Testing change ensures Bristol's New Year Day game goes ahead despite absence of all 6 front rowers from win at Quins
Pat Lam has revealed a change in the training week at Bristol since the emergence of the new strain of Covid earlier this month has ensured Friday’s Gallagher Premiership game will go ahead despite one front player testing positive for the virus and the other front rowers from the win over Harlequins going into ten days’ isolation.
Bristol beat Harlequins on Boxing Day and the consequences for the Londoners have resulted in their New Year’s Day Premiership game at Worcester being cancelled. One positive test in the Quins squad led to a contract tracing review, ruling a further six players out of selection and preventing them from fielding a full front row at Sixways.
While Bristol have ruled out their starting front row from The Stoop – Yann Thomas, Will Capon and John Afoa – along with replacements Jake Woolmore, Bryan Byrne and Max Lahiff for the visit of Newcastle, a change in what they do on testing day has saved the match from cancellation.
Rather than train together on Mondays, as was previously the case, the players now drive in at individual times for testing and head away again straight away from the training ground and it’s only after the results come through by 4am on the Tuesday morning that collective training is allowed to proceed.
It’s a rejigged process that was decided upon by Rory Murray, the Bristol head of medical, and it has worked in their favour to ensure Friday’s match at Ashton Gate will go ahead.
It's the third Premiership match cancellation inside a week https://t.co/IfU8b6Pszx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 30, 2020
“We probably didn’t need to isolate all the front rowers but in precaution we moved them all out and told them not to come in and we go from there. It’s a massive effort from everyone to have the sport running but we are also conscious that we all make the right decisions for safety. They are ruled out, they are in isolation for ten days,” explained Lam, whose half-time talk was pivotal in the comeback win over Harlequins.
“We don’t come together on Monday at all because that is testing day. The boys come in at individual times, get their tests, drive up and go and then we wait for the results. Once that new variant came out and things looked like spiking we made a conscious decision that we won’t come together until we get the results. When you have no positive tests it is easier to slacken but we just said let’s make sure, we’ll take as much precaution and I’m thankful we did.
“It has been six months of tests since July and no player had called a positive test. This is the first one we have had following our game against Quins. You put it in context of what is happening around the country at the moment, we are fortunate and we acted quickly so that everyone is safe.
“We get it [the results] Tuesday morning. We don’t come in (together) until the results are done. We normally start the day, everyone in together at around 8.30am. I’m normally up at around 4am and myself and Rory made the decision to get all those other front rowers isolated. All their results are negative so it is just precautionary.”
4?? bonus-point wins for Chiefs from four games this term has sparked a conversation about the competitiveness of the 2020/21 Premiership minus the Londoners
#GallagherPrem
https://t.co/ImHjnSGSrr— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 30, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Always reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
1 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
4 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
4 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to comments