If the win against Leicester had been more bump ‘n grind than rock ‘n roll, then the first half against Worcester saw Bristol up the tempo to Trance-like levels with a brand of scintillating, breathtaking and expansive union that got the Premier Rugby PR Department purring and neutral fans swooning. However, the fact that it was only 17-10 at the break, due to three excellent tries but plenty of butchered chances, meant Bears fans were left fearing that they would be facing yet another nail biting second half experience. That’s if they had any nails left. Or fingers. Or even hands, such has been the nature of supporting the Bears for the full 80 minutes in recent weeks. And lo, it came to pass, perhaps more testament to how the Warriors took up the fight as it was to the wastefulness of the Bears.
That Bristol weren’t out of sight by half time was almost inconceivable, as Siva Nualago had the sort of game that in days gone by would have been recorded on tablets of stone and laid to rest on mountain tops. The former soldier engaged the Warriors in close combat right from the start and seeing him latch onto the delicious floated pass from Sheedy at full throttle for the opening score, was as close to rugby nirvana as living beings will ever get. It was a try of such beauty that it deserved to be sent a bunch of roses and a proposal of marriage.
But if the first try was glorious, then the second was pure filth. With so many moving parts, it unfolded like someone mastering a Rubik’s cube in under 30 seconds. It was a riot of colour and movement and had everything from the total rugby playbook – rapid hands from O’Conor and Harding, a kick dummy and chicken wing pass from Luatua, a tackle busting break from Adeolokun, a rapid clear out by Capon and then a delicate cross kick from Sheedy’s Welsh wand that floated into the grateful arms of Nualago, who effortlessly caught the ball and crossed the line again in one fluid movement. With a brace in the bag, he was a man on a mission and desperate to get behind enemy lines at every opportunity. At that point Worcester were weeping and Bristol were baying for blood. In fact, if at that precise moment you happened to turn French you might even have described it as simply ‘ours-some’.
But, and it was a huge but, even though Siva’s personal highlights package alone had been sold across all major territories by half time, it was perplexing that yet again Bristol failed to capitalise on their first half dominance. What is it about second halves at the minute? Squad depth issues? Lack of focus? Or simply the mathematical fact that over a full game, performance levels inevitably regress back to the mean of normality. And credit also has to go to the opposition. Almost getting blown away in the first 20 minutes demanded a response from Worcester. For every action, a reaction and that is precisely what they did and going in at half time only 7 points in arrears, having scored a converted try and a penalty, went some way to weathering the Bristol storm and clearly gave them them hope for the second half.
Both teams emerged from the break determined to establish a foothold, keeping the ball alive in the initial stages for so long that it seemed like virtually all the players had swapped positions in one huge game of stick in the mud. When Joycey took the ball on the left wing, stepped inside and then popped to big Dave Attwood on the inside shoulder you knew that it was time for a knock-on or similar to return some balance to the force. Unfortunately for the Bears it came from a silly penalty conceded in front of the posts and calmly slotted by old boy Billy Searle. Suddenly it was game on and as the famous social commentator and dissector of the capitalist world system, Karl Marx, once said, ‘everything that is solid melts into air’ and poof… as if by magic the Bears’ lead evaporated, as both Searle and Francois Venter conspired to steer the Warriors into a six-point lead – and one which could quite easily have been more when Shillock looked like he was about to put the game to bed as he bore down on the Bristol line. Had it not been for a last-minute tackle by Siva he would have read the book, turned out the light and certainly closed the door on a Warriors victory. It seemed like they had pulled a rabbit out of the hat leaving Bristol to scratch their heads in disbelief. However, a game of competitive rugby is about minimising the ebbs and maximising the flows and ultimately the Worcester comeback was revealed to be simply an illusion as the Bears regrouped, refocused and sensationally scored again as Siva completed his hat-trick at the death. With Sheedy’s nerveless conversion and the pack’s controlled five minute shut out, the brave Warriors’ rearguard action was vanquished and another bonus point victory was secured. The way that Bristol dug in for the win was probably more impressive than the ambition that they had shown in the first half. The squad has been severely tested in recent weeks but despite the odd lapses against Sale and London Irish, have still achieved enough positive results to maintain their position at the top of the table.
In fact, it is hard to think of a player who had less than a good game. The front unit was solid as Will Capon and Jake Woolmore clocked in with impressive shifts, and on his welcome return, Max Lahiff played with the sort of relish that you see him make on his Instagram cookery videos. The locks were their reliable selves and the back row of Harding , Vui and Luatua were here, there and everywhere ably marshalled by Any Uren who stepped up from a couple of patchy appearances to deliver a full blown performance that provided a platform for Callum Sheedy to conduct operations like Simon Rattle at the Royal Albert Hall. Calm and composed, he shrugged off the memory of his wayward first half conversions to deliver the victory with a nerve jangling effort from way out on the touch line. He brings so much control and creativity to the team that he will be sorely missed for the next two games, but if his rapid development, as he swaggers around the international stage, means we get an even more improved version, then it will be well worth the wait.
And while Siva Nualago got all the plaudits, Niyi Adeolokun could well have joined him on the glory board as he look lively and fresh all game, clearly making the most of the opportunity that he had been given. O’Conor did was O’Conor does, galloping around the park like a champion chaser at Cheltenham, and although Alapati was the quieter of the centre duo, his no-look reverse pop pass to Sheedy in the build up to the first try was worth the entrance fee on its own. If there was a fee. And an entrance. And with thighs like pump action pistons, Henry Purdy returned to the fray from his HIA like he’d never been away, making more line breaks than a Shakespearean sonnet and posing the question , yet again, has there been a better signing from the Championship?
With a quick turnaround to Wasps on Friday the good news that Charles Piatau, Nathan Hughes and Luke Morahan would be returning from injury was tempered slightly by the realisation that international call ups and injuries has left us incredibly short at fly half. With only Tiff Eden available for selection it is reported that a number of players, no doubt led by John Afoa, had offered to step into the breach. Despite Eden’s short and shaky appearances this season I suspect that Pat will take the risk and stick him in with a warning that if he doesn’t deliver, he will be remembered as the only fly half in history to be replaced by a tighthead prop, and if that isn’t motivation enough then I don’t know what is.
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Filthy Rig 