Harlequins test

CLUB DIRECTORY 

Bristol Bears, Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Road, Bristol, BS3 2EJ 

Website: www.bristolbears.com | Phone: 0117 963 0600 

Email: team@bristolbearsrugby.com 

Twitter: @BristolBears | Facebook: Bristol Bears Rugby 

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STAFF DIRECTORY 

BOARD AND DIRECTORS 

Owner: Stephen Lansdown CBE 

Director: Jon Lansdown 

Chairman: Chris Booy OBE 

Chief Executive Officer: Mark Tainton 

Company Secretary: Gavin Marshall 

BRISTOL BEARS 

Director of Rugby: Pat Lam 

Assistant Coach: Conor McPhillips 

Forwards Coach: Jonathan Thomas 

Skills Coach: Bruce Reihana 

Defence Coach: John Muldoon 

Scrum Coach: Mark Irish 

Team Manager: Nick Fenton-Wells 

Head of Medical Services: Rory Murray 

Head of Strength & Conditioning: Kevin Geary 

Head of Performance Analysis: Stuart Powell 

HONOURS 

ASHTON GATE STADIUM 

Chairman: Martin Griffiths 

Managing Director: Mark Kelly 

Group Head of Communications: 

Lisa Knights 

Stadium General Manager: Ross Wormald 

Head of Safety: David Storr 

Head of Grounds: Dan Sparks 

BRISTOL SPORT 

Chairman: Jon Lansdown 

Group Head of Commercial: 

Caroline Herbert 

Group Head of Communications: 

Lisa Knights 

Group Chief Financial Officer: 

Gavin Marshall 

Head of Marketing: Charlie Lincoln 

LEAGUE: 

• Gloucestershire County League 1898/99, 1899/1900 

• Sunday Telegraph English Merit Table 1965/66, 1973/74 

• Sunday Telegraph English and English/Welsh Merit Table 1971/72 

• RFU South West Merit Table 1979/80, 1981/82 • Allied Dunbar Premiership Two 1998/99 

• National Division One 2004/05 • Greene King IPA Championship play-off 2015/16 

• Greene King IPA Championship 2017/18 

CUP 

• Gloucestershire County Cup 1905/06 • John Player Cup 1982/83 

• Powergen Shield 2003/04 • British & Irish Cup 2010/11 

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CONTENTS 

05 Pat Lam 

07 NEWS 

09 LAST TIME OUT 

12 PREMIERSHIP ROUND-UP 

15 OPPOSITION 

22 BRISTOL BEARS WOMEN 

27 ASHTON GATE UPDATE 

28 MEET THE SQUAD 

34 ACADEMY 

38 COMMUNITY 

42 PLAYER POSTER 

44 INTERVIEW: JOHN AFOA 

51 RADIO BRISTOL 

53 CLUB PROFILE: CHEW VALLEY 

55 SUPPORTERS CLUB 

57 BRISTOL POST 

60 PAST ENCOUNTERS 

65 VIEW FROM THE TERRACES 

67 MASCOTS & BIRTHDAYS 

68 QUIZ 

73 MAN ON THE MIC 

75 DOWNSY 

78 FIXTURES & RESULTS 

82 TODAY’S TEAMS 

Design: JMP UK | Print: Manor Printing Services 

Photography: JMP UK | Editor: Will Carpenter 

Contributors: Richard Pitt, Mark Hoskins, 

Richard Hoskins, Ian Downs, Andrew Cleaver, 

Neil Williams, Kayleigh Parker

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY 

PAT LAM 

Good afternoon 

everyone and 

an especially 

warm welcome to Paul 

Gustard, his staff and 

playing squad, and 

all of the Harlequins 

supporters. We hope 

you enjoy your day in 

Bristol. 

I’d like to start by thanking 

our incredible supporters for 

their backing at The Rec last 

weekend. On an historic day for 

the club – a first win at Bath 

in 14 years and completing a 

league double – the noise you 

made really got us over the line. 

We know that result would have 

meant so much to everyone 

associated with the club, and 

I’m very proud of everyone. 

It was the result of a lot of hard work, off the back of a very physical 

week of training. We knew it was going to be one of the toughest 

challenges in the Premiership and had to prepare accordingly. The 

players stuck to the plan and it was a very big win for us. 

“I’d like to THANK our 

incredible supporters for 

their backing at The Rec last 

weekend. The noise you made 

really got us over the line.” 

against one of the Gallagher 

Premiership’s form sides. 

Harlequins have beaten 

Saracens and Exeter in their 

past three games and will arrive 

here today full of confidence 

and well prepared by a very 

good coach in Paul Gustard. 

They beat us in round two, so 

we know we will have to be at 

our best to get a result this 

afternoon. We’re on a good 

run but know there are still 

a number of areas we can 

improve our game – we’ll have 

to do exactly that against 

Harlequins. 

Finally, we were delighted to 

announce that Jake Heenan 

had signed a two-year contract 

extension at Bristol Bears 

earlier this week. Jake is a 

versatile player and has made 

some important contributions 

in the past two seasons. He is a leader and his value to the team is 

second to none, so we’re excited to see how he continues to develop 

and add more value over the next two years. 

Enjoy your afternoon. 

05 

This week will be no different – it’s another huge challenge 

God bless. 

use the new Bristol Bears APP to watch Pat Lam’s press conference 

BRISTOL BEARS | 08.03.20

26

NEWS 

DUO COMMIT TO 

BEARS FUTURES 

Siale Piutau and Jake Heenan 

are the latest Bristol Bears 

players to commit their 

futures to the club with new 

contracts. 

Centre Piutau has signed a one-year 

contract extension, while versatile back 

row forward Heenan has penned a two-year 

extension. 

07 

Director of Rugby Pat Lam said: “Siale is a 

key part of our group. He’s one of the big 

drivers of our culture and is well respected 

and valued by all the players and staff. 

“It’s not just his personal performances, 

it’s the leadership role he plays and the 

clarity he brings to everybody on and off 

the field. 

“We have excellent young players that 

are growing and learning what being a 

professional rugby player is from players 

like Siale, so to keep him for another season 

is massive for the Bears. 

“Jake is a versatile player and has made 

some important contributions in the past 

two seasons. 

“His value to the team is second to none – 

Jake is consistent, a leader, and has huge 

respect from the players and staff. 

“After recovering from injury at the 

beginning of his time here, Jake has gone 

from strength to strength and established 

himself as a key operator within the group. 

“The more he has played, the better he 

has got, so we’re excited to see how he 

continues to develop and add more value 

over the next two years.” 

Piutau added: “I’m delighted to be staying 

at Bristol. It’s a city that me and my family 

have a close affinity to, and we are really 

enjoying our time here and the environment 

that Pat and the coaches have created. 

“I’m hugely excited about the direction and 

Jake Heenan 

and, left, 

Siale Piutau 

journey this club is on and delighted to 

continue to be a part of that, alongside my 

brother.” 

Heenan said: “I’m delighted to have 

extended my stay at Bristol Bears. I’ve 

thoroughly enjoyed working with Pat Lam 

once again and I’m really enjoying my rugby 

here. 

“There’s a really good group here and a 

real one team culture where everybody 

contributes on and off the field. 

“We are building an exciting squad and I’m 

looking forward to playing my part in the 

next stage of the club’s journey.” 


THANK YOU 

FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT 

MAIN CLUB SPONSOR 

PARTNER SPONSORS 

PARTNER SUPPLIERS 

From top: Dan Thomas scores Bears' dramatic 

last-minute try; Piers O'Conor crosses the line 

for Bears' opening try. Opposite page, from 

top: Nathan Hughes overturns England centre 

Henry Slade; Ed Holmes wins the lineout 

before Bears' drive to the line.

LAST TIME OUT 

13 | 19 

RECREATION GROUND | 01.03.20 

Bath Rugby: Tries: Chudleigh 66. Cons: Priestland 66. 

Pens: Priestland 8, 38 

Bristol Bears: Tries: Vui 6, Leiua 17, Randall 64. 

Cons: Sheedy 12, 64. 

Bristol Bears delivered a 

sensational backs to the 

wall display to complete a 

league double over local rivals Bath 

and record a first victory at The 

Recreation Ground since 2006. 

First-half tries from Chris Vui and Alapati Leiua 

– courtesy of a magical Callum Sheedy assist 

– and a breakaway third from Harry Randall after 

the break set up an historic win, but this was a 

triumph built on a heroic defensive effort, bravely 

marshalled by captain Steven Luatua. 

09 

Two Rhys Priestland penalties, a yellow card to 

Joe Joyce and Will Chudley’s 66th-minute try 

ensured a tense finale to a brutal West Country 

derby, but a courageous Bristol defence stood 

firm to earn a fourth successive Gallagher 

Premiership win and strengthen their grip on the 

top four. 

LINE-UP 

Bristol Bears: C Piutau; Morahan (Protheroe 68), 

O’Conor, Bedlow (Madigan 74), Leiua; Sheedy, Uren 

(Randall 59); Y Thomas (Woolmore 40), Malton 

(Capon 40), Thiede (Lahiff 40), Holmes, Joyce , 

Vui, Luatua (c) (Hamilton 67), Crane (Hughes 32). 

TOP STAT 

Above from top: Chris Vui scores Bears’ opening try; scorer Alapati Leiua challenged by 

Semesa Rokoduguni; resolute defending by the visitors holds up Bath’s Elliott Stooke. 

Bears made 215 tackles (with 

89% success). That’ll make 

215for some sore shoulders! 

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PREMIERSHIP ROUND-UP 

SHARK ATTACK 

Chiefs miss opportunity to extend lead with injury-time defeat at Quins 

Sale Sharks moved into 

second place of the 

Gallagher Premiership 

after 12 rounds with a 10-23 win 

at Kingsholm against Gloucester. 

Man in form: Sharks 

winger Marland Yarde 

12 

Robert Du Preez’s penalty, followed by Luke 

James’ converted try in the 35th minute, 

had Steve Diamond’s men in control at the 

break. Sale’s dominance continued in the 

second half with Bryn Evans dabbing down, 

however Willgriff John’s yellow card was 

immediately followed by a try for the home 

side from Fraser Balmain. 

Just as Gloucester seemed to have worked 

their way back into the game, however, 

Marland Yarde continued his fine form with 

a try on the hour mark. There was hope for 

Gloucester as Twelvetrees scored but this 

only secured a losing bonus point for the 

Cherry and Whites in the end. 

Surrendering second place to Sale were 

Northampton Saints who went down 

21-27 at home to Saracens. Saints raced 

into a 12-0 lead through tries from Fraser 

Dingwall and Harry Mallinder, but Rotimi 

Segun’s try for Saracens soon after kept 

the home side in check. Northampton came 

out of the break with a 15-8 lead but two 

yellow cards within a minute of each other 

for Lewis Bean and Taqele Naiyaravoro 

freed up room to allow tries from Jack 

Singleton, Nick Tompkins and Ben Earl to 

secure the win for Saracens. 

Harlequins remain firmly in the playoff 

hunt after a 34-30 win over table-toppers 

Exeter Chiefs at The Stoop. The 13-13 score 

at half-time reflected how even the sides 

were playing but Quins made the better 

start to the second-half with a try from 

Tevita Cavubati. 

A quick-fire brace of tries from Exeter’s Joe 

Simmonds saw the pendulum back in favour 

of the visitors. Marcus Smith’s converted 

try in the 61st minute, followed by Chiefs’ 

Simmonds slotting a penalty, saw the game 

poised at 27-30. Relentless pressure at the 

scrum on Exeter’s line, however, led to a 

decisive penalty try being awarded to Quins 

in the 85th minute to seal the win. 

Leicester Tigers narrowly defeated 

Worcester Warriors 14-8 at Welford Road. 

Perry Humphreys opened the scoring 

to give the visitors the lead only for 

Leicester’s Jordan Olowofela to cross the 

line and see the teams into half-time level 

at 8-8. Two second half penalties from 

Johnny McPhillips proved enough to clinch 

an important win for Leicester. 

Wasps’ fantastic second-half performance 

saw them to a 26-36 win away at London 

Irish. Trailing 14-10 at the break, the visitors 

clinched the win through second-half 

tries from Ben Harris, Marcus Watson, Dan 

Robson and Jacob Umaga. 

Bristol Bears secured a narrow 13-19 victory 

away at in-form Bath to retain third spot. 

Tries from Chris Vui, Alapati Leiua and 

Harry Randall saw Pat Lam’s side to first 

win at the Recreation Ground since 2006.

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP 

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts 

Exeter Chiefs 12 8 0 4 333 210 123 40 25 4 4 40 

Sale Sharks 12 7 0 5 295 190 105 36 20 3 4 35 

Bristol Bears 12 7 1 4 261 249 12 29 27 2 2 34 

Northampton Saints 12 6 0 6 287 301 -14 34 37 4 3 31 

Bath Rugby 12 7 0 5 221 236 -15 21 29 1 1 30 

Wasps 12 5 0 7 300 306 -6 36 35 5 3 28 

Harlequins 12 5 1 6 270 309 -39 32 34 3 3 28 

London Irish 12 5 1 6 255 311 -56 33 41 5 1 28 

Gloucester Rugby 12 4 0 8 246 243 3 33 21 4 5 25 

Worcester Warriors 12 4 0 8 192 285 -93 17 37 0 5 21 

Leicester Tigers 12 4 1 7 194 278 -84 19 33 1 1 20 

Saracens 12 8 0 4 314 250 64 39 30 4 2 -67 * 

* Saracens deducted 105 points for breaches to the Salary Cap regulations 

13 

124 

MOST POINTS 

MARCUS SMITH, 

HARLEQUINS 

7 

MOST TRIES 

HASSELL-COLLINS (L IRISH) 

KIBIRIGE (WASPS) 

REES-ZAMMIT (GLOUCESTER) 

1124 

METRES GAINED 

CHARLES PIUTAU, 

BRISTOL BEARS 

58 

DEFENDERS BEATEN 

CHARLES PIUTAU, 

BRISTOL BEARS 

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP POOL 4 

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts 

Bristol Bears (Q) 6 5 1 0 209 58 151 27 6 4 0 26 

Brive 6 3 0 3 111 165 -54 14 22 1 1 14 

Zebre 6 2 1 3 106 151 -45 15 19 2 1 13 

Stade Francais 6 1 0 5 104 156 -52 11 20 1 3 8 


OPPOSITION 

15 

MIGHTY 

QUINS 

Harlequins head to Ashton Gate today on the 

back of a last-gasp win over leaders Exeter, and 

looking forward to a Premiership Cup final 

clash at Sale next week.

OPPOSITION 

16 

PICK OF THE PACK 

WILL EVANS 

Flanker who 

joined ahead 

of the 2019/20 

season, 

becoming a 

regular in the 

first team despite a spell out with a 

broken jaw. Rose through the ranks 

at Leicester Tigers in the closing 

stages of the 2015/16 season, making 

his senior debut before representing 

England at the World Under-20s Cup. 

GABS IBITOYE 

Twenty-oneyear 

old wing 

from Lambeth 

who has scored 

nine tries 

so far this 

season. Renowned for his spectacular 

finishing ability, the former England 

U20 player has gained over 500 

metres in the Premiership this season 

and is ranking highly in the league’s 

clean breaks and defenders beaten 

stats. 

AARON MORRIS 

Versatile 

back-line player 

who has been 

ever-present so 

far his season, 

wearing the 

number 15 shirt 

for the most part. The 25-year-old 

is in line to reach 50 caps for 

Harlequins this season, and has 

scored three tries; twice in the round 

one Premiership Rugby Cup victory 

over Bears. 

Harlequins currently sit seventh in the table, 

but due to it being the tightest and most 

competitive league of late sit just three points 

away from fourth-placed Northampton Saints. 

Paul Gustard’s side have produced an array 

of impressive performances so far this 

season, including league victories at The 

Stoop over reigning champions Saracens 

and current league leaders Exeter Chiefs, as 

well as an early win against today’s hosts 

Bristol Bears in round two. 

The side has also enjoyed a successful 

run to the final of this year’s Premiership 

Rugby Cup, which takes place next weekend 

against Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium. 

Following a strong campaign in Gustard’s 

first year at the club in 2018/2019, 

Harlequins finished fifth and secured their 

place back in the Heineken Champions 

Cup after missing out the previous season. 

Grouped with Ulster, ASM Clermont 

Auvergne and Bath, Harlequins produced 

HEAD OF RUGBY 

PHIL GUSTARD 

spirited performances to finish third 

after a clean sweep of Bath home and 

away, accompanied by a narrow defeat in 

Belfast and testing Clermont at The Stoop. 

This season saw a number of new faces 

enter the fold with the likes of Chris 

Robshaw, Joe Marler and Danny Care being 

joined by internationals Scott Baldwin and 

Martin Landajo, plus exciting prospects such 

as Will Evans. 

The side has been forced to rotate heavily 

due to an extensive injury list. However, many 

of the young talents winning a place are 

leading the way in the rankings, including 

Marcus Smith – currently top points scorer 

with 124 points – and Cadan Murley and Gabs 

Ibitoye, who are both ranked in the top five 

for metres gained and clean breaks. 

Paul Gustard joined Harlequins as Head of Rugby at the start of the 2018/19 season, after a 

long and illustrious playing career, during which he represented England A and 

the Barbarians. 

At club level, he won four Premiership titles and two European Cups in 

five years with Leicester Tigers before moving to London Irish and finally 

Saracens in 2006, where he joined the club’s coaching team and helped the 

club win two Premiership titles and a European Cup. He joined Eddie Jones’s 

coaching team at the start of 2016, helping England win the Grand Slam, 

back-to-back Six Nations titles and a first-ever series win in Australia. 

During his first season at Harlequins, ‘Gussy’ guided his side to 

a fifth-place finish and secured a spot back in the Heineken 

Champions Cup. The Head of Rugby is building strong 

foundations and an exciting environment for the club to 

continue developing on and off the field. 

Pictured right: Main picture, fly-half Marcus Smith. Inset, Cadan Murley. Preceding page: Celebrations during Quins’ win over Saracens in December. 

#TogetherWeRise

17 

DESPITE AN EXTENSIVE 

INJURY LIST MANY OF THE 

YOUNG TALENTS WINNING A 

PLACE ARE LEADING THE 

WAY IN THE RANKINGS. 

124 

HARLEQUINS FLY HALF 

MARCUS SMITH IS THE 

LEADING POINTS SCORER IN THE 

PREMIERSHIP AFTER 12 ROUNDS. 


BRISTOL BEARS WOMEN 

SEVENS UP 

FOR BEVAN 

22 

Bears scrum half named in GB training squad – putting Wales 

international in frame for an Olympics place in Tokyo this summer. 

Bristol Bears Women scrum 

half Keira Bevan has been 

named in in Scott Forrest’s 

GB Sevens extended squad, 

putting her in the frame for 

inclusion in the Team GB rugby 

sevens squad for July’s Olympic 

Games in Tokyo. 

Bevan headed to Scotland last week to take 

part in the first of three GB Sevens camps 

ahead of selection for the Games. 

“It’s an unexpected but exciting 

opportunity for me, “ said Keira. “We know 

that almost half of this extended squad 

won’t travel to Tokyo so it’s definitely a 

case of working hard from here, keeping 

my head down and pushing for a spot. 

“There’s going to be a lot of competition 

but that’s only going to benefit everyone in 

the long term.” 

Wales Sevens head coach Ollie Phillips 

said: “It’s fantastic to have three 

Wales players named in this extended 

squad. They’ve all got the skillset and 

professionalism needed to challenge 

for a place in the final squad and we will 

continue to support them as best we can 

to ensure they are in the best possible 

place to do so. 

“The hard work starts here, but it will be a 

challenge they will relish as international 

athletes and competitors.” 

Following the camp in Edinburgh, there 

will be further camps in Wales and England 

in April. 

#TogetherWeRise

BRISTOL BEARS | 08.03.20 

23

BRISTOL BEARS WOMEN 

BEARS STARS IN SIX 

NATIONS ACTION 

Bears Women Amber Reed and Sarah Bern played their part as England Women 

kept their Grand Slam hopes alive after overcoming Ireland at Castle Park, whilst 

Wales suffered a heavy defeat to France at the Cardiff Arms Park 

27 | 00 00 | 50 

24 

It was an 19th consecutive win on home soil 

for Simon Middleton’s side, with the victory 

coming in front of 5,000 fans at a sold-out 

Castle Park in Doncaster. 

The Red Roses – with Bears duo Sarah Bern 

and Amber Reed earning a place in the 

starting XV – opened the scoring in the 

third minute, after Sarah Hunter crashed 

over the whitewash after a dominant score 

from England. 

Dow crossed from for the second score of 

the game early on to make it four tries in 

three games for the Wasps winger. 

Middleton’s side reverted to their deadly 

driving maul for a third as Vicky Fleetwood 

peeled off the back of a rolling maul to dive 

over the line, and Jess Breech then crossed 

in the corner to open up a 22-0 lead at 

the half. 

Dow had a second disallowed for an earlier 

forward pass but soon after England were 

over as Sarah McKenna darted through on 

the hour. 

Chris Horsman’s side had their moments, 

but it was Les Bleus who ran out deserved 

winners at Cardiff Arms Park racking up a 

half century of points on Sunday afternoon. 

Bears duo Keira Bevan and Siwan Lillicrap 

started for Wales, whilst Manon Johnes and 

Lauren Smyth were named amongst 

the replacements for the round 

three clash. 

There were eight French tries 

in total with Cyrielle Banet and 

Laure Sansus both scoring twice. 

Safi N’Diaye, Marine 

Menager, Julie Annery 

and Camile Boudaud 

added further efforts 

for Les Bleus as they 

kept Wales scoreless 

in Cardiff. 

Bears and England forward 

Sarah Bern. 

#TogetherWeRise

Amber Reed in action for 

England during the 27-0 win 

over Ireland. 


Purdy in action against 

former club Gloucester 

26 

#TogetherWeRise

NEWS 

GAMING AT THE GATE 

07 27 

Rewind and Replay is 

coming to Ashton 

Gate this Easter. 

Organised by experienced 

video game events 

specialists Replay Events, 

each session will be jam 

packed with everything 

you love about video 

gaming all under one roof. 

The event – which will be held in the 

Easter holidays on April 14th/15th 

2020 – will feature modern, retro 

and arcade games plus Minecraft, 

Fortnite, LAN gaming, virtual reality, 

rhythm games and more. 

Tickets are just £11 for adults and £9 

for U16s, with 10% off for all Bristol 

City, Bristol Bears and Bristol Flyers 

season card holders. You can buy 

tickets via tickets.bristol-sport. 

co.uk or by calling 0117 963 0600. 

MODERN GAMING 

The next-gen gaming zone 

at Rewind and Replay will 

have a selection of the latest 

PS4, Xbox One and Switch 

titles, plus a number of Xbox 

Live and PSN games running 

some of the quirkier and 

leftfield titles. High spec 

PCs will run the latest and 

greatest independently 

produced multiplayer games. 

RETRO GAMING 

Relive your favourite gaming 

memories with the retro 

zone. We will have hundreds 

of consoles and computers 

spanning 40 years of gaming 

history, from Pong to 

PlayStation 3 and everything 

in between. 

ARCADE GAMES 

Relive your childhood 

memories with a selection 

of classic arcade machines, 

each one set to free play 

including Pac-Man, Donkey 

Kong, Space Invaders, Street 

Fighter and Outrun! 

RHYTHM GAMING 

Get your groove on with 

the best music, dance 

and rhythm-action based 

games – from classics like 

Donkey Konga and Parappa 

the Rapper, to hidden gems 

like PlayStation 2 Taiko 

Drum Master and Xbox 360 

DJ Hero. 

VIRTUAL REALITY 

Oculus VR, HTC Vive 

and PSVR setups will be 

available, with a selection 

of games. If you’ve never 

tried VR before our staff will 

be on hand to assist and 

guide you. 

FORTNITE 

Bring along your friends for 

some Duo or Squad action, 

or show-off Solo in the 

dedicated Fortnite area. 

MINECRAFT 

A massive Minecraft Zone 

will be running custom maps 

in creative and survival 

modes. 

LAN GAMING 

We’ll have a LAN Gaming 

Zone running some classic 

old school LAN games, 

including Quake, Command 

and Conquer, CounterStrike. 


2019/20 FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

NUMBERS IN RED INDICATE SQUAD CAP NUMBER 

595 

JOHN 

AFOA 

PROP 

DOB 16.09.83 

H 6ft 0in | W 119kg 

@john_afoa 

@j.afoa 

602 

JAKE 

ARMSTRONG 

PROP 

DOB 17.03.94 


@BIG_Armstrong 

@N/A 

365 

DAVE 

ATTWOOD 

SECOND ROW 

DOB 05.04.87 


@Dmjattwood 

@Dmjattwood 

573 

JOE 

BATLEY 

SECOND ROW 

DOB 27.06.96 


@banterwithbats 

@ batsssssssss 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

610 

SAM 

BEDLOW 

CENTRE 

DOB 08.08.95 


@sambedlow1 

@sambedlow 

BRYAN 

BYRNE 

HOOKER 

DOB 09.09.93 


@Bryan_Byrne12 

@bryanbyrne_ 

Adrian 

CHOAT 

Back row 

DOB 20.11.97 


N/A 

@adrianchoat 

538 

JORDAN 

CRANE 

BACK ROW 

DOB 03.06.86 


@jordancrane86 

@jordancrane86 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

28 

596 

LUKE 

DANIELS 

UTILITY BACK 

DOB 17.01.92 


@Lukey_D 

@lukey_daniels 

560 

OLLIE 

DAWE 

PROP 

DOB 14.03.87 


@olliedawe1 

@olliedawe 

615 

TIFF 

EDEN 

FLY HALF 

DOB 16.10.94 


@Tiff_Eden 

@tiff.eden 

454 

RYAN 

EDWARDS 

WING 

DOB 22.09.90 


@ryanlukeedwards 

@ryanlukeedwards 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

LEADING POINTS SCORER 2019/20 

ALL COMPETITIONS 

161 

31 PENALTIES, 

34 CONVERSIONS 

CALLUM SHEEDY 

FLY HALF 

#TogetherWeRise

619 

TOBY 

FRICKER 

WING 

DOB 20.07.95 


N/A 

@tobygfricker 

624 

LUKE 

HAMILTON 

BACK ROW 

DOB 07.01.92 

H 6ft 3in | W 

@lukehamilton6 

@lukehamilton6 

534 

JOHN 

HAWKINS 

LOCK 

DOB 11.11.96 


@johnhawkins1996 

@johnhawkins741 

612 

JAKE 

HEENAN 

BACK ROW 

DOB 17.02.92 


@HeenanJake 

@jakeheenan 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

594 

ED 

HOLMES 

SECOND ROW 

DOB 27.12.95 


@ed_holmes 

@ed_holmes 

623 

NATHAN 

HUGHES 

NUMBER EIGHT 

DOB 10.06.91 


N/A 

@NateWJHughes 

540 

WILL 

HURRELL 

CENTRE 

DOB 15.01.90 


@WilliamHHurrell 

@williamharryhurrell 

495 

JOE 

JOYCE 

LOCK 

DOB 07.02.94 


@joejoyce2 

@joejoyce5565 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

620 

MAX 

Lahiff 

Prop 

DOB 09.12.89 

H 6ft 0in | W117kg 

@LahiffMax 

@lahiffmax 

593 

JAMES 

LAY 

PROP 

DOB 16.12.93 


@lamesjay 

@lamesjay 

604 

JORDAN 

LAY 

PROP 

DOB 05.11.92 


@N/A 

@jordan.lays 

574 

ALAPATI 

LEIUA 

CENTRE 

DOB 21.09.88 


@alapatz 

@alapati_carmel 

29 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

611 

TOM 

LINDSAY 

Hooker 

DOB 18.11.87 


@tomlindsay2 

@tomlindsay02 

564 

STEVEN 

LUATUA 

BACK ROW 

DOB 29.04.91 


@StevenLuatua 

@StevenLuatua 

565 

IAN 

MADIGAN 

FLY HALF 

DOB 21.03.89 


@Ian_Madigan 

@ian.madigan 

601 

SHAUN 

MALTON 

HOOKER 

DOB 15.02.90 


@ShaunMalton 

@shaun_malton 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

LUKE 

MORAHAN 

UTILITY BACK 

ALY 

MULDOWNEY 

second row 

PIERS 

O’CONOR 

CENTRE 

DOB 13.04.90 


DOB 03.08.83 


DOB 28.08.95 


566 

@LJmorahan 

@AlyMuldowney 

@OConor_Piers 

@lmorahan 

616 

@alistairmuldowney 

605 

@poconor1 

608 

TOM 

PINCUS 

WING 

DOB 28.05.92 


@Tom_Pincus 

@tompincus 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 


2019/20 FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

NUMBERS IN RED INDICATE SQUAD CAP NUMBER 

617 

CHARLES 

PIUTAU 

FULL BACK 

DOB 31.10.91 


@cpiutau 

@cpiutau 

557 

SIALE 

PIUTAU 

CENTRE 

DOB 13.10.85 


@spiutau 

@spiutau 

569 

MAT 

PROTHEROE 

FULL BACK 

DOB 10.10.96 


@mathprotheroe 

@mathprotheroe 

626 

HENRY 

PURDY 

UTILITY BACK 

DOB 21.05.94 


@henrypurdy_ 

@purds_ 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

607 

HARRY 

RANDALL 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB 05.04.87 


@ HazRandall9 

@harryrandall_9 

519 

CALLUM 

SHEEDY 

FLY HALF 

DOB 28.10.95 


@sheedy95 

@sheedy95 

598 

NIC 

STIRZAKER 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB 08.03.91 


@NicStirz 

@nicstirz 

599 

HARRY 

THACKER 

HOOKER 

DOB 18.02.94 


@Harry_Thacker 

@harrythacker2 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

30 

606 

LEWIS 

THIEDE 

PROP 

DOB 27.08.90 


@lewisthiede 

@lewisthiede 

567 

DAN 

THOMAS 

BACK ROW 

DOB 11.10.93 


@danielthomas93 

@danieljohnthomas_ 

572 

NICKY 

THOMAS 

PROP 

DOB 26.08.94 


@Nicky_Thomas3 

@nicky_tom 

600 

YANN 

THOMAS 

PROP 

DOB 16.04.90 


@N/A 

@N/A 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

498 

ANDY 

UREN 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB 20.02.96 


@AndyUren9 

@andyuren 

576 

CHRIS 

VUI 

Utility Forward 

DOB 11.02.93 


@chrisvui_ 

@chris_vui 

603 

JAKE 

WOOLMORE 

PROP 

DOB 07.12.90 


@JakeChunkz 

@jakechunkz 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

LEADING TRY SCORERS 2019/20 

ALL COMPETITIONS 

6 

WILL 

CAPON HOOKER 

LUKE MORAHAN BACK 

PIERS O’CONOR CENTRE 

MAT PROTHEROE FULL BACK 

HARRY THACKER HOOKER 

#TogetherWeRise

2019/20 INTEGRATED 

ACADEMY SQUAD 

ACADEMY CAR PARTNER 

BEN 

BAMBER 

SECOND ROW 

DOB 24.01.01 

H 6’8” | W 126kg 

@benbamber2 TBC 

@benbamber_01TBC 

621 

JACK 

BATES 

WING 

DOB 26.05.01 


@jack_bateszzz 

@jack_bateszzz 

BLAKE 

BOYLAND 

SCRUM HALF 

DOB 24.10.00 


@BoylandBlake 

@blakeb0yland 

585 

WILL 

CAPON 

HOOKER 

DOB 12.10.99 

H 5ft11in | W 103kg 

@WillCapon2 

N/A 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

578 

JAMES 

DUN 

BACK ROW 

DOB 07.07.99 


@jamesdun 

@Dunnie7 

589 

SAM 

GRAHAM 

BACK ROW 

DOB 06.07.97 


@samgraham3 

@sammyg_63 

590 

GEORGE 

KLOSKA 

HOOKER 

DOB 16.11.99 


@GeorgeKloska 

@georgekloska 

614 

IOAN 

LLOYD 

FLY HALF 

DOB 05.04.01 

H 5ft 8in | W81kg 

@ioanlloyd3 

@ioanlloyd10 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

AUTOGRAPH 

586 

AUTOGRAPH 

CHARLIE 

POWELL 

UTILITY BACK 

DOB 29.10.99 


@charlie_powell4 

@charliepowell13 

31 

2019/20 Bristol Bears squad, 

September 2019 


2019/20 PLAYER SPONSORSHIP 

BECOME 

A PLAYER 

SPONSOR 

32 

If you are interested in player 

sponsorship packages and would like 

further information please e-mail 

commercial@bristol-sport.co.uk 

or call 0117 963 0613. 

FEATURED SPONSOR: CHRIS VUI 

HARTLEY PENSIONS 

Hartley Pensions, a Wilton Group Company, is an award-winning pension services 

company that has provided pension products to clients for over 35 years. Every 

client gets their own personal Pension Administrator who holds industryrecognised 

qualifications. 

Upon joining the Wilton Group in 2015, we expanded our range of products and 

services to our clients to offer innovative and flexible Professional, Financial 

and Pension solutions. 

We pride ourselves on establishing and maintaining long-lasting relationships 

with our business partners and clients by providing them with professional, 

friendly and personalised administration. Our products are designed to be 

flexible, straight-forward and relevant to our clients’ needs. 

We are here to make the complex world of pensions simple. 

For more information about our services, please feel free to contact our team on 

+44 (0)117 316 9991, or by email at: admin@hartleypensions.com. 

#TogetherWeRise

2019/20 SPONSORS 

JOHN AFOA 

DAVE ATTWOOD WILL CAPON 

JORDAN CRANE LUKE DANIELS 

SAM GRAHAM 

JOHN HAWKINS 

PIPPA & 

ALISON EMSLEY 

Jake HEENAN ED HOLMES NATHAN HUGHES 

WILL HURRELL 

JOE JOYCE 

ALAPATI LEIUA 

IOAN LLOYD 

STEVEN LUATUA 

IAN MADIGAN 

LUKE MORAHAN 

PIERS O’CONOR 

TOM PINCUS 

CHARLES PIUTAU 

33 

SIALE PIUTAU 

CHARLIE POWELL 

MAT PROTHEROE 

HENRY PURDY 

HARRY RANDALL 

CALLUM SHEEDY 

HARRY THACKER 

DAN THOMAS 

YANN THOMAS 

ANDY UREN 

CHRIS VUI 

JAKE WOOLMORE 

GO TO THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

SECTION OF THE BEARS' OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

BRISTOLBEARS.CO.UK TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT 

OUR PLAYER SPONSORS 


34 

#TogetherWeRise

ACADEMY 


BEARS 

PIPPED 

CRANE LIFTS 

YOUNG BEARS 

AT THE 

U18s, following a successful first 

Jordan Crane is enjoying his 

start to life as transition 

coach of the Bears Academy 

season at the helm alongside the 

final season of his playing career. 

And although satisfied with the progress 

made, Crane insists there remains plenty of 

room for growth and improvement. 

He added: “It was nice to have a successful 

season but, when we look back at it, we 

missed a few opportunities to do even 

better. 

35 

The experienced number eight, who joined 

Bristol Bears from Leicester Tigers in 2016, 

began his transition into coaching ahead of 

the 2019/20 Academy U18 League campaign – 

and the 33-year-old has made a huge impact 

in his first season in the role. 

“To begin with, it was different. I have been 

coaching over the last couple of years, but 

to go to that level was challenging for me 

– certain pictures you see at a professional 

level don’t necessarily translate to the age 

groups,” he said. 

“We changed stuff mid-season on the hoof 

and the lads had to pick it up, and that’s 

credit to them.” 

With three wins in the pool stages – over 

Bath, Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs – the U18s 

reached Finals Day at Sixways for the first 

time, where a last-gasp converted try for 

Newcastle Falcons saw them slip to a 35-34 

defeat. The result meant the Bears finished 

sixth overall. 

“I think we tried to change the mindset of 

the Academy, from where they have been 

since the Academy League has been going, 

and part of that was to tighten up the 

defence straight away. 

“There’s still some work to go. You see a 

lot of Academy games where the score is 

six tries to five; whoever scores the most 

tries, wins. 

“We don’t want to be that team anymore, 

that doesn’t set us up for professional rugby, 

that’s not what it’s like at the top level. 

“So, what we’re trying to do is turn the age 

group into a high performance stepping 

stone, so the guys who make it to the first 

team are ready and know what it takes. If 

we can upskill the whole group to be at that 

level, it makes us more successful. 

“There’s a lot of hard work being done 

throughout the pathway and we’re making a 

lot of progress across the board.” 

“what we’re trying 

to do is turn the 

age group into a 

high performance 

stepping stone, so 

the guys who make 

it to the first team 

are ready and know 

Chay Mullins of Bristol 

Bears U18 is tackled by 

Lewis Robertson 

what it takes.” 


60

ACADEMY 


England cap: 

Blake Boyland with 

family and friends. 

Inset: Alex Groves 

BLAKE WINS 

FIRST U20 CAP 

Blake Boyland came off the 

bench to make his England 

U20 debut in the recent 

39-21 defeat to reigning Grand 

Slam champions Ireland at 

Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens. 

The SGS Filton scrum half - who previously 

studied at Colston’s School - has been part of 

the Academy set up since U13, and previously 

represented England at U17 and U18 level. 

Ireland led 29-7 at the break scoring tries 

through Alex Soroka, Hayden Hyde, Thomas 

Ahern and Ethan McIlroy, while England 

crossed via George Hammond. 

Second half scores from Hugh Tizard and 

Theo Dan gave England hope but tries via Max 

O’Reilly and Ahern won the game for Ireland. 

It was a first loss for England having defeated 

France and Scotland in the opening two 

rounds, while Ireland remain unbeaten. 

Academy lock Alex Groves was named among 

the replacements for England U20s clash with 

Wales in round four of the U20 Six Nations 

Championship on Friday night. 

BEARS DUO IN 

ROSES SQUAD 

wo Bristol Bears 

Academy U18 youngsters 

T have been named in 

a 48-player squad for this 

weekend’s England U17 

development camp, in which a 

north v south academy fixture 

will take place. 

Matty Jones (SGS Filton) 

and Dylan Power (Colston’s, 

pictured) are both included for 

the camp, which is designed 

to provide pathway staff an 

opportunity to identify next 

year’s England U18s squad, the 

majority of whom will play in 

August’s International Series in 

South Africa. 

The development camp also 

provides England U18s head 

coach Jonathan Pendlebury 

a chance to introduce playing 

principles and themes to the 

group, while also providing 

players an opportunity to 

develop their game outside 

of their usual school and 

academy environment. 

The competitive fixture on 

Sunday between ‘north v south 

academies’ also allows guest 

coaches and support staff an 

opportunity to manage players 

and teams outside of their 

usual environments. 

37 


COMMUNITY 

WHEELCHAIR 

RUGBY 

38 

#TogetherWeRise

Bristol Bears Wheelchair 

Rugby, one of the 

Foundation’s longest 

running programmes, 

successfully delivered on its 

promise to bring competitive 

Wheelchair Rugby to the city, 

as the South West Development 

League came to Bristol. 

With teams travelling from Bournemouth 

(Lions) Southampton (Solent Sharks) and 

Plymouth (South West Hawks), the home leg 

of the series brought round-robin action 

and knock-out finals to UWE Centre for 

Sport, with dozens of fans in attendance 

to enjoy. 

The inclusive adults club, recently boosted 

by the support of the Ciao Foundation, has 

worked tirelessly for over four years to 

develop a provision that not only provides 

meaningful social sport for disabled and 

non-disabled people alike, but can also 

provide an accessible pathway to disability 

competition for classifiable players. 

39 

Gaining sponsorship from communityfocussed 

law firm Irwin Mitchell LLP 

enabled the team to enter a GBWR (Great 

Britain Wheelchair Rugby) recognised 

competition for the first time, but more 

than that was the final piece of the puzzle 

for providing the team identity that many 

of the players have sought. 

Programme manager, Kris Tavender, said: 

“To see wheelchair rugby arrive in Bristol 

is such a special moment - and it would not 

have been possible without the sponsorship 

and support of both the Ciao Foundation 

for our club provision, nor without 

Irwin Mitchell, whose Bristol office have 

championed the creation of a competitive 

team since our first introductions. 

“We really are indebted to all of our 

supporters, not just for their financial 

support, but for being there on the day and 

being such a big part of it. From cheering 

the team on to meeting and greeting 

players, our friends from Ciao have been 

such a big part of the day, and to see 

friends and guests from Irwin Mitchell not 

only clapping from the sidelines, but also 

jump into chairs for demonstration games 

alongside University of Bristol medical 

students and our own Bears wheelchair 

players was a sight to see!” 

To find out more about weekly wheelchair 

rugby sessions, contact Head Coach Ian 

Blundell at iblundell@bristolbearsrugby.com. 

Pics: Ian Rice Photography 

“To see wheelchair 

rugby arrive in 

Bristol is A special 

moment – and it 

would not have 

been possible 

without the 

sponsorship 

and support.” 


40 

TACKLING 

HEALTH 

#TogetherWeRise

COMMUNITY 

At Bristol Bears, we 

want to encourage 

children to become 

more active and eat more 

healthily. 

That’s why we’re continuing to 

team up with Premiership Rugby to 

deliver Tackling Health, an exciting 

programme in partnership with 

Greggs Foundation. 

The interactive programme, for 

children aged seven to eight, takes 

a holistic approach to teaching 

children about their own health, 

wellbeing and about leading a 

healthy lifestyle with a rugby focus. 

The programme uses rugby 

to improve young people’s 

understanding of what constitutes 

healthy eating and a healthy diet and 

to increase young people’s levels of 

physical activity. 

The 2018/19 season saw Tackling 

Health delivered to nearly 15,000 

participants throughout the country, 

as well as 24 rugby festivals taking 

place. 

And we’re not stopping there! 

So for more information about 

Tackling Health, including how 

to get involved, please visit: 

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/ 

tacklinghealth. 

"The programme uses 

rugby to improve 

young people’s 

understanding of 

what constitutes 

healthy eating and 

a healthy diet and 

to increase young 

people’s levels of 

physical activity." 

An example of the information given to children as part of the Tackling Health programme 

41 


JOHN 

AFOA

INTERVIEW 

TOP 

OF THE 

44 

PROPS 

When John Afoa left New Zealand in 2011 it was only supposed 

to be for a short stint away from home – but fast forward nine 

years and the World Cup winning prop says he feels ‘lucky’ to have 

experienced the very best of Northern Hemisphere rugby. 

activate AR content using THE brand-new official club app 

#TogetherWeRise

BRISTOL BEARS | 08.03.20 

45

46 

#TogetherWeRise

“It’s great, the 

position we’re in, 

but Pat and the 

coaches run a tight 

ship and sometimes, 

the way he reacts 

in training and in 

meetings, you’d 

think we were 12th.” 

When John Afoa left New Zealand 

to join Ulster in 2011, it was only 

supposed to be a short stint away 

from home. 

47 

But fast forward nine years and three clubs, and the World 

Cup winning prop says he feels ‘lucky’ to have experienced 

the very best of Northern Hemisphere rugby, alongside some 

very familiar faces. 

The 36-year-old played 58 times for the Irish province before 

heading to the West Country to join Gloucester, amassing 105 

caps for the Cherry and Whites during a four-year stint at 

Kingsholm. From there it was a short trip down the M5 to link 

up once again with Pat Lam and Bristol Bears – and Afoa says 

he is fortunate to have represented three prestigious clubs. 

“My time at Bristol has been great. I’m feeling really lucky 

and I’ve said it many times – coming overseas, it was only 

meant to be one of two years, but I’ve found myself at three 

amazing clubs. 

“The supporters have been great, and to finish here with Pat 

– who I know so well – and a couple of young Academy kids 

when I was in New Zealand, I’m really enjoying my time here. 

“If you take Charles (Piutau) for example. I was there when he 

played one of his first games and he had an absolute 4 


For more details call 0117 963 061 

or contact caroline.herbert@bristol-sport.co.uk 

ELITE MEMBERS 

30

4stinker, got dropped and didn’t play for the rest of the 

season. Now look at him – making thousands of metres every 

season. 

“It’s great to see that, but it’s also been great to see the 

development of the Bristol boys and the other guys who have 

come into this team, making sure this club carries on the way 

it’s going.” 

The 36-cap All Black has been a key cog in the Bristol Bears 

machine ever since his arrival – and having signed a one-year 

extension over the summer, Afoa insists there is plenty more 

to come from Pat Lam’s side. 

“It’s great, the position we’re in, but Pat and the coaches run 

a tight ship and sometimes, the way he reacts in training and 

in meetings, you’d think we were 12th. 

“He’s hard like that, because he knows we’ve got more in the 

team and we can do better. That’s the kind of mindset that 

has kept us in good shape over the past 18 months. 

“It’s important to finish this block off well, with one game left 

before a break. I think it’s important that we seal our place at 

the top of the table, in that top half, so we can come back in 

two weeks’ time and just finish the season. 

“I don’t think there are any more breaks after that, it’s just 

a run of games and they will go really fast. So, it’s important 

that we stay nice and high, put the pressure on and points on 

the table, but it comes down to performance and we’ve got to 

make sure we do that against Harlequins.” 

PROFILE 

JOHN AFOA 

PROP 

36 6’0 ” 121 kg 

Age 

Height 

Weight 

A World Cup-winning All Black 

international of 36 caps, experienced 

prop Afoa joined Bristol from West 

Country rivals Gloucester in 2018. 

The tight-head was named in the 

Gallagher Premiership team of the 

season in 2018/19. 

The former Auckland Blues and Ulster 

front-rower made his All Blacks debut 

against Ireland during the 2005 Grand 

Slam tour of the home unions. 

49 


26

Brave: Danny Cipriani 

RADIO BRISTOL 

BBC RADIO BRISTOL DEDICATES A WEEKLY SHOW TO LOCAL RUGBY INCLUDING BRISTOL BEARS. 

THE SCRUM IS BROADCAST EACH TUESDAY ON 94.9 FM AND DAB, OR CATCH UP ON THE BBC SOUNDS APP. 

BE KIND, NOT CRUEL 

51 

Rugby is full of examples of 

bravery. Countless players 

have played through – or 

come back from – horrific looking 

injuries, but I’m not sure I’ve seen 

more courage anywhere, than 

Danny Cipriani displayed in his 

social media video from earlier 

this month. 

I only caught up with it last week, having 

been away when it was first posted, but it’s 

stayed with me ever since in a way few things 

have done recently. In case it’s passed you by, 

the Gloucester back was posting about the 

death of his former girlfriend, Caroline Flack, 

who took her own life while awaiting trial for 

assaulting her boyfriend. 

I hadn’t really followed the case, as I’ve never 

really watched any of the programmes that 

made her famous. I chose to watch the video 

having listened to the BBC’s Rugby Union 

weekly podcast, where Ugo Monye, Danny 

Care and Chris Ashton talked very eloquently 

about the whole situation. Their discussion 

about the impact of social media really 

struck a nerve with me, so I took the time 

out to watch all 18 minutes of an obviously 

distraught, but determined, Cipriani. 

It’s not a very English character trait to 

show emotion, especially at a time when his 

head must be completely scrambled, but the 

bravery to open up about his own problems 

was inspiring. It was also profoundly 

depressing that it took such an obvious 

tragedy to prompt it. The gist of his entire 

message can easily be boiled down to just a 

couple of words – be kind. He’s not the first 

person, and won’t be the last, to encourage 

this attitude. And, as much as I’d love to 

believe differently, the chances are it won’t 

cause a lasting change in most people. 

Social media, in particular, seems to bring out 

the worst in many of us and it’s something I 

see most weeks. It’s noticeable that any time 

the sporting teams we cover lose, we always 

get a much bigger response from fans. Over 

the 20 years I’ve been covering sport, that’s 

pretty much always been the case, but what 

has definitely changed in that time is the 

increasingly personal nature of the abuse. 

If your team has played rubbish, it’s 

perfectly fair to say so. If a player has had 

a particularly awful game, again, I’ve no 

problem with anyone saying that. It’s a results 

game, we’re told, and opinions come with 

the territory. That’s fine. But turning that 

into a personal attack, isn’t. I’ve seen the toll 

it can take on coaches, in particular. Both 

Liam Middleton and Andy Robinson (along 

with countless football managers) genuinely 

looked ill when the pressure was really on, 

and personal attacks on social media played 

a part in that. 

We could all do with a bit more kindness in 

our lives, so why not start today? 

Ed Hadwin 


26

CLUB PROFILE 

TO FEATURE YOUR CLUB CONTACT 

william.carpenter@ashtongate.co.uk 

CHEW VALLEY RFC 

Continuing a series featuring our Combination rugby clubs 

FACTFILE 

GROUND Lobbingtons, Chew Lane, Chew Magna, Bristol BS40 8QB 

WEBSITE www.CHEWRUGBY.COM | TWITTER @CHEWVALLEYRFC 

We are currently running 

three senior men’s 

teams, a senior ladies 

side, a junior girls squad and 

a growing youth section from 

Under-6s to Under-16s. 

We are fortunate enough to have our teams 

in a wide range of leagues allowing inclusive 

rugby for everyone, this includes our first XV 

in South West One West and our Ladies team 

in Women’s NC South West 1. 

53 

The club – which was originally founded in 

March 1969 – boasts a first-class club house 

with two pitches maintained to the highest 

standards providing the teams with possibly 

the best playing surface in the South West. 

Providing a space for everyone is one of our club’s fundamental 

core values. This is something we have been fortunate enough to 

provide to many different groups within our community. These 

have ranged from classic car meets to the Pounds for Porge annual 

summer fun day, with each event providing the opportunity for the 

community to come together. 

This is something we are hoping to be able to do more of this 

season to say thank you and welcome in the community around us 

that has helped us become the club we are today. 

If you are interested in hiring our facilities please email clubhouse@ 

chewrugby.com, or for more information on events we will be 

hosting throughout the year, visit our social media pages 

@chewvalleyrfc or our website www.chewrugby.com. 


26

SUPPORTERS CLUB 

@BrisRugSC | 

Bristol Rugby Supporters Club 

WHAT A WEEKEND 

“EVERYONE WHO MADE THE 

TRIP WAS IN GREAT VOICE 

AND WE CERTAINLY MADE 

OURSELVES HEARD.” 

What a weekend it has 

been to be a Bristol fan! 

We come into today’s 

game on the back of a fantastic 

and hard-fought victory from our 

neighbours down the A4. 

Let’s keep that support and momentum going 

today. 

The Supporters Club would like to extend a 

warm welcome to all players, coaches and 

supporters from Harlequins. We hope you had 

a safe trip and enjoy your day. 

AWAY TRAVEL 

Gloucester RUGBY, 

SATURDAY MARCH 28TH 

We will be running a coach to 

Gloucester on March 28th. 

The coach will leave the Hilton 

Doubletree near St Mary Redcliffe 

church at 2.30pm, and Horfield 

Common next to the TA Centre at 

3pm. The cost is £10 for members 

and £15 for non- members. 

Please email admin@ 

brissupportersclub.co.uk or visit the 

Supporters Club gazebo to book 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

55 

Everyone who made the trip was in great 

voice and we certainly made ourselves 

heard. 

Enjoy the game! 

Kaye Parker, Supporters Club Chair 

Your 2019/2020 Committee 

Kaye Parker, Chair | Richard Dennis, Treasurer | Tina Parker, Secretary | Jim Ramsden, 

Committee Member | Tom Hewson, Committee Member | Dominic Jenkins, Committee Member 

Alison Emsley, Committee Member | Paul Hewson, Committee Member 

You can now follow us on Facebook 

and Twitter. To receive updates 

please follow @BrisRugSC on 

Twitter and search for Bristol Rugby 

Supporters Club on Facebook where 

we will be posting any relevant 

information for coach travel, 

supporters club events etc. 


26

BRISTOL POST 

UNSUNG HEROES 

What a win it was for 

Bristol Bears in the derby 

– Pat Lam’s side turned 

up to the Rec, and delivered. 

In my post-match analysis for the Bristol Live 

website I was quick to praise the headline 

standout players: man of the match Charles 

Piutau, who was once again uncontainable 

and simply playing rugby on a different level; 

Joe Joyce, who is the spiritual heart and 

soul of this special side, and captain Steven 

Luatua, who proved once again he would run 

through a wall in the name of the Bears. 

But I want to spend today talking about 

a couple of players who sometimes get 

forgotten amongst the star names who 

sparkle and enthral us in equal measure. 

It’s a cliché, but a team is only as strong as 

its weakest link and there were simply none 

to be found on Sunday because everyone 

stepped up. 

Sam Bedlow, 24, has made five appearances in 

the Gallagher Premiership this season having 

found himself as first choice for the 12 jersey 

following injuries to Siale Piutau and Will 

Hurrell. Having looked stretched in a couple 

of games since the turn of the New Year he 

answered any critics with a composed and 

almost faultless display against Bath. 

Make no mistake, with two experienced 

operators in Josh Matavesi and Jackson 

Willison, Bath will have been targeting the 

inside centre channel as an area to exploit 

but the big hitting Bedlow repelled the 

powerful hosts by making 10 tackles, with 

outside centre Piers O’Conor also making 10 

and Callum Sheedy clocking up 12 of his own. 

The centre looks set for a continued run in 

the side and will keep growing with game 

time. He will need to be on his game again 

today with the impressive and powerful Paul 

Lasike - sometimes nicknamed The Missile 

- likely to be at the centre of the Harlequins 

attack. 

In the forward line, 20-year-old Will Capon is 

on the verge of establishing himself as 

first-choice hooker at the club, with Harry 

Thacker currently injured. He impressed in 

a cameo role off the bench for the Bears in 

the victory over Bath, which was the 17 stone 

2lb forward’s eighth Premiership game of 

the season. 

His exploits in the ‘pre-season’ Premiership 

Rugby Cup has also earned him a place on 

the shortlist for the Premiership Rugby Cup 

Breakthrough Player Award and, while the 

Bears man is unlikely to walk away with the 

prize as Bristol did not progress out of the 

group stages, it is another recognition of the 

growing stature of the former England U20s 

player. 

Bristol-born Capon is a strong line out 

operator and a powerful ball carrier, making 

an average of 2.63 metres a carry in the 

Premiership this season. This is despite often 

running into heavy traffic and prepared 

defences, as he is used to soften up the 

opposition and drag in players to open up 

space for the likes of Piutau, Luke Morahan 

and Alapati Leiua to exploit in the backs. 

Along with Shaun Malton, Geroge Kloska 

and Tom Lindsay - Capon now has additional 

competition for the hooker spots with the 

arrival of Bryan Byrne from Leinster for the 

rest of the season but I think he will rise to 

the challenge. 

Capon, and to a lesser extent Bedlow – who 

started his career at Sale Sharks – are 

examples of Lam’s long-term vision for the 

club of bringing talented youngsters through 

the academy and into the first team and they 

will continue to play key roles this season and 

into the bright future. 

John Evely 

57 

Above: Bears hooker Will Capon 


PAST ENCOUNTERS 

BRIS’ GREAT TAN 

Mark Hoskins looks back to a Bristol victory over Harlequins in the 

first season after World War Two, featuring a very special player. 

60 

MATCH FACTS 

SCORERS 

Bristol: 

Tries: Murphy, Griffin, Hogarth, 

Meredith; Con: Thompson (2) 

Harlequins: 

Try: Cross; Pen: Chapman 

TEAMS 

Bristol: V H Thompson (captain), 

G E Green, J E Harris, R Pearce, 

H Griffiths, R R Morris, H Tanner, 

L J Griffin, T A B Mahoney, C W 

Webley, E H McCall, G Hogarth, C R 

Murphy, A Meredith, E E Houlden 

Harlequins: B D Napper, A G 

Butler, R L Hudson, J A Davies, 

C H Watson, M J Daly, N A 

Steel, F P Dunkley, G E Loader, 

G W Plumtree, B W Cole, J R 

C Matthews, D K Brooks, K H 

Chapman (captain), R K Cross 

REFEREE 

A Gadney 

(Leicestershire) 

06 | 16 

Twickenham | 06.04.46 

Anybody making a list of 

the finest scrum halves of 

all time would inevitably 

have to include the great Haydn 

Tanner. 

He first sprang to public attention in 1935 

when, in the company of his outside half 

cousin Willie Davies, he starred in Swansea’s 

famous victory over the All Blacks – the first 

time New Zealand ever lost in Britain to a 

non- international side. Remarkably Tanner 

and Davies were teenage schoolboys at 

the time! Tanner went on to win 25 caps for 

Wales in a career interrupted by the Second 

World War. He toured South Africa with the 

1938 Lions and captained Wales on a dozen 

occasions. Good judges of the game who 

were fortunate enough to see him play speak 

of him as one of the greatest players ever in 

his position, and many who saw both Tanner 

and Gareth Edwards in action find it hard to 

say which was the finer player. Haydn Tanner 

played his early rugby for Swansea and 

represented Cardiff in his final playing days, 

but for a brief time at the end of the 1945/46 

season he was actually a Bristol player. 

Tanner’s time at Bristol coincided with his 

appointment to the staff of Bristol Grammar 

School in March 1946. He taught physics, 

maths and PT at the school, and it is likely 

that he was recruited by headmaster John 

Garrett for the kudos of having a major 

sporting figure on his staff. In the event, 

Tanner only stayed at the school for a year, 

and he was not much help to the school team 

on Saturdays as he was playing rugby himself. 

However, he was definitely of use to Bristol, 

albeit for just two games. 

The 1945/46 season was not amongst Bristol’s 

finest. Slightly more games were lost than 

were won, yet despite this the season was 

a happy one. The important factor was that 

official rugby had returned to the calendar 

after six years of conflict, and Bristol’s fixture 

list quickly featured all the famous clubs they 

had been accustomed to playing back in the 

1930s. The rugby flag had been kept flying 

in the city, with the Bristol Supporters’ XV 

playing throughout the war seasons, and this 

meant that when Bristol restarted, they had 

many experienced players already available. 

These included full back Vic Thompson, an Old 

Colstonian who had captained the Supporters’ 

XV for the last three seasons of the war. It 

was only right that Thompson, a farmer from 

Publow, should be named as the club’s first 

post-war skipper. 

The rest of the Bristol side which faced 

Harlequins at Twickenham in April 1946 makes 

for interesting reading. This was Tanner’s 

debut, and as his half back partner he had 

another Welsh international in Ronnie Morris. 

Morris had won his first cap in 1933 as a 

Swansea player, but his second and last cap 

in 1937 was from Bristol, making him the

first Welsh international to be capped direct 

from the club. Amongst the threequarters 

was winger George Green, who was a prolific 

try-scorer; he had the honour of scoring 

Bristol’s first post-war try, eventually 

touching down for a hat trick of tries against 

Stroud in the first match after the conflict. In 

the centre for Bristol was another interesting 

figure, old Bristolian Jack Harris. He had the 

unusual distinction of playing for Bristol 

under two different surnames. His debut was 

as Jack Horton, but when he was 21 he was 

adopted by his guardian, Henry Harris, and 

consequently took his name. 

Morris and Tanner were the only capped 

players in the Bristol side, but the pack 

featured Alun Meredith, who would receive 

three caps for Wales in 1949 as a member 

of Devonport Services. Also in the Bristol 

pack were L J Griffin, universally known as 

‘Basil’, and Charlie Murphy, a popular rugby 

character who later wrote on the game for 

the local press. Bristol’s second row pairing 

at Twickenham was future England trialist 

Eric McCall and George Hogarth, whose 

father had won a single international cap in 

England’s first ever game with France back 

in 1906. Bristol’s hooker for the day was Tom 

Mahoney, ‘Mr Bristol’ to many people, who 

devoted so much of his life to the club as a 

player and administrator, eventually receiving 

an MBE for services to the game. 

Harlequins played the bulk of their home 

games at Twickenham for a vast period of 

their history, and as a result Bristol have 

met them there many times. Their captain in 

Rugby great: Haydn Tanner 

1945/46 was back row forward Ken Chapman, 

and he was joined in the pack by John 

Matthews, who would later win ten England 

caps. Also, in the side were winger Geoff 

Butler, winner of two pre-war England caps 

and a future RFU President, plus centre Jack 

Davies, who had played for Wales in a wartime 

international and who would eventually play 

rugby league for his country. Maurice Daly, 

the outside half, had won a single cap with 

Ireland in 1938, while flanker David Brooks, 

another future RFU President, would become 

manager of the 1968 Lions. Harlequins had 

beaten Bristol 6-5 at the Memorial Ground 

earlier in the season. 

Harlequins opened the scoring at Twickenham 

when Chapman kicked a penalty, but within 

minutes Bristol had edged in front. The 

Bristol pack, which had started slowly, began 

to dominate and, after a foot rush from the 

forwards, home full back Basil Napper failed 

to touch down when the ball was kicked over 

the line. Murphy rushed up and fell on the 

ball to claim the try, with Thompson adding 

the extras. There was no further scoring in 

a fairly even first half until just before the 

break when poor Bristol tackling allowed 

flanker R K Cross to burst over for a try to 

give his side a 6-5 half-time advantage. 

Another forward rush at the start of the 

second half resulted in a further costly error 

from Napper. He was unable to hold on to 

the ball, and Griffin gathered at speed and 

crossed the line. Thompson’s conversion 

attempt bounced wide via a post. From then 

on the Bristol pack really took control of the 

game, with the Western Daily Press match 

report suggesting that they “overwhelmed 

the Quins.” A long pass across the field from 

Murphy was handled by both Griffin and 

Meredith before Hogarth touched down for 

the third Bristol try, and this time Thompson 

converted for a 13-6 lead. Then, in the final 

minute, a piece of magic from Tanner got 

Bristol a fourth try. He picked up from a 

dribble by the home pack and, to quote 

the Western Daily Press, “turned defence 

into attack like a flash.” Tanner raced down 

the field and gave the supporting Meredith 

a scoring pass. Thompson’s unsuccessful 

conversion attempt was the final kick of a 

match which saw all Bristol’s tries scored by 

forwards. 

The press was full of praise for Haydn Tanner. 

According to the Western Daily Press he 

“made full use of every chance he got and 

was the outstanding figure on the field.” 

Bob Hatsell, writing the Bristol Evening 

World, said of Tanner: “His individual bursts 

through the centre, brilliant defence and 

lightning handling at the base of the scrum 

were features of the game.” Tanner apart, it 

was the Bristol pack that received the most 

plaudits in the press, with Griffin, Hogarth and 

Meredith getting special praise. 

Haydn Tanner resumed his partnership 

with Ronnie Morris the following Saturday, 

when Bristol beat Coventry 12-5 on the 

Memorial Ground. Thereafter, he went on the 

Barbarians’ Easter tour, and that proved to 

be the end of his Bristol career. He joined 

Cardiff and made his first appearance for 

them in an unofficial game with Bristol in 

October 1946, a match played to celebrate 

the 25th anniversary of the opening of the 

Memorial Ground. When Tanner left Bristol 

Grammar School, Mr Garrett wrote in the 

staff register: “Abandoned teaching for a 

business post manufacturing paper.” Haydn 

Tanner might not have been the greatest 

of teachers, but he was a true rugby great. 

61 


#TogetherWeRise

VIEW FROM THE TERRACES 

JOE’S RALLYING CRY 

Unless you’ve been on a 

desert island, you’ll agree 

that there has been quite 

a lot of good things going on 

around the club recently. 

I surely have to start with last Sunday. 

I’m sure you’ll have your own personal 

memories of games we have played over 

the years against ‘them down the road’. 

Now Sunday, March 1st 2020 might just be 

a new addition to the memory banks. What 

a team performance. With only six points 

in it come the final whistle it was edge of 

the seat stuff, but we can proudly say we 

achieved the double over our nearest and 

dearest rivals. 

When we scored within the first five minutes 

of kick off through that great Chris Vui try it 

seemed to give us the belief we could go on 

and get more points. The sublime cross-field 

kick from Callum Sheedy, neatly collected by 

Alapati Leiua to notch up our second, really 

put us in charge of the game, but no one 

can argue that what really stood out was the 

‘brick wall’ defence we put up to stifle any 

kind of Bath attack. Some of the tackle stats 

for the Bears are mind-boggling: Ed Holmes 

(21), Joe Joyce (18), Chris Vui (14). Bath kept 

coming at us but we didn’t stop. 

You’ll have your own special memories from 

last weekend’s victory, but the stand out for 

me was Joe Joyce leading ‘Blackbird’ on the 

pitch following the game. I don’t think I’ve 

heard it sang so loudly before by the players, 

coaches and staff – that win meant a lot. 

We now see ourselves sitting comfortably in 

third, and only a point behind second-placed 

Sale. Although Pat Lam has said our objective 

this season is to be a top six side, playing 

Champions Cup Rugby next season, the way 

we are going we are capable of securing a 

place in the end-of-season play-offs! There’s 

still a very long way to go yet – ten more 

games – but the way we’ve been picking up 

the wins of late really is a joy to behold. The 

last time we won four Premiership games in 

a row was 13 years ago, and let’s hope we can 

extend the winning run today as we welcome 

a Harlequins side who last weekend beat 

top-of-the-table Exeter. It’s not going to be 

easy, but we are witnessing something very 

special being built here at Bristol and things 

can only get better. 

I always like to end this column with a rallying 

cry, but scouring social media last Sunday 

I read something that hit home about how 

special our club is, and how committed our 

players and staff are to the cause. Mike Hall, 

ex-Bristol Academy Manager, who spent eight 

seasons with the club said this on Twitter: 

“In August 2011, the Bristol U18s were asked, 

‘What’s your ultimate rugby goal?’. Every one 

of them wrote ‘…to captain England and play 

for the Lions’ or some variation; apart from 

one lad, who wrote ‘…to play for Bristol in the 

Premiership and beat Bath at The Rec’. The 

player who wrote that? Mr Joe Joyce. You did 

it, Joe, you and the boys did it! Thank you.” 

The passion, commitment and pride we see 

in our players every single week is bought 

home in that quote! Yes, Joe is Bristol born 

and bred, but every single player who pulls on 

the jersey, and every single one of you here 

today, are all pushing for the same goal. The 

commitment and pride is clear to see. It may 

take time but the culture being developed 

is something that will see us achieve our 

objectives. 

Up the Bears! 

Andrew Cleaver 

65 


YOUNG BEARS 

To register your Interest in a mascot or birthday package 

please call 0117 963 0664 or email karen.riddiford bristol-sport.co.uk 

MASCOTS 

CONOR COGHLAN 

HARRISON DENSLEY 

FINN FARRELLY 

THEO FERGUSON 

67 

BEAU HANLEY 

JACK HOUGHTON 

NATHANIEL HOUGHTON 

WILLIAM JENKINS 

MADOC MEDWELL LAYLA WARREN PHOEBE WHITEMORE 

TODAY’S Flag bearers 

Northcote Lodge School 

Weston Super mare Minis

HALF-TIME QUIZ 

Answers at the bottom of the page 

BRIZZLEY'S 

QUIZ 

TIME 

68 

1 WORDSEARCH 

Can you identify the following words in in Brizzley’s 

word search? Look for: BEDLOW, AFOA, JORDAN CAPON, CRANE, GUSTARD, O’CONOR, HARLEQUINS 

RANDALL, LUATUA, PIUTAU, SHEEDY, STIRZAKER WASPS, WOOLMORE 

S P O L J W V H X I V N V F N 

V E M T A W Q Z N E S X T W Q 

K M C X A T A F I M F S S B U 

G I K J B O B O J J T N R B Z 

Y A K E E N U O M S G V Z W B 

I B I Y D A Q W N B K G Z E E 

N S F I M A D I O A T Y D Q D 

I O G N T I U R D I M S Z L L 

G O P L X Q P U P A X T D W O 

X U G A E S T I R Z A K E R W 

H O S L C N U H O T H K E F A 

H W R T N T I X M O T V B S T 

W A G T A C R A U T A U L P P 

H M E U J R T O N U M Y Z X W 

Q O M I R E D O J B A N J U A 

/ 2 

ANAGRAM 

7 

Rearrange the letters to spell out a name or 

word connected with tonight’s the Bears match. or today's game. 

AUDI EEK JANE YONG NAH 

ETHAN EARTH PROMOTE GOATS 

CONAN DARN HAL JARRED 

LARRY 

ADDA CLUMSY TWO HEALED VETO 

/ 4

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 

3 

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 

There are FIVE differences between these two pictures. Can you spot them? 

HOW DID 

YOU DO? 

/ 16 

11-16 

GRIZZLEY 

0-5 

6-10 

BEAR 6-10 CUB 

BEAR CUB 

0-5 

11-16 

TEDDY BEAR 

TEDDY BEAR 

GRIZZLY 

69 

/ 5 

ANSWERS 

ANSWERS 

1. Spot The Difference 

‘Rugby’ 1. Spot The missing Difference at the top of the post protector 

‘SW’ Andy absent Uren’s on name Olly is Woodbury’s missing from shirt his shirt. 

Middle BS3 Services stripe logo gone has from disappeared on Luke Morahan’s from Chris sock Vui’s shorts. 

Bears Thatcher’s logo logo missing has on gone Luke from Morahan’s Luke MOrahan’s shirt shirt. 

Gilbert Steven writing Luatua’s absent shirt is from missing the ball the Toogood logo. 

The Bears logo is absent from JOrdan Crane’s skull cap. 

1. Wordsearch 

See 1. Wordsearch right 

See right 

2. Anagrams 

Dai 2. Anagrams Young 

Ashton Jake Heenan Gate 

Jordan Mat Protheroe Crane 

Dave 

Harry 

Attwood 

Randall 

Callum Sheedy 

S P O L J W V H X I V N V F N 

V E M T A W Q Z N E S X T W Q 

K M C X A T A F I M F S S B U 

G I K J B O B O J J T N R B Z 

Y A K E E N U O M S G V Z W B 

I B I Y D A Q W N B K G Z E E 

N S F I M A D I O A T Y D Q D 

I O G N T I U R D I M S Z L L 

G O P L X Q P U P A X T D W O 

X U G A E S T I R Z A K E R W 

H O S L C N U H O T H K E F A 

H W R T N T I X M O T V B S T 

W A G T A C R A U T A U L P P 

H M E U J R T O N U M Y Z X W 

Q O M I R E D O J B A N J U A 


YOUR REPORT 

Your chance to be a rugby journalist for the day! Write your report of today’s game here. Fill in the team 

line-ups, write your report, and choose your very own star man. 

REPORT 

LINE-UP 

71 

YOUR STAR MAN 


MAN ON THE MIC 

WITH MATCHDAY ANNOUNCER RICHARD ‘SLICK’ PITT 

IN OUR DEFENCE 

So, there we have it – a 

double over the team down 

the road. While we need 

to look at the bigger picture, 

there are very few things more 

satisfying than turning them over 

not once, but twice in a season. 

Getting results: 

Bears defence coach 

John Muldoon 

We’ve waited a long time for that to happen, 

so forgive us if we gloat just a little. Even in 

trying conditions on Sunday, we retained our 

ambition, tempered with a cleverly tailored 

game plan. 

73 

Clarity is a word Pat uses a lot, and we saw 

it in the application of the entire 23 last 

Sunday. Some of the changes were forced 

by injuries but, above all, this was clear 

thinking, brilliant strategy and professional 

execution. The key was picking a big pack, 

with the calm control of Jordan Crane at 

the base and Steven Luatua at seven. The 

change of the entire front row at half-time 

was as inspired as it was unexpected. And 

when you’ve got The King of Southmead 

right at its heartbeat, you know a pack will 

have all the incentive it needs. We look 

forward to hearing the rendition of Blackbird 

any week because it signifies a win, but to 

celebrate by singing it on that pitch at the 

end was inspired! 

There was a moment in the build up to last 

Sunday’s local derby in The Everglades (© 

Max Lahiff), when BT Sport flashed up some 

remarkable stats showing Bristol Bears 

top of the Premiership in just about every 

attacking facet. Over the past few weeks, 

however, we’ve seen a defensive dimension 

that is likely to be just as important if we are 

to compete consistently at the highest level. 

Huge credit has to go to John Muldoon and 

the players for developing this area over 

the past few months. At Northampton, at 

home to Worcester and then at The Rec, it 

has undoubtedly been the defence that has 

seen us over the line. In the aftermath, it 

was revealed that no fewer than eight Bristol 

players made 10 tackles or more, while not 

a single member of the opposition managed 

double figures. 

You know it’s a good season when long 

standing records continue to tumble – this 

year we’ve won at Exeter for the first time 

in a decade, at B**h for the first time in 14 

years, while at Leicester it was our first win 

in 17. While this doesn’t prove anything, it 

shows the momentum building that yields 

multiple victories, where once they came 

in isolation. 

Once again, however, the mantra will be 

to refocus and face up to another massive 

challenge. Harlequins battled their way to a 

fine victory over Exeter last week. They’ve 

not been the best travellers over the past 

few years but, rest assured, they’ve got the 

bit between their teeth after last week’s 

last-gasp win and have game breakers all 

over the park. Above all it will be nice to 

be back on the excellent Ashton Gate pitch 

– we are so lucky to watch rugby in this 

magnificent environment. 

If you’d like a request for today or a future home game 

at Ashton Gate, email slick@bristolbearsrugby.com 

or MESSAGE ME via Twitter @slickbristol 


26

DOWNSY 

BRISTOL BEARS MATCHDAY PRESENTER IAN REED-DOWNS 

THE BEST JOB EVER 

If it all ended tomorrow I’d 

gladly go willingly, now I’ve 

sung Blackbird on the pitch at 

The Rec. Does it get any better? Is 

there any higher reward? 

‘What a moment.’ 

Downsy, second left, joins the 

huddle following the Bath win 

Certainly not for Joe Joyce who was asked 

in his U18s Academy class what his future 

rugby aspirations were and, whilst others 

wanted to play for England or captain their 

country, The King of Southmead declared 

he’d like to beat Bath in their own back yard. 

After 14 years of hurt, his dream has finally 

been achieved, although those final ten 

minutes were some of the tensest minutes 

of my life. I was surrounded by players and 

staff as the clock ticked down to zero, all 

verbalising their advice to our bruised and 

battered boys in the quagmire that is the 

playing surface at the home of Bath Rugby. 

Our kit man JP was one of the most vocal, 

urging our boys onto what would turn out 

to be the iconic victory we hoped it would 

be. Four minutes into overtime and we were 

STILL playing - until the ball was finally 

turned over into the arms of Charles Piutau, 

who punted it out. I think that ball landed 

somewhere near Longleat Safari Park such 

was the power of Charles’ kick to touch. 

What happened next is pretty much all 

still a blur. I was trying to record content 

for our social media, but at the same time 

really wanted to celebrate with the boys. I 

was being given my key messages for the 

post-match interviews by our Head of Media 

and Communications and, as the boys began 

to form a circle for the post-match huddle, I 

started to hang back as I usually do, in order 

to capture the huddle for the Insta story, 

only to be swept up into the arms of Nick 

Fenton-Wells. Before I knew it, I was latched 

on to Harry Randall in the huddle itself 

belting out Blackbird. What. A. Moment. It 

was an experience that I’ll never forget. 

There is something just so special about this 

Bears side: their passion, their commitment, 

their belief in the values of the club and 

rugby as a whole. To some professional 

sports players, presenters, reporters and 

“BEFORE I KNEW 

IT I WAS LATCHED 

ON TO HARRY 

RANDALL IN THE 

HUDDLE BELTING 

OUT ‘BLACKBIRD’. 

IT WAS AN 

EXPERIENCE I WILL 

NEVER FORGET.” 

75 

You can listen to Downsy Weekdays from 3-7pm on Sam FM, 

follow him on Twitter @downsy or on Instagram @downsy101 


journalists are an annoyance, and it is 

almost a chore to have to interact with us. 

Without exception, however, there’s always 

a warm welcome from our Bears. Whether 

it’s a quick bit for social media, an interview 

on the big screens at Ashton Gate or a one 

on one at our media days, it’s never a chore 

for our boys as they know that all of my 

interviews end up on your screens – whether 

it’s on a phone, a tablet or on your laptop 

or computer. 

I’m sure Joycey won’t mind me telling you 

that he had to take a moment to gather 

himself before doing his post-match 

interview on Sunday, as his emotions were 

running so high. There was either something 

in his eye, or his eyes have some sort of 

leak. For a boy who’d just achieved his 

childhood dream, he did very well answering 

my questions, but my favourite part 

occured just as we were wrapping up and 

the travelling fans started to sing our well 

known ‘Brisssssssstooooool refrain’. Joe 

turned to me and said: “Just listen to that 

– can I go over there and start singing now 

with them lot?” What a guy, what a team. 

I posted a picture of that post match huddle 

on Instagram this week, saying how proud 

I was to play a tiny part in this Bears team 

and had some lovely replies from you guys. 

I feel incredibly humbled to have been 

accepted into this club by the players, staff 

and – by you – the fans. So, thank you, and 

for as long as you want me, I’ll continue to 

chart the Bears progress by looking into 

cameras, talking into microphones and 

chatting to myself on Instagram. 

Best job ever. 

Clockwise from top: Nathan Hughes and 

Joe Joyce celebrate Bears’ first win at Bath 

since 2006; ‘never a chore’, Pat Lam fulfils 

his media dutes with Downsy pre-game; the 

Bristol supporters revel in the moment. 

77 

You can listen to Downsy Weekdays from 3-7pm on Sam FM, 

follow him on Twitter @downsy or on Instagram @downsy101 


2019/20 FIXTURES / RESULTS 

T Try P Penalty C Conversion DG Drop Goal 4Replaced 4Replacement Sin Bin Red card R Red card rescinded 

DATE KO OPPOSITION H/A COMP. SCORE ATT. Referee 

78 

Fri Sep 20 7.45pm Harlequins A 12-24 9,051 I Tempest Protheroe Pincus Bedlow Eden Fricker Madigan 

T T C 

Fri Sep 27 7.45pm GLOUCESTER RUGBY H 20-17 7,274 T Foley Daniels Edwards O’Conor Hurrell Powell Sheedy 

T 2C 2P 

Sun Oct 6 3pm LONDON IRISH H 44-27 4,685 M Hudson Protheroe Fricker O’Conor Hurrell Daniels Eden 

2T 

5C 3P 

Sat Oct 12 3pm Exeter Chiefs A 19-42 9,706 C Maxwell-Keys Pincus Fricker Powell Bedlow Bates Madigan 

T 

T 

Fri Oct 18 7.45pm BATH RUGBY H 43-16 26,399 T Foley C Piutau Morahan O'Conor Hurrell Protheroe Sheedy 

2T T T 3C 

Sat Oct 26 7.45pm Harlequins A 17-22 13,066 I Tempest C Piutau Morahan O'Conor S Piutau Protheroe Sheedy 

4P 

Fri Nov 1 7.45pm SALE SHARKS H 16-9 14,639 C Ridley C Piutau Morahan O'Conor S Piutau Daniels Sheedy 

C 3P 

Sun Nov 10 3pm Exeter Chiefs A 20-17 11,015 K Dickson C Piutau Morahan Hurrell S Piutau O'Conor Sheedy 

T 2C 2P 

Sat Nov 16 3pm ZEBRE H 59-21 10,511 L Cayre (France) C Piutau Morahan O'Conor S Piutau (c) Fricker Lloyd 

T T T 7C P 

Fri Nov 22 7pm Brive A 36-0 4533 C Evans (Wales) Protheroe Morahan O'Conor Bedlow Fricker Sheedy 

T T 4C P 

Sun Dec 1 3pm LONDON IRISH H 27-27 15,033 W Barnes C Piutau Morahan O'Conor S Piutau Fricker Sheedy 

T 

2C P 

Sat Dec 7 3pm STADE FRANCAIS H 37-11 11,120 D Jones (Wales) C Piutau Morahan O'Conor Bedlow Leuia Madigan 

T T 2C 3P 

Sat Dec 14 8pm Stade Francais A 18-16 1,450 A Piardi (Italy) Protheroe Fricker O'Conor Bedlow Leuia Sheedy 

C 2P 

Sun Dec 21 3pm Saracens A 13-47 8,250 T Foley C Piutau Morahan O'Conor Bedlow Fricker Sheedy 

T 

C 2P 

Fri Dec 27 7.45pm WASPS H 21-26 23,078 L Pearce C Piutau Morahan O’Conor Leuia Fricker Sheedy 

T 

C 3P 

Sat Jan 4 3pm Leicester Tigers A 18-31 19,807 J P Doyle C Piutau Fricker O’Conor Hurrell Leuia Sheedy 

T 

C 2P 

Sat Jan 11 3pm BRIVE H 52-3 10,874 B Blain (Sco) Protheroe Morahan O’Conor Bedlow Leuia Sheedy 

T T T T 7C P 

Sat Jan 18 3pm Zebre A 7-7 1,900 T Charabas Protheroe Morahan Leuia Madigan Fricker Sheedy (cc) 

C 

Sat Jan 25 3pm GLOUCESTER RUGBY H 34-18 18,779 K Dickson Morahan Purdy O’Conor Bedlow Leuia Sheedy 

T T 2C 5P 

Sat Feb 15 3pm Northampton Saints A 20-14 12,666 T Foley C Piutau Morahan O’Conor Bedlow Leuia Sheedy 

2C P 

Sun Feb 23 1pm WORCESTER WARRIORS H 13-10 12,867 J P Doyle C Piutau Morahan O’Conor Bedlow Purdy Sheedy 

T 

C 2P 

Sat Feb 29 3pm Bath Rugby A 19-13 13,967 I Tempest C Piutau Morahan O’Conor Bedlow Leuia Sheedy 

T 2C 

Sat Mar 8 3pm HARLEQUINS H 

Fri Mar 20 7.45pm SARACENS H 

Sat Mar 28 5.30pm Gloucester Rugby A 

Sun Apr 5 12.45pm DRAGONS H 

Sat Apr 11 3pm EXETER CHIEFS H 

Sat Apr 18 3pm Sale Sharks A 

Sat Apr 25 3pm Worcester Warriors A 

Fri May 8 7.45pm NORTHAMPTON SAINTS H 

Sat May 16 3pm Wasps A 

Fri May 29 7.45pm LEICESTER TIGERS H 

Sat Jun 6 4pm London Irish A 

#TogetherWeRise

Randall Y Thomas Malton Lahiff Holmes Muldowney Dun Heenan (c) Batley Capon Dawe N Thomas Hawkins Kloska Stirzaker Ascherl Bates 

42 41 43 48 48 49 410 411 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Hawkins Joyce Luatua D Thomas Hughes Kloska Lahiff Thiede Holmes Heenan Stirzaker Bedlow Bates 

T 410 43 41 44 48 49 411 414 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa (c) Holmes Muldowney Joyce D Thomas Hughes Malton Y Thomas N Thomas Hawkins Heenan Randall Sheedy Powell 

T T T 42 41 43 45 47 49 411 

Stirzaker (c) Y Thomas Kloska N Thomas Attwood Muldowney Hawkins Dun Batley Capon Dawe Thiede Hamilton Randall Lloyd Eden J-Fisher 

42 T 41 43 44 49 415 410 413 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Attwood Joyce Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Malton Y Thomas Lahiff Vui Heenan Randall Lloyd Leiua 

T T 42 44 46 49 415 T C 411 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Joyce Vui Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Malton Y Thomas Thiede Holmes Heenan Randall Lloyd Hurrell 

42 41 44 47 T 49 411 

Uren Woolmore Malton Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) Heenan Hughes Thacker Y Thomas Lahiff Holmes D Thomas Randall Lloyd Hurrell 

42 41 43 44 48 49 411 T 412 

Randall Woolmore Thacker Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) Heenan Hughes Capon Y Thomas Thiede Holmes D Thomas Uren Lloyd Fricker 

42 41 43 44 47 T 49 415 413 

Randall Y Thomas Capon Lahiff Holmes Joyce Vui D Thomas Hamilton Thacker James Lay Thiede Hawkins Dun Uren Sheedy Powell 

T T T 42 43 41 46 44 410 T C 415 T 413 

Randall Woolmore Thacker Lahiff Attwood Joyce Luatua (c) D Thomas Hamilton Capon Y Thomas Thiede Holmes Hawkins Stirzaker Lloyd Powell 

T 42 T 41 43 47 T 46 49 414 413 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Joyce Vui Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Capon Y Thomas Lahiff Holmes Hamilton Randall Lloyd Leiua 

T T 44 48 T 49 410 412 

Randall Woolmore Thacker Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) Heenan Hughes Capon Jo Lay N Thomas Holmes Hamilton Stirzaker Lloyd Fricker 

T 41 42 45 49 410 2C 412 T 

Stirzaker Woolmore Capon Lahiff Holmes Joyce Vui (c) Heenan Hughes Thacker Ja Lay N Thomas Hawkins Hamilton Uren Lloyd Morahan 

T 42 T 41 43 47 49 415 412 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Joyce Vui Luatua (c) Heenan Hughes Capon Ja Lay Lahiff Holmes Hamilton Randall Lloyd Leuia 

41 43 45 46 414 415 412 

Uren Woolmore Thacker Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) Heenan Hughes Capon Jo Lay Lahiff Holmes Hamilton Randall Lloyd Bedlow 

T 42 4 4 49 

Randall Jo Lay Thacker Afoa Holmes Vui Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Capon Woolmore Lahiff Attwood Heenan Stirzaker Madigan Morahan 

T 42 41 43 44 48 49 410 412 

Randall Woolmore Thacker Lahiff Attwood Joyce Luatua (c) D Thomas Hamilton Capon Dawe Thiede Hawkins Heenan Uren Lloyd Powell 

T T 42 T 41 43 44 46 411 423 413 

Uren Woolmore Capon Thiede Holmes Joyce Hamilton Heenan (cc) Hughes Thacker Dawe N Thomas Hawkins Luatua Randall Purdy Pincus 

42 420 43 45 48 49 T 415 

Randall Woolmore Malton Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Capon Dawe Thiede Holmes Heenan Uren Lloyd Protheroe 

42 41 43 44 48 49 410 412 T 

Randall Woolmore Malton Afoa Attwood Vui Luatua (c) D Thomas Hughes Capon Y Thomas Thiede Joyce Heenan Uren Madigan Purdy 

42 41 43 T 46 48 49 410 P 411 T 

Randall Woolmore Capon Thiede Attwood Joyce Vui (c) Heenan Hughes Malton Y Thomas Afoa Hamilton D Thomas Uren Lloyd Leiua 

42 41 43 44 47 49 412 411 

Uren Y Thomas Malton Thiede Holmes Joyce Vui Luatua (c) Crane Capon Woolmore Lahiff Hughes Hamilton Randall Madigan Protheroe 

T 42 41 43 48 47 49 T 412 414 

79 


TODAY’S TEAMS 

BRISTOL BEARS 

Director of Rugby: Pat LAM 

Charles PIUTAU 

Luke MORAHAN 

Alaptai LEUIA 

Sam BEDLOW 

Henry PURDY 

Callum SHEEDY 

Harry RANDALL 

Yann THOMAS 

Will CAPON 

John AFOA 

Chris VUI 

Joe JOYCE 

Steven LUATUA (c) 

Dan THOMAS 

Nathan HUGHES 

Bryan BYRNE 

Jake WOOLMORE 

Max LAHIFF 

Ed HOLMES 

Jake HEENAN 

Andy UREN 

Ioan LLOYD 

Mat PROTHEROE 

V 

15 

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10 

9 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

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22 

23 

HARLEQUINS 

Head of Rugby: Paul GUSTARD 

Aaron MORRIS 

Travis ISMAIEL 

Tom PENNY 

Paul LASIKE 

Gabriel IBITOYE 

Marcus SMITH 

Danny CARE 

Mark LAMBERT 

Scott BALDWIN 

Simon KERROD 

Glen YOUNG 

Matt SYMONS 

James CHISHOLM 

Chris ROBSHAW (c) 

Alex DOMBRANDT 

Joe GRAY 

Nick AUTERAC 

Will COLLIER 

Tevita CAVUBATI 

Semi KUNATANI 

Niall SAUNDERS 

Brett HERRON 

Francis SAILI 

REFEREE 

Craig MAXWELL-KEYS 

TODAY’S MATCH OFFICIALS 

ASSISTANT REFEREES 

Andrew JACKSON 

Peter ALLAN 

NO. 5 

Andy WEYMOUTH 

CITING OFFICER 

David GUYAN 

TMO 

Stuart TERHEEGE

Harlequins test

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