Accent on good results as Bristow enjoys mixed bag
SINCE arriving at Sale Sharks from Narbonne in October, Tom Bristow has featured in nine games, making five starts, and scored his first career try.
“The time’s gone quickly,” says the loose head prop. “The spirit at Carrington has continued to develop. Everyone’s on the same page, with the boys working hard for each other.
“It’s no wonder that we’ve achieved some good results – that’s reflected on and off the pitch.”
Bristow’s time at the club has been a mixture of emotions, with a red card against Bordeaux and a first try when Perpignan came to Salford.
“The ebb and flow of rugby. One week a real high, the next unfortunately a low. Sometimes, it works out the right way,” said the 27-year-old.
“This is the furthest north I’ve played. I’m still getting used to the people and the accent!”
The arrival of Valery Morozov to join Ross Harrison, James Flynn and Bristow as contenders for the No. 1 and No. 17 shirts is accepted as ‘part and parcel’ of the modern game.
And it is something Hong Kong-born Bristow is aware of. He said: “Prop is one of the most attritional positions on the pitch, so you definitely need strength in depth. All the boys work hard for each other, as I say. We help each other all the time.”
Like fellow prop Joe Jones, Bristow has a few names on the list of teams he’s played for, including London Welsh, Leicester Tigers, Wasps and Narbonne.
“Yes - a string of clubs, but I learned bits at them all.
“And I am very happy here at Sale. Dorian West brings an ‘edge’ to our work. He gets people in the right frame of mind, especially as a forward pack.
“That’s exactly what we need, combining aggression with smart mentality.
“Dorian and Dimes bring the attitude of the past into the modern game.
“We’re all for high tempo playing, but you have to do the ‘dog work’. They make sure the boys put their heads in the places they maybe would rather not visit, but we need to provide clean ball for the backs.
“Everyone listens to each other, and the Academy lads learn from us like we have others through our own careers. It’s a great learning atmosphere here.
“Against Newcastle in the Premiership Rugby Cup, it was good to get more game time. The Falcons brought some very experienced operators, but overall, we put the effort in, even though we couldn’t get the result on the day.
“It’s an 80-minute game, and we couldn’t hold out for long enough.”