Woolmore ready for top flight after Jersey blooding
HUNGRY prop Jake Woolmore insists Bristol’s collection of Championship recruits will prove their critics wrong in next season’s Premiership. While Charles Piutau,
below, and John Afoa head a list of star summer imports at Ashton Gate, Bristol boss Pat Lam has also shown a willingness to unearth hidden gems by recruiting no fewer than nine players from the Championship.
Among those is former Exeter loosehead Woolmore, who is eager to a grab a second chance in top-flight rugby after rebuilding his career at Jersey.
“I’m more prepared for it now,” Woolmore, 27, told
The Rugby Paper. “Three years ago I was plucked out of National Two Taunton by Exeter and although I learned a lot, I came to the end of my contract in 2016 not knowing what was next.
“Rob Baxter wanted to keep me as a longer term project, but I just couldn’t see where I was going to fit in with the amount of good props they had. I needed to go away and prove myself so I went into the Championship with Jersey instead.
“Jersey’s known as the ‘prop factory’ from the number of guys who’ve gone on to play at higher levels, and when you look at the likes of Harry Williams (Exeter) and Sam Lockwood (Newcastle), they’ve done well in the Premiership.
“They’re great examples of what’s possible with hard work and now I have my chance.”
Woolmore, named in last season’s Championship ‘Dream Team’ alongside fellow Jersey prop and another Bristol recruit, Jake Armstrong, urges anyone writing off Bristol on account of their number of tier two signings to think again.
He explained: “We don’t all have to be superstars. Pat Lam wants good blokes who work hard and while we’ll have stalwarts like John Afoa and Yann Thomas with experience, the Championship boys are hungry to prove a few points.
“We know people will say Bristol will probably go straight back down, but that isn’t the feeling we’ve got in this camp. Given the desire of the boys and the culture Pat wants to create, I don’t see why we can’t do something impressive.”
Bristol checked in for pre-season training last Monday, just two days after the Premiership final – a further sign, Woolmore says, of the club’s commitment to be far more than mere whipping boys on their return to the topflight. He added: “There’ll be no other Premiership side in as early as us so it gives us a good head start so we can understand our game plan.
“We’ll have a fourweek block, then a bit of time off, but getting in early will be hugely beneficial if we want to make a fast start.”