I fully support Pat’s response to tense ending at Leicester

HOW are those nerves and fingernails Bears supporters?

I feel it is only right to start this week’s column by congratulating Leicester Tigers on a performance which was full of spirit, determination and endeavour. Buoyed by the vociferous noise generated by their loyal supporters, it made for a testing and tricky afternoon for Bristol.

We were under the cosh from the kick-off, with young George Martin orchestrating the show with some big hits and physicality. We finally weathered the storm and got ourselves a foothold in the game, only for Tigers to come purring back at the start of the second half.

Even though it was far from a vintage performance, we got through by the skin of our teeth. The guts and determination to win was there for all to see and that’s what good sides do.

The breakdown has increasingly become a worry over the last few weeks and I can only hope we have been so well tested in that area recently that we now have all the information we need to improve it going forward into the play-offs.

Now let’s discuss the end of the match. Whatever your personal opinion, I am going to defend Pat Lam to the hilt. The referee and touchjudges didn’t help by losing their grip on the game, turning the situation into a farce. The ensuing heated exchange between Pat and Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick had more drama than an episode of EastEnders and more saltiness than the high-salinity banks of the River Blackwater!

To be accused of lying by an enraged and aggressively postured Borthwick was quite comical, especially as the Tigers front row were up to all sorts in the scrum prior to that which went unnoticed.

Lam showed professionalism and a cool head in a tense situation, looking after the welfare of John Afoa initially. He took the sting out of the situation, slowed Leicester momentum, giving the players time to get some much-needed air back into their lungs. That in my eyes is gamesmanship to the highest degree and exactly what I want from the man in charge of leading our fantastic club as we head into the business end of what I hope will be an historic season. Up the Bears!

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