Stephen Luatua is considered one of the «Bristol Bears»' The best players in history Photo: Getty Images/Bob Bradford
There are several ways to assess a player's value, as Premier League bosses are doing in the final months ahead of a season in which the salary cap will rise again. .
You can dig into the data and even dive into algorithms and artificial intelligence. You can gather testimonials from teammates to learn about less tangible qualities such as calm leadership. Whatever the numbers, Pat Lam knows he has a gem in Stephen Luatua.
@StevenLuatua will start his 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ league game tomorrow for the @BristolBears, 87 in @premrugby and 13 in the Championship, 9th for the club. He captained the team in 74 league matches, a club record.
— Neil Williams (@BrisRugStatto) May 10, 2024
Despite Bristol Bears overhauling their spending strategy, saying goodbye to stalwarts Ed Holmes, Dan Thomas, Callum Sheedy and Pierce O'Conor, it was easy to justify a contract extension. Seven years after Lahm took up his current role and made Luatua his «number one», the latter has become one of the Premier League's most valuable players this season.
Of the 10 league matches in which Luatua took part, Bristol won nine. Eroni Mavi, Saracens' energetic prop, boasts the same record, although he has only two starts to Luatua's nine. And while AJ McGinty is another influential Bear with seven wins from seven Premier League matches in the 2024-25 season, Luatua is undoubtedly vital. Without him, as he did between mid-September and early December due to calf problems, the Bears lost five of their six Premier League games.
“His biggest asset is that I have never, ever seen Stevie play below 7/10,” explains Lam, whose side continue their play-off battle when they host Saracens on Saturday afternoon. «Joe Joyce [a former Bristol lock now working in Connacht] summed it up by saying Stevie has all the skills of the southern hemisphere and all the skills of the northern hemisphere.
«He's constantly highlighted for what he does when he breaks down. , for the details of how he carries and puts away. And he also has bright things — unloading with one hand. He checks all the boxes. We have a better chance of winning the game if he is on the field.”
Lam and Luatua first met when the latter was training with the Auckland Blues on his way to 15 Tests for the All Blacks. . More than ten years later, Luatua still sends messages to Lam after every game, suggesting plans or options for the game. «The problem is that Stevie's brain can be a little ahead of the rest at times,» Lum laughs. “We have to somehow tone it down and soften [his proposals].” Despite her origins and intuition, Luatua exudes an easy-going humility.
“If you had a group of six to eight leaders, Stevie would probably be the last one to talk,” Lam continues. “He is the first to listen to what others have, and then he will come in. And when he speaks, everyone listens. You have people who do all the talking. He makes others feel that their opinions are important, and there is usually a lot of wisdom in his words.»
When Luatua (right) speaks, others listen. Photo: Getty Images/Harry Trump
Fitz Harding succeeded Luatua as Bears captain for this campaign; another deliberate ploy to protect the party from the future. Lam interviewed Luatua in advance and found that he was «100 percent supportive» of the idea. Luatua subsequently became the «great mentor». If you listen to the man himself, this is not surprising.
“Sometimes it’s cool, sometimes it’s not,” laughs Luatua of his role as a reassuring figurehead in Bristol. “When we do everything right on the field, it's a joy to be part of it. When things don't go so well, you need to steer the ship and instill confidence in the boys.
“On holiday in the Six Nations we did just that; restore faith. My job is just to remind the boys. We have shown over the past few weeks that we can work and get the job done.”
During negotiations for the new agreement, Luatua and his wife Olivia recalled settling in the West Country. Bristol were relegated to the Championship before Lahm arrived. In Luatua's first competitive match at Ashton Gate Stadium in September 2017, they finished the first half losing to Hartpury College 8–7 before claiming victory.
“Those days were hard,” admits Luatua. “I loved playing for the Bears, but as a team we weren’t doing very well and I was really upset. I think the second game was Cornish Pirates. It was an experience. I was knee-deep in mud and, I won't lie, I haven't gotten dirty in a couple of years. Most courses in New Zealand and Australia resembled Ashton Gate. It was really humiliating, but cool.»
Blind Flankers are resourceful coordinators who contribute to everything directions: from managing heavy traffic to jumping in the corridor. Courtney Laws showed that it is possible to continue to develop. At 33, Luatua, who added last year's World Cup with Samoa to his resume, continues to aim for improvement.
“Definitely in the standard position,” he says without pause. “Defensive mauls are difficult to coach, it’s terrible. But that's a big part of the Premier League — stopping them. I've definitely grown in that aspect, looking into dark places.»
Leaving New Zealand for Bristol when the Blues had just helped the Blues beat the British and Irish Lions in 2017 was a move into the darkness because it's good. Luatua was 27 years old and was fading from his All Blacks career. Lama needed to lobby hard, but he feels vindicated.
“We were going to inspire the community and get promoted,” he says of his business proposal. “I also spoke about my experience of coming here as a Samoan and the impact it could have on and off the field; way of life and the way he could see Europe. He thought it over and decided to act. The rest is history.»
Having ousted Saracens this weekend, Luatua and his Bristol counterparts will be on the cusp of a top-four finish.
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