It feels almost sacrilegious to ask the question but in the light of their salary cap crunch it is worth considering whether Bristol Bears are getting value for money from Semi Radradra and Charles Piutau.

At different points, both men could lay decent claims to being the best player in the Premiership, in Radradra’s case perhaps the whole of Europe, which reflects their status among the highest paid in the league. Yet their form has flatlined this season, mirroring Bristol Bears’ own fortunes. 

In a loose match where both teams’ first instinct was to run the ball, Piutau and Radradra had the perfect opportunity to offer a reminder of their enduring talent. Yet it was the rather unheralded Northampton centre pairing of Rory Hutchinson and Fraser Dingwall along with full back Tommy Freeman who stood out at Franklin’s Gardens. 

Full back Piutau, in his first start after a couple of months out with an achilles injury, departed after 58 minutes having barely made an impression on the game. A lack of match sharpness may be a mitigating factor here but in 12 league games this season Piutau has scored one try and claimed one assist. Perhaps more concerningly he has made just four clean breaks. Last season he made 26. 

Then there’s Radradra, who is understood to be struggling with a knee injury. Unlike Piutau, his presence was certainly noted at the Gardens. He scored a try, was sin-binned and carried a game-high 20 times, but there is a nagging feeling there is something missing. His outrageous offloading ability has cooled and his outside break is no longer the threat it once was. His centre partner Antoine Frisch created more with his footwork. 

The power remains the same and Northampton fly half Dan Biggar was mighty fortunate to escape a card for a high tackle on him, but there is something slightly sad watching Radradra being used as a battering ram.