Cook braves heat for crossing great divide
CHRIS Cook believes he is on a fast-track to silverware after hitching his trailer to Bristol’s seemingly unstoppable bandwagon.
Cook, who will compete for the No.9 jersey with England prospects Andy Uren and Harry Randall, has crossed the great West Country divide from Bath and is desperate to end a personal trophy drought after 11 barren years at the Rec.
Bristol supremo Pat Lam makes no secret of his desire for Premiership and Champions Cup domination and Cook, 29, told The
Rugby Paper: “That was one of the main reasons for coming here. I didn’t want to go through my whole career and not lift a trophy and I just cannot see Bristol not winning silverware with the phenomenal setup.
“The brilliant thing about Pat is he says it how it is. He’s very straight, you get absolute clarity over his intentions and that’s what you want from a coach. He’s been fantastic in helping me with my transition and there’s just a winning vibe here.
“We’ve got used to using zoom calls over the summer and from day one I’ve felt lucky to be part of this squad. There are some phenomenal players and since we got into training it’s been amazing to see someone like Semi Radrada doing his stuff.
“I’ve known Kyle Sinckler, right, a long time so it’s cool to be on the same team as him now, and Ben Earl and Max Malins are brilliant additions as well. It’s such an exciting group and with the signings other clubs have made, this season’s set for a shoot-out.”
With Randall and Uren still in their early 20s, Bathonian Cook is expected to provide experience.
He explained: “It’s brilliant competition and you want that because it pushes you to be better. You’ve got to work hard because if you don’t others will and with us having a young group of No.9s, Pat said he wanted someone with a bit more experience.
“I’m really looking forward to adding that and helping those guys develop as much as they’re helping me. We’ve already got a good dynamic going between us and it’s a friendly group as well, so I’m just looking forward to normal training and games now.”
After treading the rarely-navigated road from
Bath to Bristol, Cook accepts he’ll take some stick. He added: “It has taken some getting used to because I’d only ever put on a Bath top before, but I tried a Bristol match jersey for the first time last week and it feels very real now. “I’ve had a little bit of stick from people but it’s all been pretty friendly and most people are just pleased for me.
“I had other options but as soon as Bristol put an offer on the table, I didn’t want to go anywhere else because their plans are brilliant.
“It’s a bit like going into the unknown after so many years at Bath but I think we’re going to be very successful here and I wanted to be part of that.”