BORN-AGAIN BRISTOL
Lam insists promotion will be just the start for former giants
THE sleeping giants of English rugby are poised to wake up in 2018. Bristol are marching towards promotion with 13 wins from 13, bankrolled by billionaire Steve Lansdown.
The Mail on Sunday went behind the scenes with coach Pat Lam, lock Joe Joyce and All Black recruit Steven Luatua to discover their grand plan for the West Country club.
LAM: Can Bristol win the Premiership? Without a doubt. People talk about getting promoted and surviving, but that’s the wrong mentality. Our minimum goal is to finish in the top six and qualify for the Champions Cup. This club was one of the giants of English rugby in the Seventies and Eighties. It’s been sleeping but there’s no reason we can’t become a giant again.
JOYCE: I grew up around here and I’m bored of seeing Bath, Gloucester and Exeter fly the flag. It could be a massive year for Bristolian sport. I was at Ashton Gate to see City beat Manchester United. The football team are third in the Championship and I’ll be a happy man if we both go up.
LUATUA: Pat told me his vision of inspiring a community through rugby success. I wanted to be a part of that. Knowing Pat is here is a big factor for us Polynesian boys. When I was looking to leave New Zealand, Bristol was the best fit.
Giving up the All Blacks jersey, especially ahead of the Lions tour, was the hardest part. I do have ambitions to play at a World Cup, Maybe in 2023… LAM: Every day my laptop is buzzing with emails offering us this player and that player. We want guys who fit into a five-year plan and who will improve young Bristolians in the academy. There are guys in our academy who will be playing for England at the 2023 World Cup. LUATUA: When I found Bristol were in the second division, I prepared for the worst. I was expecting to play in front of small crowds on pitches that aren’t taken care of. It has been better than I expected. Playing in some of these little towns has been humbling.
My first away game was at Cornish Pirates. I’d gone from Eden Park to Ashton Gate to a field with no stands and an old school changing room. Early on, I would always see a few guys lining me up. I got smoked a couple of times but it’s all legit. It’s not about one player.
JOYCE: It’s all changed since Pat arrived this season. It feels like I’ve joined a new club. We’ve got nutritionist, a new training ground being built, everything to be a top club.
When I joined the club aged 14, we were short of cash and were given one unbranded T- shirt. Now the young guys get heaps of kit and go on tour. There are no excuses.
We’ve lost a few local lads like Mitch Eadie, Ellis Genge and Chris Brooker so I’ve become the guy who tells everyone where to eat, where to get a house, even the place for the best firewood. I have also taken charge of our team song: Blackbird by The Wurzels! It’s surreal seeing all the Island boys singing it.
We didn’t get to sing it much last season, when we were losing a lot. Now we’re singing it every week.
LUATUA: We t ry t o share our culture. A couple of months back, when I was living at Siale Piutau’s house, we had young Daniel Thomas round for dinner and cooked him chop suey, taro, corned beef — hearty Island foods.
LAM: It’s about culture and relationships. I don’t worry about the things I can’t control. I do my work, make a plan and crack on. People smirk when I say Bristol should be a Champions Cup team but Saracens only got to where they are now because they started with a vision.