Saturday’s game was a microcosm of our season.
On one hand there was plenty of effort and endeavour, with bodies put on the line for the cause, but on the other a load of Shakespearean-level huff and puff that signified virtually nothing in terms of end product, with the whole showreel of ways to lose the ball put on display, ranging from standard knock ons, to ‘no-look to no-one’ passes and aimless kicking that only resulted in the TV audience getting more glimpses of the wasteland and motorway flyover behind the stadium than action on the pitch. At one point Bristol even managed to execute a superb tip pass to the line judge who was clearly tempted to catch it and run into space just to make them feel better.
Nope, Bristol did their thing of trying to run around a generally offside rush defence without having the wherewithal to break it down and Sharks did their thing of trying to smash anything that moved and then launching a box kick. The irony was that they almost scored early on when they got the ball out wide to Aaron Reed but then decided for the rest of the game that it was far too risky to repeat and defaulted back to the tried and (and not often this season) tested formula of ‘giving it to Manu’ who, despite his reputation, was lined up nicely by the combination of Hughes and Bedlow and generally stopped in his tracks.The fact that he didn’t make a huge impact on the game was testament to Bristol’s defensive set as much as to the reality that perhaps his star is on the wane despite what Eddie Jones seems to think.
As one of the BT commentators observed, the first half was characterised by a lot of ‘territorial jousting’ and then, getting into his metaphorical stride, suggested that poor old Callum Sheedy was having to ‘bake a cake from crumbs.’ With around 70% possession only yielding a paltry three points off the tee for Bristol it felt like we had been there before and consequently most fans were looking forward to some sort of improvement in the second, especially with a heavy bench to unload.
Four minutes in and I felt like sticking hot needles into my eyeballs such was the continued paucity of the spectacle and not for the first time this season I felt forced to ask myself yet again, is there anything lower than a nadir? The malaise seemed to be infectious and so quiet was the stadium that for the TV watching audience the only human voices that could be heard were those of the commentators, the players and the referee. In fact, if both teams had managed to channel the energy they found to cheer each other’s mistakes into playing a proper game of rugby then perhaps the whole thing might have become slightly more bearable.
But just like a shaft of unexpected sunlight breaking through the thick grey clouds on a miserable British summer’s day, a moment of magic cast a spell over the proceedings. Semi Radrada finally emerged from his seemingly endless pre-season to collect an exquisitely timed pop pass from Piers O’Conor and slice through the Sale midfield like the flash of a rapier in an 18th century sword fight before sidestepping the full back with the look of a spring lamb on its first gambol to dot gratefully under the posts and provide the Bristol faithful with the cheer that they had all been craving. The fact that he then gifted Sale an easy three points after conceding a needless penalty from the restart seemed strangely poetic given the season we have had and continued the ‘we score, they score’ pattern of play to which we have become sadly accustomed. However, the net four points afforded Bristol the victory and meant that it was the first ‘Enya’ win at the AJ Bell in the Pat Lam era with his strategy of loading the bench with the lion’s share of the salary cap and then bringing them on to effect the win just about working, albeit by the slenderest of margins.
In terms of performances, Harry Randall definitely had a game to forget, but given that the only people watching were the two men and a dog in the stadium, a partisan but no doubt small TV audience and those doing community service, meant he probably got away with it. That said, to say that he had butter fingers was a bit of an understatement as he appeared to have smeared a whole range of diary products on his hands given the amount of times he fumbled the ball.
Most of Bristol’s best efforts were in and around the floor with the decision to get Nathan Hughes back into the fold clearly a good one which bodes well for the return leg at the Gate. He was ably assisted in his endeavours by the engine room of Joyce, Attwood, Vui and Jeffries and despite the lack of points on show there is no doubt that those five in particular contributed massively at giving the Bears a shot of glory in the rematch.
In the backs, Callum Sheedy did at least try to change the narrative with a number of clever cross kicks and directional changes and appears to be playing with more confidence as the season draws to its conclusion but even that wasn’t enough to lift the game from the depths of the barrel it was scraping. Alapati Leuia continued his campaign to be crowned backs’ player of the year with yet another all court performance and Luke Morahan donned his silky suit and glided across the turf like the rugby thoroughbred that he is. Perhaps the best Bristol performance, however, was from the small number of fans who gave Alex Sanderson a full ‘Briiiiiiiiiistoling’ during his post match interview. If eyes really could kill then Greater Manchester Police would have had a triple murder on their hands.
However, the fact remained that the best thing that could be said about the game was that it was ‘one for the purists’ and the upshot is that both teams may as well have agreed that result beforehand and saved themselves all the physical and mental pain and misery that the ensuing 80 minutes produced.
Whilst Bears fans must be hoping that the Gate will be packed and rocking for the return leg the fact that it is Good Friday and on TV does make you worry that there will be plenty of empty spaces. Announcing free tickets to NHS workers with four days to go seems a bit late in the day to be more than a desperate marketing ploy and I suspect that those of them who haven’t already bought a ticket will either be working or on holiday. If by Thursday they are offering freebies to anyone with an NUS card or living in Bath then you know that the writing is probably on the wall. That said the scheduling of all the second leg ties over the Easter weekend will no doubt hit a lot of attendances hard and from a Bristol perspective the eyes must remain firmly fixed on the promise of a trip to Paris, probably against the might of Racing 92.
Whilst nothing at the AJ Bell did anything to shorten the 50-1 odds that are currently being offered for Bristol to win the whole thing, anything is possible in knockout rugby and given that a novice horse with no course and distance experience and an amateur jockey on board won the Grand National then there is some hope to all the Bristolian long shot punters out there.
One thing is certain though. It’s now or never time and if we are to get anything meaningful out of this disappointing season then Friday night has to be the start of it.
Up the Bears!
Filthy Rig 