Bristol Captain Fitz Harding Highlights Learning from Leinster Defeat

Captain Fitz Harding stated that Bristol Bears’ youthful team would gain valuable experience from their Champions Cup opening match loss to Leinster. The Bears maintained a 7-7 tie with the Irish side for 50 minutes of the game. Playing at Ashton Gate, Bristol initially led against the four-time European Cup champions. They kept the score level at 7-7 until the 50-minute mark, when New Zealand replacement Jordie Barrett initiated a scoring spree with the first of four tries for the Irish team, securing their victory. Their upcoming Champions Cup fixture presents another significant challenge as they are scheduled to travel to France on Saturday to face La Rochelle, the champions from 2022 and 2023. Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Harding remarked, “It’s great learning for us as a group. They’re the sort of team we want to compete with, we competed really well but we didn’t get the result and that’s the main thing.” He further elaborated on the team’s aspirations, stating, “For the rest of the season this is the type of team we want to be – a team that is composed, that finds solutions to the problems in front of them and a team that can front up and I think that we’ve showed we have the capacity do that. But can we do it for 80 minutes and can we do it when the pressure’s really on?” In the Premiership, Bristol currently holds the second position, having secured victories in five of their seven league matches this season. The European campaign, however, introduces a different caliber of opponents. Leinster, considered tournament favorites, featured numerous international stars, with South African World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman, Caelan Doris, and Andrew Porter all listed among their replacements. Harding commented on Leinster’s defensive strategy, saying, “They provided something a little bit different in the way they defend, something we don’t normally face in the Premiership.” He added, “I think we struggled to adapt to that at times we spoke about it a lot during the week but it’s hard to truly replicate a defence like that.” This season, Bristol operates with a comparatively small squad of 38 first-team players, which is the lowest count since director of rugby Pat Lam assumed his role in 2017. Furthermore, the squad’s average age has decreased from last season, with Harding being one of 14 players who are 25 years old or younger. Harding explained, “You can train as much as you want and you can analyse and preview but we’re a young side and there are a lot of lads in that team, including myself – this is the first time I’ve played what is an international side.” He concluded, “It was a great learning experience for myself and lots of other guys in the team facing something they haven’t faced before.”