Bristol Director of Rugby Pat Lam Reflects on Team’s Performance, Expressing Mixed Feelings

Bristol’s director of rugby, Pat Lam, expressed that he is “happy but not satisfied” with his team’s current performance as they prepare for the Premiership’s resumption this weekend. This follows Bristol’s victory over Northampton in their previous Premiership match at the end of October. The Bears are scheduled to play Harlequins away on Friday night. This upcoming fixture marks their return to league play after a four-week break, which was necessitated by the Autumn Nation Series. Currently, the team holds third place in the table, sharing the same number of points as Leicester, who are positioned above them, and trailing leaders Bath by a single point. Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Lam stated, “This first block we’ve had, I’m happy but not satisfied because we believe we should be undefeated and that we have only ourselves to blame, letting two games go.” He further added, “It also drives us to be even better. We look at what’s coming up – a massive game against Quins and then the Champions Cup. “We set ourselves in the starting place, if you think of Formula 1 with the top three and pole position, to build on. We don’t want to miss this opportunity.” For their upcoming match in London, Bristol will be missing England internationals Ellis Genge and Harry Randall, both of whom are on a week’s rest having participated in all four of their country’s matches during the past month. Conversely, the team will see the return of Viliame Mata from injury, while Santiago Grondona and AJ MacGinty are also back from international commitments and are available for selection. During November, Bristol secured victories in two out of their three Premiership Rugby Cup fixtures, ultimately placing second within their pool. Additionally, they participated in a friendly game against Australia A, which concluded in a draw. Lam highlighted a key advantage: with the Champions Cup set to commence next month, all players, including those from the academy, have now gained first-team experience. “Fifty-three players have now had a taste of Bears rugby; they could be called upon,” Lam stated. He continued, “There’s a really good feel in the group because everyone’s had the opportunity to at least put the jersey on.” Lam also observed, “With a small squad, they look around and know they’re not far off, particularly the second rowers when you think of how many of them are out. Their chance could be any time, so that is what is creating a good competition and feel in the group.”