BRISTOL got their GKIPA Championship season underway at the second attempt with a performance that brimmed with attacking intent, even if it was not quite matched with cutting edge.
That said, a bonus point was secured, thanks to the hosts’ four tries – three of which were scored by forwards, the other courtesy of a penalty try earned by said pack.
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The performance was by no means perfect – but the signs were encouraging, as Bristol dominated long spells of territory and possession.
Aspects of their play will have concerned their coaches – notably the ease with which London Scottish carved them open to score two tries, and the fact they bossed the first half, but still trailed at the interval.
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However, one thing shone through: Bristol’s mindset was different to how it had been in their opening-day defeat against Cornish Pirates.
They were not willing to settle for keeping the scoreboard ticking over with penalties – they wanted tries. Andy Robinson, the director of rugby, has highlighted how his team need to take more try-scoring bonus points than last season – and it showed in the way they tried to play the game.
In doing so, Bristol displayed bravery. Not the physical bravery that is a given at this level of rugby, but an attacking bravery, to keep going for the jugular even when they were being repelled by a physical and well-drilled Scottish defence.
It would have been easy for the hosts to play it safe, and take the three points when they came on offer, but Bristol – with several incisive backs still to return from injury, have made it clear they believe attack is the best form of defence. Flanker James Merriman, who scored the third of their four tries, said: “I thought we set the pace in the game really well in the first 20 minutes. We want to give ourselves a bit of a brand of rugby – and we went all-out at them.
“I think we’re going to do a lot of that this season, and try to dictate that first 20 minutes and really set our stall out. We have to attack teams. We can’t really afford to sit off them – we’ve got to really set the tempo in the first 20 minutes of these games. We feel if we can do that, teams are going to drop off in that last 20 minutes, which showed today.
“Getting the bonus point was crucial for us. I said to the boys when I went off that we had to get that bonus point – and we got it, which I think that could make a big difference come the end of the season.”
Quite how Bristol did not lead at half-time was something of a mystery. Scottish did not carry the ball into the Bristol 22 until the 32nd minute of the game – and, when they eventually did, they conceded a penalty.
However, on their second visit, after James Grindal’s forward pass had given away possession, Jim Thompson chipped through for Miles Mantella to score. When Lee Millar converted, it was 7-7, after Marco Mama had opened the scoring for Bristol in the 29th minute.
Scottish did incredibly well to keep their hosts out until that point – thwarting wave after wave of attacks. But when Merriman was stopped just short on the right, and Adrian Jarvis and Luke Eves combined on the left, Mama proved unstoppable.
Bristol, as baffling as it seemed, trailed at the break, following Millar’s drop goal – but the second half belonged to the hosts.
It was not necessarily pretty – their three second-half tries were more about grunt and grit than guile and grace, but their attacking intent remained, except for one occasion when Jarvis slotted a penalty to turn a 21-18 lead into 24-18 with four minutes to play.
Before that, though, Bristol had forced a penalty try from a scrum, before Merriman was driven over from a line-out. While their running game was at times predictable, the set-piece proved a useful attacking tool throughout the afternoon. And Robinson has made it clear that he wants his team to have balance and variety in their attacking options.
Their lead of 21-10 became 21-18 after Millar went over when Mike Doneghan was allowed to dance through the Bristol defence following a quickly-taken line-out, before the fly-half sent over a penalty.
But Jarvis’s late penalty gave the hosts breathing space, before replacement lock Townson was set up by the quick thinking of fellow replacement Ruki Tipuna – who livened up his team – to go over for an all-important fourth Bristol try.
Bristol will play better this season – but they have made their intentions quite clear: opposing teams will be asked a variety of questions when they visit the Memorial Stadium.
Article source: http://www.allmediascotland.com/creative/54079/mediacom-announces-second-win-of-the-day-this-time-scottish-rugby/
Bristol Rugby show attacking intent to get first victory
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