Championship final 1st leg preview: “Our big-hitters must nullify Matthew Morgan” – Ryan Lamb

Defence will decide the outcome of the Championship final, according to Worcester fly-half Ryan Lamb, whose half-back battle with livewire Welsh pivot Matthew Morgan promises to be one of the highlights of the two-legged showdown.
Worcester boasted the Championship’s meanest defence during the regular season, conceding 90 points fewer than Bristol. But Bristol won the head-to-head 2-0 and Lamb knows player-of-the-year Morgan could wreck his side’s promotion dream.
Morgan is Championship Player of the Year, and Lamb told TRP: “Matthew’s been very good all year and Nicky Robinson did very well during their semi-final, too, so Bristol have got very good strength-in-depth at fly-half.
“I’m not going to make these ties into a battle of the No.10 jersey, there’s a lot more to the game than just that, but we know how good a player Matthew is and the running threats he brings, so we’ll need to be very aware of that throughout.
“I’ll try to control things as best I can and we pride ourselves on our defence, so we’ll try to be as strong a defensive unit as we can be. We’ve got some big-hitters on our side and we’ll have to be on top of our game to nullify guys like Morgan.”
Worcester are stretched at scrum-half, with regulars Charlie Mulchrone (foot) and Jonny Arr (suspended) missing. But third choice Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier came through the semi-final against London Scottish with flying colours.
Of the former Saracens youngster, Lamb said: “JB stepped up really well last week. He’s a young, energetic guy whose chat throughout the game was fantastic.
“It’s testament to our squad that we lose two good No.9s but can still bring somebody of JB’s quality in. His leadership is excellent and he was our man-of-the-match against Scottish, so it’s a good chance for him on this big stage.
“He’ll take confidence from performing the way he did and we’ve all got confidence in him. He captained the second team during their A-League campaign and was a big part of our B&I Cup win, so this is a brilliant opportunity for him.”
The Championship play-offs structure has been heavily criticised but unlike last year, when London Welsh hijacked Bristol against the odds, the side that goes up this year can legitimately lay claim to being the best equipped for the top-flight.
Lamb said: “Whoever goes up will do very well in the Premiership. Both sides have made really good signings and have good squads already so, in all honesty, we’re both Premiership sides who play in the Championship at the moment.
“Both sides have accomplished coaches in Dean Ryan and Andy Robinson who’ve played international rugby, coached at the highest level and know what the elite game is about, so we’re just looking forward to having a shot at it.”
Worcester can point to an unblemished record in Championship play-offs, having been promoted that way in 2011. Bristol, by contrast, have failed three times in the knock-out stages during their six seasons outside the top-flight.
“Maybe the pressure is on them a bit,” added Lamb, “but it’s a different Bristol squad this year and they’ve got a lot of experienced heads in their team with a few Lions and a fair few quality internationals.
“It’ll be hard, but it comes down to two games and both of the games between us this season have been very close.
“The first game we had a lot of boys out, and in the second we were on top for large parts. We had some disciplinary issues and let it slip, but we kind of gave them the game more than them winning it.  “We’ve taken the lessons from that and will hopefully put that right in the final.”
Neck and ankle injuries have disrupted Lamb’s season, but the maverick former Gloucester, London Irish and Northampton playmaker is fit and firing again.
He added: “It has been frustrating but I’ve finally been putting some consistent performances in and my form’s pretty good.
“Having tasted top-flight rugby for so long, I’m desperate to get back there and be tested again against the best players in the country. A club of Worcester’s magnitude, with the support base we’ve got, should be a Premiership side.
“Bristol will think likewise so these are the games you want to play in – big, high pressure matches with a lot to win and lose.”
Bristol: Jack Wallace; Charlie Amesbury, Gareth Maule, Gavin Henson, David Lemi; Matthew Morgan, Dwayne Peel (Capt.); Kyle Traynor, Chris Brooker, Gaston Cortes; Glen Townson, Mark Sorenson; Ryan Jones, Jack Lam, Mitch Eadie.
Replacements: Max Crumpton, Anthony Perenise, Ben Glynn, Marco Mama, Tom Kessell, Nicky Robinson, Jack Tovey.
Worcester: Chris Pennell; Tom Biggs, Alex Grove, Ryan Mills, Cooper Vuna; Ryan Lamb, JB Bruzulier; Val Rapava Ruskin, Agustin Creevy, Nick Schonert; Jonathan Thomas, James Percival; Mike Williams, Sam Lewis, GJ van Velze (Capt.).
Replacements: Niall Annett, Ryan Bower, Joe Rees, Leonardo Senatore, Jamie Shillcock, Ravai Fatiaki, Ben Howard.