Bristol Rugby will now be judged on next few weeks, says Traynor

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RUGBY UNION

Bristol have swept all before them in the GKIPA Championship in recent months – but prop Kyle Traynor knows that will count for nothing once the play-offs get under way tomorrow.

Bristol ended the regular season with 13 successive victories, beating all three fellow play-off qualifiers in the process, and scored an incredible 116 tries over the course of the league season.

But when tomorrow’s semi-final first leg against Rotherham kicks off, Traynor knows his side’s high-scoring exploits will no longer matter.

Bristol finished eight points clear of London Welsh – and 16 ahead of fourth-placed Rotherham – in the regular season.

But Traynor said: “We’re not judged on what we’ve done to date – we’re judged on how the next few weeks go.

“It’s a huge period for us – you can’t move away from that – but we need to enjoy it.

“We need to do what we’ve done for most of the season. There is a lot at stake at the end of it, but we have to play with the ambition we’ve gone out to play with.

“That’s how Bristol play – and I don’t think we could really change that. The players who are picked in the squad from week to week, they are picked for that reason.

“So I think that’s what we need to do – go out and play with that ambition and the free-flowing rugby we’ve played. But, at the same time, we have to make sure we’re clinical and on the right end of the result.”

Traynor has won four international caps for Scotland and made 15 Heineken Cup appearances for Edinburgh – but he feels his career will ultimately be defined by whether or not he proves himself in the Aviva Premiership.

And, at 28, he knows he and Bristol must grab the opportunity in front of them over the next few weeks and make their Premiership dream a reality.

“Playing in the Premiership is a huge ambition of mine,” said Traynor. “I’m going to be defined in my career over the next few weeks to see if I can play at that level or not.

“I desperately want to do that with Bristol. With the age I’m getting to, there probably won’t be too many more opportunities to be in a squad like this and to go through that journey.

“I think I’m good enough to play at that level, but I won’t know for sure until I try it. I’m going to give everything in the next few weeks – and hope I can play a part in Bristol gaining promotion.

“First, though, Rotherham in the semis will not be easy. We’ll have to be on our mettle to beat them.”

One theme running through the Bristol camp this week is the insistence on trying to embrace the pressure of the play-offs.

Bristol have been at their all-singing, all-dancing best this season when they have played with freedom and, for want of a better word, enjoyment.

And Traynor said: “For me, playing at the weekend is what rugby’s all about – and I really want to enjoy this period.

“When the pressure comes on, you’ve got to enjoy it, otherwise you close up. The way we play, I don’t think we really want to do that.

“We want to go and impose ourselves. We love playing at the Mem and we want to go out this weekend and put in a big performance.”

Article source: http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/story/224469.html

Bristol Rugby will now be judged on next few weeks, says Traynor