Max Malins Sidelined for Season After Achilles Rupture

Bristol and England full-back Max Malins, aged 27, will be unavailable for the remainder of the current season. This follows a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained during a recent training session. Malins, who had scored five tries in three Premiership games for Bristol at the season’s outset, has only participated in three matches for the Bears this season, having been sidelined since early October due to a knee injury. The new injury occurred as Malins was nearing his return to the playing squad. He had been scheduled for inclusion in Bristol’s line-up for their subsequent record-breaking victory against Leicester. “It’s such a big blow,” Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam conveyed to BBC Radio Bristol. “He was going really well, he was flying [in training] and I was just buzzing that Max was back, he was such a quality player.” Lam described the incident: “He just stepped off his right foot and went down, I was on the other side and the first thing they said [was] it feels like someone’s kicked him.” He added, “He hobbled off and was trying to come back into training but by the time the physios looked at it, they took him in and said the devastating news he’s ruptured his Achilles.” Prior to his injury, Malins had demonstrated strong form, achieving five tries in Bristol’s initial three Premiership games of the season, which earned him the Premiership player of the month award for September. He was also a member of England’s squad for the 2023 World Cup, where he earned his 22nd cap. “It’s the first one I’ve had in my time here, eight seasons, so I just feel for him,” Lam stated. He further commented on Malins’ dedication: “He had worked so hard in pre-season and that’s why he came flying out the blocks at the start of the season.”