For Premiership Newcomers Bristol Rugby, The Relegation Battle Already Started Three Weeks Ago
With an opening record of played 3, lost 3, Bristol Rugby look set to suffer in their promotion season, just as London Welsh did in ‘14-’15. Lee Calvert goes in search of some reasons for the Ashton Gate faithful to remain optimistic.
In the 2014-15 season, newly promoted London Welsh set a litany of new records for utter awfulness. It was testament to the loyalty of their supporters that they kept turning up, right to the end of a season which saw their team win zero games, score only 223 points and concede a whopping 1021. All they had to show for a full season was a single, solitary try bonus point, standing alone in the points total column like a spotty, sweaty lad leaning on the wall at a school dance while everyone else is necking on the dancefloor.
Bristol have started the latest Aviva Premiership season with all the rookie aplomb of that London Welsh season. Played three, lost three; points for 51, points against 123. Last weekend saw them take the mother of all hidings as they lost 70-22 to Wasps and their sexy, sexy backline. On the plus side, Bristol have at least managed to glean one bonus point already – it took London Welsh until after Christmas in their horror season to register in that column.
Prior to this season Bristol have been getting very close to promotion for some time. In fact losing in the Championship promotion play-off final in a heartbreaking manner started to become become something of their specialty. While this was not a great deal of fun for their fans, a squad of decent quality was being built over this time by their very experienced coach, Andy Robinson, backed by the deep pockets of owner Stephen Langton.
This squad now contains the likes of Soane Tonga’uiha, Gavin Henson, Tusi Pisi, Jack Lam, Ian Evans, David Lemi, Jordan Crane and Tom Varndell – all either solid players or top drawer, experienced operatives admittedly now in the gloaming of their careers but with something still to offer. And let’s face it, Gavin Henson is probably immortal, or at least he believes he is. Add to this their decent following and a great stadium and there is the basis for a solid post-promotion season.
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Compare this to London Welsh, who were promoted without a viable stadium as their home matches are played in what is essentially a public park, thus they had to wait until their plan to decamp to Oxford, and thus their promotion, was approved – and initially wasn’t, so they took it to court. When the promotion go ahead was finally given most league transfer business had already been concluded, leaving Welsh to sign some thirty-odd players – an entirely new squad – from the leftovers. The marquee signing was All Black Piri Weepu, who was a perfect representation of their troubles. He spent the season flitting uselessly between scrum-half and out-half and, from the look of him as the season wore on, between several local takeaways.
Bristol would’ve started this season thinking that all they needed to do was pick up results home and away against Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors, as four wins would likely see them safe. But Newcastle have put a spanner in the works by unexpectedly winning their opening game vs Sale, meaning they already have five points in the bag. This, combined with Bristol’s hammering vs Wasps makes for grim reading for Bristol’s fans. They now face two likely losses as Exeter and Saracens roll into town, before a visit to Newcastle on October 8 for a fixture that will set the tone for their season. Win and they can look to build; lose and it will feel like they are losing their footing in quicksand.
London Welsh showed that there is a truly embarrassing way to be relegated. While Bristol are simply too good to disgrace themselves in such a manner, in the end it doesn’t really matter how you get relegated: the outcome is still the same. It is difficult to see how Bristol escape this fate over the next six months.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments