Sunday 30 October 2016 19:37, UK
Bristol director of rugby Andy Robinson fears Gavin Henson will be sidelined long-term after injuring his shoulder against Sale.
The 34-year-old was making his first appearance since injuring his leg on September 3, but he managed only 12 minutes before landing awkwardly on his shoulder in a tackle.
Robinson was doubly upset at the end of the game, with Bristol losing 31-13 at Ashton Gate and also having the sight of the apparently snake-bitten Henson suffering yet another serious injury setback.
"It is a serious shoulder injury which is a real shame," Robinson said. "We really feel for him. It is a potential operation that is needed to the shoulder but we will find out more later."
Robinson had targeted the game as a winnable one for Bristol, who ended the day conceding five more tries and remain seven points adrift at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership.
"Our players kept going right to the final whistle but that is our worst performance," Robinson added. "We have got to be better defensively and use the Anglo-Welsh games coming up to see if we can get a victory which will give a bit of confidence to everyone.
"For 25 minutes of this match, we had a couple of opportunities that we did not take. We turned too much ball over in the contact area.
"Defensively we dropped off and this is the nature of the Premiership in that you have to perform for more than 25 minutes. I feel for the supporters because we are in a slight hole."
"This is solvable and we are confident we can achieve that. At the end, while there will be anger and frustration, life is for living. We have to understand the position we would be in. There is a long way to go and we are here to fight and perform."
