Bristol would be ready to play final

BRISTOL Bears head coach Pat Lam insists his players will be ready to step into next weekend’s Gallagher Premiership final and try to double up after winning the European Challenge Cup for the first time in their history.

The Bears beat Toulon 32-19 in Aix-en-Provence to become the ninth English Premiership side to take the title.

Harry Randall and Max Mallins scored tries and fly-half Callum Sheedy landed 22 points with a perfect eight from eight successful kicks at goal.

The victory came a week on from Bristol’s defeat to Wasps in the Premiership semi-finals, but Lam confirmed after seeing his side lift the trophy that they have been put on stand-by to play in the Twickenham showpiece against Exeter Chiefs after Wasps had four positive coronavirus tests.

“We obviously want Wasps and Exeter to meet in the final because they thoroughly deserve to be there and that’s the final that should happen,” said Lam.

“But in the world in which we live in with COVID we don’t know. We have been told we are on stand-by, so if we are told we are in the final we will get everyone together and say let’s go.

“It is just the world we live in at the moment. Things turn all the time, but we certainly hope Wasps and Exeter make it through.”

The Chiefs made it an English double in Europe by winning the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time at Ashton Gate on Saturday when they faced Racing 92.

Bristol were back home by then and will no doubt have cast an eye over proceedings rather than celebrate a winning end to their season.

“I said to the players before the game, let’s go out and celebrate who we are and what that means. The way we play the game, our culture, the bit of love we have for each other,” said Lam.

“The emphasis was about having a bit of joy. We knew we were going to be under pressure against a massive Toulon side. We came through it by sticking to the Bears way.

“The players did it on behalf of the whole squad and the saddest thing was that we couldn’t have everyone with us - Steve Lansdown and our captain, Steve Luatua. Congratulations to him and his wife, Olivia, on having a little girl just before kick-off.

“Our whole vision was to inspire our community with some rugby success. This is a moment of inspiration, but we have to go back and get better.”