could have turned on the burners before the last five minutes of the match, which saw tries from Theo Strang (76 mins), Ashley Challenger (78 mins) and Jake Kerr (80 mins).
Vui was making his 82nd appearance for the Bears, having scored seven tries across five seasons as a Bears’ “gamebreaker” in the words of director of rugby Pat Lam.
Vui illustrated the artwork to announce the news of his contract extension and he is a dab hand at graphic design as well, with the logo for Burra on Lower Redland Road – the cafe owned by Bears teammates Luke Morahan and Jake Heenan alongside the club’s head of operations Tom Tainton – also his handiwork.
He made a try-saving tackle in the first half against Irish and a barnstorming break in midfield as the clock ticked down to 80 minutes, but he mostly worked quietly away behind the scenes in this match where his Pacific Islanders countrymen Naulago was sent off midway through the second half after a high tackle.
Friday night against London Irish will be forgotten in a hurry but Bears fans will be hoping to see more Vui catches under a high-ball for many more years to come.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ1MpVioC6I/
Main photo: JMP
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