'We are not are not overawed by this tournament' - Pat Lam reacts to 89 point thriller
Pat Lam admitted that Bristol were ruthlessly punished for their mistakes after French heavyweights Clermont Auvergne floored his team in a spectacular Heineken Champions Cup clash at Ashton Gate.
Bristol’s return to top-flight European rugby after 12 years ended in a 51-38 defeat.
But the 12-try encounter proved way ahead of the recent Autumn Nations Cup Test matches in terms of entertainment value and high-class rugby.
“It was entertaining for neutrals, but you are asking for trouble when you give away 21 points in 16 minutes to a fully-loaded team like that,” Bristol rugby director Lam said.
“The thing that cost us was all our little mistakes.
“We had six turnovers in the first 10 minutes, and little things like our defence over-folded and we didn’t look up. We worked our way back, but ultimately it was a bridge too far.”
Clermont’s bonus-point success confirmed them among this season’s Champions Cup favourites, with Bristol conceding seven tries.
Japanese star Kotaro Matsushima scored a hat-trick, and there was a double for wing Damian Penaud, while centre Apisai Naqalevu and number eight Fritz Lee also touched down, with captain Camille Lopez kicking 16 points.
Bristol, to their immense credit, claimed five tries and a losing bonus point, with Max Malins, Harry Randall, Bryan Byrne, Ioan Lloyd and Siale Piutau all breaching Clermont’s defence, while Callum Sheedy added three conversions and a penalty and Malins converted late efforts by Lloyd and Piutau.
Lam added: “We are not are not overawed by this tournament – it is great to be part of it.
“You don’t know what is around the corner in the sense of other results. This time next week, we will know where it lies.
“It is only four teams out of 12 that will reach the quarter-finals in our pool, and there are some pretty good teams in our pool. We have got to fix the things we didn’t get right.
“We worked hard to be here, and it is great to be playing this sort of rugby against this sort of team.
“We have become the team we have because of these sort of moments we’ve had along the way, and this will be another one as we improve to get to where we want to be.”
A breathless encounter provided more than a point a minute, with some memorable tries and both sets of players putting an emphasis on attack.
Kotaro Matsushima, take a bow ?
Clermont were a joy to watch against Bristol Bears, and 3?? of their 7?? tries came from their Japanese star ??
A clinical #HeinekenChampionsCup hat-trick! pic.twitter.com/BlE8c63xNd
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 12, 2020
“I think it’s a mindset,” Lam said. “When one team decides to play, and the other team decides to play, you can get that sort of rugby.
“We’ve got a great pitch, the weather was good and the attitude from both teams was good.
“I always want my teams to have no fear. If it is on, go. We were running it because it was on.
“There are a lot of dangermen at this level, but you can’t give them time and space, and we gave them time and space through silly things.
“We will learn from it. When you play a team like this, they will bite you, and unfortunately we got bit.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments