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The Independent
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Bath and Bristol's simmering rivalry sets up Premiership semi-final to savour
A long-awaited replacement for The Rec is creeping ever nearer with encouraging noises suggesting that Bath may perhaps finally be able to look forward to a new home in the coming years. The project has long been stalled by the labyrinthine planning process, wranglings over the charitable status of the land and somewhat understandable complaints from a number of NIMBYs in the quaint Georgian city — yet down the road in Bristol there would appear to be a quite vocal backer of the new venue. Yes, it would seem that Mr P Lam of Ashton Gate is no fan of the facilities currently on offer next to Pulteney Bridge. 'I think for the Bristol fans, the really good thing is they realise what a bargain they have at Ashton Gate and what they can pay for season tickets and the stadium and facilities,' Bristol head coach Pat Lam said, spotting a rather wretched forecast as he prepares to take the Bears to The Rec for Friday night's Premiership semi-final. 'I think it is more to do with the price and the facilities. Even my wife was keen to go and when I went to look at the tickets I said: 'Love, you don't want to get drenched in that rain. I love you and I know you support me, but I don't need you to get drenched there.' 'The prices they are putting up there are huge and, at the end of the day, if people are going to pay it, they are going to pay it. It is going to be a sell-out and fair play, that helps Bath and their income, but ultimately for us it is about what happens on the field. We know that despite a lot of Bristol fans not going, they are still right behind us as a team and are still rooting for us.' Perhaps Lam can be engaged as a stakeholder to ensure the new stadium is up to his standards. Yet the Bristol boss has most certainly been vocal in the week-or-so since a semi-final to savour was set up. The former Samoa international has been a one-man marketing team for this fixture, stoking the fires of a rivalry that has long burned between two cities mere miles apart but divided, to some extent, by class and culture. These clubs have been going at it on the pitch for 137 years and yet a certain sense of rancour still remains – though perhaps more so in one direction. 'Motivation is a big one,' Lam emphasised this week. 'The boys get up for his game pretty easily because of our fans and the Bristolians within this team drive that. You had Joe Joyce previously and a new breed coming through with [George] Kloska, [James] Dun, [Will] Capon and then you have Ellis Genge. As a foreigner coming into Bristol, you become part of the group and you quickly learn the importance of what we represent. The motivation takes care of itself and it is the easiest game for me as a coach.' Where Lam has pulled the pin on a few vocal grenades, counterpart Johann van Graan has remained very much in his bunker, refusing to be drawn even on some of the more incendiary remarks about Bath's heavy spending made by the Bristol boss last weekend. It is true to the character of a South African who can be all business, while the normally effusive lock Charlie Ewels seemingly took on a place as a ventriloquist's dummy when he produced Van Graan's trademark 'trust the process' catchphrase while sat alongside him to look ahead to the semi-final this week. The Premiership season began on a Friday night at The Rec, with Bath announcing their place as title favourites with a demolition job on last year's champions. There has been little since that win over Northampton to convince others of their candidacy, Van Graan and his squad seeming to have every base covered as they continue to chase a treble. Even without Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill, Jaco Coetzee and others the semi-final side has a fearsome look; having proved themselves in knockout rugby with Premiership Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup successes, the goal now is to make them mere minor trinkets by ending a nearly 30-year wait for a top-flight title. The great entertainers Bristol are sure to score but a side for which the sublime and ridiculous are equally intrinsic will give their hosts plenty of opportunities. One might ordinarily anticipate a tighter affair at Welford Road but Leicester and Sale's 44-34 thriller at the same venue a month ago showed the manner in which each is capable of de-constructing even staunch defences. There are, however, certain similarities in the fashioning of the two squads, with set-piece strength complementing nicely balanced backlines. No fly half in the country has been better than George Ford since the end of the Six Nations – his Lions omission is therefore very harsh – while Handre Pollard is the archetypal big-game performer, though focus may also fall on the two No 12s, with the well-rounded Joe Woodward and Rekeiti Ma'asi-White among the finds of the Premiership campaign. If there are comparisons to be drawn between the two playing squads, Sale's meticulous building over several seasons under Alex Sanderson contrasts rather dramatically with Leicester's continuing coaching upheaval. Michael Cheika has barely a week left in a job that always looked likely to be short-term, though the standards that he has set have ensured on-field stability amidst the continuing off-field chaos. The impending retirements of Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, and departures of Pollard and Julian Montoya, give more of the feel of an end of an era but there is little time for overdue sentiment. 'Finishing has nothing to do with it," Cheika said. "Being part of a team means what happens to the team is for everybody and not for any one individual. I certainly don't feel like that. When you are in a team, playing in a competition like this, and you are the leader as a coach, your ambition and hunger is to get to the top. The only interest for me is for this team to be successful."
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Pat Lam tells wife to stay away from Bath semi-final and avoid ‘drenching'
Pat Lam, Bristol Bears' director of rugby, has taken aim at the expensive ticket prices and facilities at rivals Bath, telling his wife not to attend the Premiership play-off semi-final in case she gets 'drenched' in the Rec's uncovered stands. Ahead of the teams's first meeting in the play-offs, Bristol had to return a portion of their tickets in a dedicated away section at the Rec, which ranged from £60 to more than £100. By contrast, the cheapest season ticket at Ashton Gate starts at £275 for adults and £80 for juniors, and Lam believes Bath's 'huge' ticket prices put off many Bristol supporters from making the short trip up the A4. He even instructed his wife to remain in Bristol, with rain forecast for Friday night's semi-final. 'I think for the Bristol fans, the really good thing is they realise what a bargain they have at Ashton Gate and what they can pay for season tickets and the stadium and facilities,' Lam said. 'I think it is more to do with the price and the facilities. Even my wife was keen to go and when I went to look at the tickets I said: 'Love, you don't want to get drenched in that rain. I love you and I know you support me, but I don't need you to get drenched there.' 'The prices they are putting up there are huge and, at the end of the day, if people are going to pay it, they are going to pay it. It is going to be a sell-out and fair play, that helps Bath and their income, but ultimately for us it is about what happens on the field. We know that despite a lot of Bristol fans not going, they are still right behind us as a team and are still rooting for us.' Bath will start the match as heavy favourites having finished the regular season top of the league, having already won the Premiership Cup and Challenge Cup this season. Bristol, however, completed a league double over Johann van Graan's side this season and have won 11 of their last 14 encounters, which Lam attributes to the local pride in his side. 'Motivation is a big one,' Lam said. 'The boys get up for his game pretty easily because of our fans and the Bristolians within this team drive that. You had Joe Joyce previously and a new breed coming through with Kloska, Dun, Capon and then you have Ellis Genge. As a foreigner coming into Bristol, you become part of the group and you quickly learn the importance of what we represent. The motivation takes care of itself and it is the easiest game for me as a coach.' Bristol's last play-off experience ended in an agonising 43-36 defeat by Harlequins in 2021, but Lam told his players not to go into their shells and says that they will stay true to themselves no matter what. 'PSG, 5-0 in the Champions League final,' Lam said. 'Wow, that's someone staying true. People's perception of our style is not always accurate. I want the guys to be fearless, back your skills, trust yourself, trust your mates and don't be afraid. That to me is what finals rugby is about. I hate losing, but we don't fear losing by going out to try and win. If we do that then we can hold our heads up high.'
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's Jason Knight 'relaxed' about prospect of Premier League football
Jason Knight has already been on holiday. The midfielder will squeeze in another once this week's international window closes and yet football could well force itself back into the conversation again before the English club season returns. Still only 24, the Dubliner played 150 times for Derby County before moving to Bristol City two years ago. Already captain at Ashton Gate, he could hardly have done more during a season just gone that produced 51 appearances, three goals, as many assists and ten yellow cards. Named player of the year by his club, his teammates and by the supporters, he opted for humility when describing the campaign merely as a 'progression', but Ireland assistant John O'Shea got it right when suggesting that other clubs must be taking notice. The man himself is playing it cool. 'I've had a good season, I'm enjoying myself at Bristol, but you are right: I want to be ambitious. I want to play in the top division, but I'm relaxed. If it's now or in the future, that will be. I've just got to keep performing well to get to that point.' One of the few Championship players in the Ireland squad this week due to Heimir Hallgrimsson's decision to rest players subject to that league's heavy workload, Knight has already played 279 games of senior football between the club and international games. It's nearly six years since his first run with Derby. John Egan spoke on the 'Second Captains' podcast recently about his regret at having played through the pain barrier to the extent he did, and of the consequences arising from that. Knight played in every game for his club last season, from mid-August through to mid-May. This is the job. It does beg the question as to how much football is too much football in an era where more and more is being asked of professional players. And there may be no league more brutal in its incessant demands than the twice-a-week every week second tier in England. Knocks and niggles are par for the course in that sort of environment but if there is a line that shouldn't be crossed when it comes to playing through injury then what might Knight's be? 'If the leg isn't off, I suppose.' A vocal presence on the field and in the dressing-room, he was one among that batch of youngsters promoted to senior international football in one go, or close enough, by Stephen Kenny and he has long since gone about stepping up to a type of leadership role with Ireland. Hallgrimsson has already spoken about the benefit that he can reap from this wholesale injection of youth, and Knight agrees that there is a sense of training wheels having been relegated to the shed ahead of a new World Cup qualifying campaign in the autumn. 'There's probably eight, nine, ten of us that have come in at the same time and now we have 20-plus caps [each] so that is only going to be the to the benefit of the team and the country. The performances have to back that up as well, and the results. 'That's what we are going to have to try and do coming in to September.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Search for Manning's replacement starts now
It was inevitable Liam Manning's good work at Bristol City wouldn't go unnoticed, after guiding the team to a top-six finish in his first full season at Ashton a campaign when football was put into perspective, it's completely understandable if a return to East Anglia would be appealing to Liam Manning and his the fact that Norwich finished the campaign 11 points behind Bristol City in the Championship will lead to fans questioning what a move to Carrow Road can offer that staying at Ashton Gate can't?Steve Lansdown told me last month that Bristol City will not change their approach to transfers or their budget this are already being linked with the job, as the City hierarchy start the big challenge of finding the right replacement.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Every sport fan thinks they could be a commentator, so I gave it a go
'Okay commentators… one minute until commentary… 'Commentators - 30 seconds until start of commentary - stand by… 'Cue count into the start of commentary in…10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 until the cue…4, 3, 2, 1…cue commentary.' And with those words ringing in my ears at Ashton Gate – and after a brief moment where I thought I might have been in too deep – I pressed the microphone to my mouth, and my first experience of live commentary began. It is worth clarifying two points at this juncture. Although I was commentating live on Bristol's victory over Harlequins last Saturday, in conjunction with TNT Sports, the audio was not available to the public; so everyone was spared my mumblings and mutterings during the instances when getting words out might have been easier said than done (more on that to come). Nor am I set to appear on TNT Sports's broadcasts any time soon – you're stuck with me at Telegraph Sport for the foreseeable! Every fan across every sport has always questioned the difficulty of matchday commentary; a dream job for so many. So, the aim of this project was to find out just how tricky and demanding the art of commentary truly is by having an authentic experience in the role at a live fixture. This all began earlier in the season when a senior executive at TNT Sports was explaining just how hard commentary and punditry really is. He was singing the praises of the likes of Austin Healey, Ben Kay and – more recently – Chris Ashton and Sam Warburton for how smoothly that troupe had turned their hands to punditry after hanging up their playing boots. There was only one way to verify this. And, over a two-hour period commentating at Ashton Gate, I can confirm it really is incredibly difficult. The timing is militaristic, the language is incomprehensible to the untrained ear (me), and the assault on the senses is ferocious. While commentating last Saturday, with the match unfolding in front of me, I had nine voices in my ears, through the same pair of headphones: the television director, the producer, the PA (production assistant), the referee, TNT's actual pundits, my own voice, and the sounds of the crowd around the stadium. It was like listening to a nine-part vocal harmony, all out of sync and, crucially, not in harmony, while also trying to offer clean and crisp commentary of my own. Thankfully, I had been well prepped and briefed by the avuncular Ali Eykyn and the wider TNT team. I had done my pre-match prep, had been sent all of the broadcaster's preview material – detailing every stat under the sun, from the amount of caps a certain player has won almost to what car they drive and what they ate for breakfast – and I was ready to masquerade as a commentator for the day. My notes were ready, but sadly I was unable to mirror the colour-coded fastidiousness of Eykyn's colleague, Nick Mullins.'I hope it goes well, mate,' Eykyn said just before the match kicked off. 'Just not too well!,' he added, jokingly. The last-minute advice from both him and the BBC's rugby correspondent, Chris Jones, was invaluable. How it went, Telegraph Sport readers can be the judge. But one final plea, given it was my first ever live broadcast, with no dress rehearsal: please, go easy on me. Charles's introduction After all the build-up, being talked through my own miniature sound system to adjust the levels of all the different voices as well as making sure that my set-up was in order, the PA's countdown began. I had a television screen with live footage to my right, my notes in front of me, my iPad giving me live stats as well as the scores from elsewhere on the Premiership's final day – an added, unique complication – as well as some notes from my chat with Eykyn. On that notepad read bits of advice like 'talk to the pictures' and 'the voices in your head will be complicated'. I had listened to the director and the PA exchange phrases like 'is that 45 you're changing?', 'same again please but the bat cam' and 'cameras Mata and Randall we will back up' and now it was time for me to speak. After a nervy start, with voice wobbling, I got into a sort of rhythm, but you can see in the below clip that I forgot one of Eykyn's golden rules: talk to the pictures. When the Bristol starting XV flashes up, I am still banging on blindly about Bristanbul. For full disclosure, I do still manage to fit in a run-through of the Bears' line-up, but it is horribly rushed, with me giving my best impression of an auctioneer. Bristol open scoring This try came at the end of a set of Bristol phases where, until George Kloska had barged over, Harlequins did well to stifle the Bears' momentum and slow them down. All of my energy and flow for the Bristol attack had been used up earlier in the move, with one of those dashing first-phase plays which the Bears love so much. Thankfully, by the time Kloska drives over, I remember I need to sound excited again. There is a real ebb and flow to commentary; it can go from a high to a low very swiftly. Murley scores wonder try This was the clip I was most concerned about re-watching. That is because I realised that, when you are commentating on something of this ilk – a wonder score – in the moment, you never think or realise that the conclusion of the play might end up being a try of the season contender, with the footage replayed over and over again. And there is no chance of re-recording it. You only get one shot. So, before re-watching and listening, I just hoped I had done Cadan Murley justice. I think I just about did, even if there was a little bit of hesitation in my voice as I tripped over a word when Murley rounded the last Bristol defender. And the delivery of 'out of nothing' sounds like an Alan Partridge impersonation, which was not too encouraging. For reference, here is how the real thing sounded... Scorch marks, EVERYWHERE 💨 Harlequins aren't done yet as Cadan Murley produces one of the finishes of the season 🃏 #GallagherPrem | #BRIvHAR — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) May 31, 2025 Bristol score again If my voice went higher than this in the whole game, then I'd like to hear it. One contender might have been when Quins broke from the restart in the second half to continue a spirited if temporary fightback, when it looked as though the visitors might blow the play-off race wide open, but this was certainly up there in terms of drama, after a sweeping Bristol attack had taken the Bears to within metres of the Quins line. Then, inexplicably, when Bristol actually score, I decide that that is the time for nonchalance. Admittedly, it was a walk-in for Gabriel Ibitoye, but come on, Charles, where is the excitement? This was also the try that launched Ibitoye back into the reckoning for the Premiership's top try-scorer, too, which I simply just... forgot to mention at any point. Sorry, Gabriel. Mixing up 'minutes' and 'metres' is a real blot on the copybook, too. Schoolboy. Bristol kill the game Well, I am pleased that I managed to correctly identify James Williams in this score but unfortunately that came after spending most of the first half getting mixed up between him and Noah Heward (of course, I know the difference between the two, but from a distance, with just one crack at it, with no replays, there was sometimes guesswork at play). I also apologise to Harlequins fans for totally writing them off at this stage – that was just sporting instinct. That try felt as though it was the end of a Bristanbul part-two dream, but if the visitors had come back there would have been a significant amount of egg on my face. Play-off line-up confirmed Eykyn's advice is prescient once again. Max Lahiff looks delighted, Pat Lam hugged his assistant coaches, Bristol fans clap their side off after semi-final rugby is secured – and I mention none of it. I didn't even mention The Wurzels! I also said 'south west' twice but the second time was supposed to be 'west country' but the phrase just escaped me entirely at that moment. At least I got the Bears' play-off opponents correct, however. What I learnt... Reflecting on my afternoon at Ashton Gate, the experience undoubtedly opened my eyes to the complex and arcane art of commentary, giving me a newfound appreciation of the mental and verbal juggling. While I was commentating on live action, the PA would be informing both myself and Ali that there is a replacement on the way, giving the numbers of the departing and arriving players. Then, seconds later, the director would say that Austin needed to talk through a try at Exeter, who were hosting play-off-hunting Sale that day, before coming back to Ben to talk through a maul intricacy at Ashton Gate. Then the referee will be having an interesting chat with Harry Randall about the cleanliness of the ball he is receiving at the ruck, and you'd have to both identify that and, crucially, shut up. There is an awful lot going on, but the experience was exhilarating (and equally as mentally fatiguing). I might not be the next John Motson or Barry Davies, but my afternoon with the mic will stay with me for many years to come.
