'I understand that some pitches are like that... but I'm a fan of old school and grass'

Bristol boss Pat Lam has outlined how he very much remains an advocate for grass pitches in the Gallagher Premiership. The Bears coach takes his team to Worcester on Saturday, one of the two clubs in the top-flight who use an artificial surface.

Newcastle are the other Premiership club that currently doesn’t use grass, while recently relegated Saracens were another whose preference is for 4G.

Bristol coach Lam isn’t a fan, claiming he is an old school rugby operator who likes his traditions. “I have always been a fan of daylight rugby, I have always been a fan of old school and grass. That’s me,” he said when asked by RugbyPass why he isn’t a fan of the surfaces used by the likes of the Warriors.

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“That’s just my opinion, but I understand we have got to play at night, I understand that some pitches are like that but I’m not a fan. I’m old school, two o’clock in the afternoon, three o’clock in the afternoon, but the reality is it is what it is and we have got to deal with it.

“It’s not a big deal. I just have my preferences and when we play the others (who use artificial surfaces) we just get on with it.”

With the Premiership awash with recent red cards, Exeter boss Rob Baxter tries to get to the bottom of what the flip is going on#PremRugby #BATvEXEhttps://t.co/98rhgyPGBZ

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 6, 2021

Bristol headed to Worcester out in front of Premiership at the midway point of the 22-match regulation season. Lam doesn’t usually place much heed on the table at this juncture in a campaign but he has researched where the Bears were at this stage last season and claims that having 41 points from eleven games shows things are much improved at the club.

“It just gives you a guide to where you are travelling. It’s not about being top of the table midway, it’s about being there at the end so we are on the journey and we are ahead,” he said. “I had a quick look at where we were at this stage last year and we were 30 points and sitting in third after eleven games so it is a great credit to our growth, our staff, players, everyone developing. 

“That is what we are about. Everyone gets better collectively and certainly from this time last season we have made some big progress. But it’s like when you climb a mountain, the halfway point is tough but the next half of the journey is tougher. It’s rarified air up there. If we stay the same we will be coming back down that hill.” 

"What we are going through now is no surprise to me because when I signed up I knew what I was signing up to"

– Jonathan Thomas is on a five-game losing streak as new Worcester head coach and next up is his old club Bristol#PremRugby #WORvBRI https://t.co/k4NKYAfN6m

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 6, 2021