Bristol Bears
Coach: Pat Lam
Captain: Fitz Harding
After Bristol lost at Connacht in January to mark their exit from the Champions Cup, Pat Lam arrived at their training base the following Monday at 5am.
The Bears’ director of rugby, who had been in place since 2016 after arriving from Connacht, knew that both the team and his position at the club had reached a critical point.
It was not just the defeat in Galway, or even the manner of it, but the Bears’ decline since the 2020-21 campaign when they had topped the table but failed to make it to Twickenham after blowing a 28-0 lead at home to Harlequins in the semi-final.
In 55 Premiership matches since then, they had lost 33 out of 55, drawn one and won 21.
They were on course for a bottom half finish for the third consecutive campaign and, most disconcertingly for their backer Steve Lansdown, had lost their handle as a free-running side.
Reflection
“After the Connacht game, I reflected that if I was going to leave the club, and everyone was asking for my head, what would I do at the next side I coached?” Lam said.
“I wrote it all down on one page and when I looked at it I realised it was exactly what I did when I came to Bristol.
“I came in at 5am after the Connacht game and wrote it down on the coaches’ board.
It was the way we would be playing from then on and it was non-negotiable. I brought the coaches and senior players in and made sure everyone had clarity.
“You add and evolve every season and other coaches come in. It can get to the point when you look at the bits and pieces you realise you are missing something fundamental.
“And so all roads from that point on led to that one page.”
Finding Form
Bristol’s form after the end of the Six Nations break was as good as any side’s in the Premiership.
They picked up 24 points from their finals six matches, the same as Sale, but it was not enough to secure a place in the top four and they finished two points behind Saracens with the same playing record, 11 victories from 18 matches.
Bristol lost a number of players who had been part of the rise from the Championship, including Callum Sheedy, Piers O’Conor, Dan Thomas and Ed Holmes while England and Lions prop Kyle Sinckler, Scotland No.8 Magnus Bradbury and France centre Virimi Vakatawa also left as Lam slimmed down his squad.
“It has been exciting this summer because it feels like a fresh group,” said Bristol’s captain Fitz Harding, right.
“There is a new sense of energy and there is a lot of youth in the squad with academy lads stepping up.
“We finished last season well, but everyone starts from zero again.
“At the end of the day we were not good enough because we did not make the top four.
We are focused on improving and we have confidence because we played well in patches.
“Ask any team at the start of the season and they will tell you they want to win the Premiership.
“To do that you have to finish in the top four and that means winning your home games.
“We have spoken about making Ashton Gate a fortress and a big focus of ours is making it a hard place to come.”
Season Start
Bristol start at Newcastle on Friday night before opening their home campaign against Gloucester. Trips to Bath and Exeter follow in one of the most demanding starts for any side in the Premiership.
Two home matches are next up, against Saracens, who have won their last six matches against the Bears, and champions Northampton.
The Bears will be without one of their new signings, Fiji No.8 Viliame Mata, for the first two months of the campaign after he suffered a hamstring injury during training, but fellow back rower Steve Luatua is expected to be fit for the trip to Newcastle after treatment on a wrist complaint.
Bristol’s surgery last season coincided with Max Malins’s return to form, Benhard van Rensburg switching to outside centre with Jonny Williams partnering him and Luatua’s return from injury – they won nine off the 11 games he started and the All Black remains a key figure.
Ins and Outs
IN: Viliame Mata (Edinburgh), Kofi Cripps (Clifton), Lovejoy Chawatama (Harlequins), Sam Scott, Ethan Surrey (both Wasps), Steele Barker (Cornish Pirates), Tom Doughty (Doncaster Knights), Sam Edwards, Jacob Cusick (both Leicester Tigers), Benjamin Elizalde (Deportiva Francesa)
OUT: Callum Sheedy, Tom Bowen (both Cardiff), Kyle Sinckler (Toulon), above, Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Piers O’Conor (Connacht), Harry Ascherl, Macenzzie Duncan, Matty Jones, Charlie Powell, Tom Sims, Jay Tyack, Isaac Campbell-Wu, Tom Gardner, Tom Ormsby, Dylan Power, Ollie Thraves, Virimi Vakatawa (all released), Fred Davies (Doncaster Knights), Oscar Lennon (New England Free Jacks), Dan Thomas (Cardiff), Andrew Turner (Doncaster Knights season loan), Jono Benz-Salomon, Toti Benz-Salomon (both Hartpury University), Charlie Rice (Cornish Pirates), Ed Holmes (Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks)
FIXTURES
Sep 20 Newcastle (A) 7.45pm
Sep 27 Gloucester (H) 7.45pm
Oct 5 Bath (A) 3.05pm
Oct 12 Exeter (A) 3pm
Oct 19 Saracens (H) 3.05pm
Oct 25 Northampton (H) 7.45pm
Nov 29 Harlequins (A) 7.45pm
Dec 21 Leicester (A) 3.05pm
Dec 27 Sale (H) 7.45pm
Jan 4 Saracens (A) 5.30pm
Jan 25 Newcastle (H) TBC
Mar 22 Exeter (H) TBC
Mar 29 Gloucester (A) TBC
Apr 19 Leicester (H) TBC
Apr 26 Northampton (A) TBC
May 10 Bath (H) TBC
May 17 Sale (A) TBC
May 31 Harlequins (H) TBC
SQUAD
FORWARDS: Ellis Genge, George Kloska, Jake Woolmore, Lovejoy Chawatama, Max Lahiff, Sam Grahamslaw, Yann Thomas, Gabriel Oghre, Harry Thacker, Tom Doughty, Will Capon, James Dun, Joe Batley, Joe Owen, Josh Caulfield, Steele Barker, Benjamín Grondona, Fitz Harding, Jake Heenan, Kofi Cripps, Santiago Grondona, Steven Luatua, Viliame Mata
BACKS: Harry Randall, Kieran Marmion, Sam Edwards, Sam Wolstenholme, Aj Macginty, Benhard Janse Van Rensburg, Jack Bates, James Williams, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Deago Bailey, Gabriel Ibitoye, Max Malins, Ratu Siva Naulago, Benjamín Elizalde, Noah Heward, Rich Lane
READ MORE: Exeter Chiefs Season Preview – Youngsters need to find place in Baxter’s puzzle
