Pat Lam Identifies Promising Young Players for Bristol Bears Despite Cup Defeat

Bristol academy player Aidan Boshoff scored a try during a cup match where an inexperienced Bristol Bears team was defeated by Bath. Despite the heavy Premiership Rugby Cup loss, director of rugby Pat Lam commented that the Bears have “some kids to watch for the future.” The Bristol team experienced a 78-19 defeat against their local rivals at the Recreation Ground. This match took place less than 24 hours after they had played an exhibition game against an Australia XV at Ashton Gate, which ended in a 10-10 draw. The cup squad featured six academy players in the starting fifteen. Additionally, replacements Ed Timpson and Jacob Cusick made their senior debuts, and Cai Gealy, at 17 years and 99 days old, became the youngest player ever to represent the club. Lam conveyed to BBC Radio Bristol that it was a “Huge experience if you consider the amount of boys that played their first games.” He added, “We said this would be a challenging couple of days for us – injuries, guys away. We said as coaches: ‘Let’s see where they’re at and then we can work out where everyone is at, like mid-term exams’.” He further explained his approach, stating, “”Then on the back of that we can help them, they can help themselves. I said I’m never going to bring the game down, it’s about the players coming up to that standard.” Lam concluded on this point by saying, “”We did some great talent there, some kids for the future. This experience will hold them in good stead and for us in this group.” Following the loss to Bath, Bristol now holds the second position in Pool D after completing two games. Their next fixture is against Ampthill on 24 November, which will be their final group stage match. Five days later, the Premiership season resumes with an away game against Harlequins. Bristol is also scheduled to commence their European Champions Cup campaign next month, with two pool stage encounters: one at home against Leinster and another away at La Rochelle. Lam remarked on the upcoming schedule, stating, “”We’ve got a massive block coming up when we come back, with Premiership and European Cup and eight games straight, so we need to make sure that players are getting game time and can step up.” He emphasized the necessity of a full roster, adding, “”We’re going to need everybody with the squad that we have.”