Lahiff’s joy summed up the spirit of this battling Bears team

MY abiding memory of Saturday’s extraordinary comeback against Tigers at a growling Welford Road will be the look on Max Lahiff’s face as he powered over the line for his second try. It wasn’t just the childish excitement that comes from scoring, but to me it was also his realisation that an unlikely victory was on, and the play-off dream was still alive.

Up to that point I had accepted that perhaps a losing bonus point was a decent return for a hard fought, defensive battle that hadn’t quite gone our way. But Max’s look of demonic, hysterical belief shook me from my slumber and from then on it was simply just a matter of time.

With his wide, archaic vocabulary, bizarre Instagram account and his penchant for bum bags, chihuahuas and skipping, Lahiff is a prop who has clearly never heard of the front-row union let alone paid the subscription. But, in those last 10 minutes he was a warrior, who, alongside the equally inspirational Harry Thacker, fired the shots that saw us home.

Have we ever seen two more contrasting wins in the space of only six days? From feasting at the try fest last Sunday to digging deep into the well this Saturday, the complete ‘Bears Way’ has been showcased in its full glory.

Gritty defence, solid set-piece and the relentless hunt for width and space. That dismal January night in Galway where our European adventure ended could well now stand in history as a watershed moment both in terms of our upgraded style of play in the run-in and the bonus rest time it has given us to prepare for the assault on the Premiership title.

Play-off hopes are firmly in our hands and with a two-week break before we ‘welcome’ Saracens to the Gate for the annual summer social and the final home game of the season, Pat and his team have plenty of time to regroup, review and reflect on how they can keep the dream alive.

Finally, people are talking about the Bears again and given that we are unbeaten in four since the restart, we are the team that has the magical elixir that is known as momentum. Do we dare to believe? You bet we do, otherwise what is the point of being a supporter?

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