Second-half display showed why Bristol are now a top team
SATURDAY’S match was yet again a proverbial game of two halves and if the first was about Bristol practising their lines, the second was about them putting on the show. Yet despite the inconsistencies we still managed to come away with a bonus-point win against a competitive Harlequins side smarting from their mauling by Racing 92 the week before.
Pat Lam had a pretty clear message for the boys at the break, offering them the choice to get back on the coach or go back out and start playing the Bears way and the much-improved second-half performance served to remind us fans why we are now a Premiership force.
First, we have a system that demands we play as a team rather than as 15 individuals and an overall squad culture that is the bedrock of success. This means defending and attacking as units and doing the right thing at the right time.
Secondly, for every Nathan Hughes and his barnstorming ability to break through brick walls, we also need high-quality ‘cementers’ like Dan Thomas and Steve Luatua to dig, lay and maintain the foundations. While the former got man of the match, the latter was, in my opinion, the key to our secondhalf revival. The skipper responded to Pat’s changing-room clarion call by leading from the front and what a player he is! A calming presence in the pack when the pressure mounts, a tireless workhorse who barely makes a mistake yet someone with the silky skills to unlock a defence, with his chest pass to Niyi Adeolokun, which led to the winger’s debut try, being a prime example.
Finally, we have a superstar in young Ioan Lloyd, the Welsh wonderkid. With his low centre of gravity, extraordinary strength in the contact and free-flowing running, he was also instrumental in turning the second-half tide and giving us the forward momentum that propelled us to victory.
The resurgent Newcastle Falcons visit on Friday and, sadly, it appears that we will still have to cheer the Bears on from the comforts of our own sofas but secure in the knowledge that when we do eventually return to Ashton Gate it will be be one hell of a rugby party. C’mon Bris!