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'Whole organisation knows it': What Bristol won't accept in 21/22
Pat Lam didn’t pull any punches when outlining to RugbyPass the bottom line that Bristol have for the new Gallagher Premiership season which opens this Friday at home to newly-promoted Saracens. The Bears blazed a trail last term to finish on top of the table and while there were no damning recriminations when beaten in a home semi-final, not making the final in the season ahead will be unacceptable.
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Why so? When Lam arrived at the club from Connacht in 2017, he crafted a five-year plan for when they bounced back from the Championship at the end of 2017/18 and despite their shock Premiership semi-final loss to Harlequins after surrendering a 28-0 lead, making the final in 2020/21 wasn’t an achievement Bristol had targeted in their day one outlook.
Club owner Steve Lansdown admitted as much when reflecting on Bristol’s unfortunate semi-final exit, stating: “We are on target if you look at what we set out to achieve. We were ahead of target and we have allowed ourselves to go back on target. That’s the disappointing side of it but if that is the biggest disappointment we are going to have maybe we shouldn’t be too upset about it.”
The thing is, though, there is now no margin for error. Year four back in the Premiership is the season Lam and Bristol targeted way back at the start of his reign to secure a Twickenham final appearance. Lansdown has reminded fans of this ambition, adding “our target was always to be in the final this year and to look to win it – and that’s where we want to be”, so the pressure is now very much on to deliver.
“This year, the fourth year in the plan, the final is what is down as the bottom line,” acknowledged Lam. “Top of the league means nothing, it’s about being in the final. That is our bottom line. Now those are bottom lines, it’s not our targets. It’s the minimum, so that is what he [Lansdown] is talking about.
The post-mortem has been delivered from on high after Bristol's staggering surrender of a 28-point semi-final lead https://t.co/vQonpfa46h
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 2, 2021
“We had the bottom line of fourth (in 2020/21) and we finished third in the end despite being top of the table, so that is what he meant because it is written in (the plan). Everyone knows it – the whole organisation knows it. Everyone knows that a third place is not a successful season for us this year.”
Piecing out such an ambitious plan was something Lam insisted on doing when he first arrived in Bristol from Ireland. He could have played safe, downplayed the long-term bottom line for the club, but it wasn’t in the nature of the Samoan, a former Premiership title winner with Newcastle who also enjoyed European Cup success as Northampton skipper.
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“When I was asked to come I didn’t want to just arrive here to take the job and take the money as sometimes people think that is what I did,” he explained. “I had clarity in the vision and set a plan out for five years. What I put on that plan was expectation was the bottom line. So for the first year, it was to stay in the Premiership. I believe I could have written a five-year plan just to stay in the Premiership but that wasn’t the plan.
“We finished ninth, which was the highest any club that has come up has done, but I was still annoyed because we were still five points off fourth place. A couple of games we blew were our own fault, we should have got into that playoff. Second-year was the top six and we hit third and I was annoyed. We should have won that semi-final (at Wasps), but we didn’t play well, and then last year was top four. We finished top of the table but again we blew a semi-final and again it was a great experience.”
"I’m not sure that he definitely is (over it) but…"
– 19 weeks since Billy Vunipola learned he was overlooked by the Lions, Saracens reckon he is poised to "hit the ground running Friday night"#Lions #PremRugby #BRIvSAR #Sarrieshttps://t.co/CyAW7cQs5v
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 14, 2021
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