Bears Beyond The Gate
A Bristol Bears podcast made by fans for fans. Each week your hosts Pete, Lee and Miles will take a light-hearted look at developments from Ashton Gate and beyond.
Bears Beyond The Gate
Ep 204 - Bristol have a bad bear day near Barnet...
The five key takeaways from the pod this week after a few cheeky beers and bit of rugby banter…
1. Bears suffered an "absolute shellacking," losing 50-17 after falling 31-0 down by halftime, though the lads accept that Saracens' performance was "outstanding" and they probably would have beaten any team in the league it was that good.
2. The Bears just couldn’t convert any of pressure that they did create struggling with red zone efficiency and only scoring only 17 points from 12 entries into the 22 despite having 62% possession and 57% territory overall. Was it case of Sarries been too good or Bears making too many mistakes? As always, it was probably a ‘bit of both’ erring on the side of Sarries being too good.
3. The defeat highlighted the risk of starting the season with the smallest squad in the premiership, and this has unfortunately been exposed by an unprecedented number of early-season injuries to key players in key positions. The medical boys have definitely got their work cut out.
4. A massive positive, however, was the team's second-half resilience exemplified by Kieran Marmion’s standout performance. He was the best Bears player on the pitch and scored a quality hat-trick.
5. We need a "bounce back" performance against Exeter Chiefs, with the lads highlighting the return of key personnel, including Fitz Harding and Ellis Genge, Santi Grindona, Pedro Rubiolio and Benjamin Elizadlde to reinforce the squad.
You're listening to episode 204 of Bears Beyond the Gate, a Bristol rugby podcast made by fans both fans with three friends who love the club, the game and all things bears. This week we will review the absolute shlacking that was meted out to us at the Stone X yesterday. We've never won there, and to be honest, it feels like we never will. Saracen's put us to the sword right and proper, and worse still, three more big players hold off injured. That said, there was a second half comeback of sorts with a hat-trick for the lively and evergreen Kiramarmian, but a try bonus point went begging at the death. We will still search for positives if we can and look forward to Saturday when we take on Extra Chiefs and the return of ex-assistant coach Dave Walder. I'm Pete and I'm joined by Lee and Miles for a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby back banter back at the Bristol Beer Factory Tat Room. Well boys, obviously last weekend, because of the logistics of the game, we uh we were actually entertained at Ashton Gate in the media press conference room, and then I noticed in the week Pat was sitting in our seat. Was he?
SPEAKER_03:It's disgusting, really, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:But he needs to know his place, really, that match. Yeah. But also the other thing is I think Lewis got his nose put out of joint a little bit. He thought that we might not ever come back here. And uh I had to come back in the week and have a little sit-down with Lewis and say, mate, it was it was nothing to do with you.
SPEAKER_04:Did you give that teacher reassurance?
SPEAKER_02:I did. We had a little chat, it's a one-to-one. Yeah, good. Yeah, and uh I said, you know, mate, it was just it was too difficult. We didn't want to put you under pressure, we recognise that it's a difficult time with a rugby match on, so it but we we we're always with you. You're our boy.
SPEAKER_03:Well, on that note, we should say we're enjoying some really nice beers. I mean, some of the beers that are coming out of Bristol Beer Factory at the moment are amazing. And if you've not tried Vienna Flight, then you'd you've there's something wrong. You need to be getting onto that stuff. And as we speak, Mr. Lewis is uh is entering the building now. Chaps, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well, you can say something. We were actually recording, but we just picked you up. We said that you your nose was put out of joint a little bit when we banged on about doing at Ashton Gate last Sunday in the media room. But but you know, we wanted to reassure you and our listeners and all those Bristol beer factory fans out there that this is our spiritual home and it always will be, and it's our real home.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, you seem a lot more relaxed here, but there's a sense of your shoulder.
SPEAKER_02:Well, that's partly because Ashton Gate didn't give us any beers. We had to take our own.
SPEAKER_04:Well, well, I heard that you stole some. No, what we took our own. No, I bought I bought no, I bought a sort of uh Vienna flight each. I loved I love the fact that Lewis is actually looking at me as he's saying you stole the beer. So it was not guilty, Lewis, not guilty. There was a le legal transaction took place, and I treated this to a can of fine Vienna flight. Did you differ? Of course, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:With his own money as well, yeah, absolutely. Anyway, I think we digress, boys, don't we? I do digress.
SPEAKER_00:I've jumped in, I didn't realise you were.
SPEAKER_02:It's all good, mate. It's all good. You will feel it will sound a little bit echoey, but I think this is what the listeners like. They like authenticity, and uh off he goes, off he goes. Anyway, boys, um, I've lost my train of thought. Yeah, yeah, so we're back at the Bristol Beer Factory Tat room. Um, so just to set a bit of context for this game, I actually went to the game. Uh just thought it'd be quite funny. Someone had to. Someone had to. Um, I went to the game, so I was I was there watching it live, and and I know you boys were were sat watching on telly and real time because I could see heat coming out of my WhatsApp group. Um so I think before we get into it, um I think we'll what we'll do like we do sometimes is we we'll we'll go through a couple of contributions we've had already. Now, one of the contributions was Dunny. I I managed to grab Dunny after the game really, really quickly. Um, just he gave me a little soundbite. Um, because it's the one thing I would say about the Stone Axe, it's like the stoop. You can literally just go right up to the side of the pitch and the players come over and talk to you. It's very accessible. So Dunny very kindly gave us his thoughts and um after the game. So it's only about 30 seconds, so let's listen to it now.
SPEAKER_01:All right, I'm here with Dunny. Tough day at the office at the Stone X. Dunny, at least you didn't get injured. You're looking fit as a fiddle, but just give us your impression on that game.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it was obviously really tough, but it felt like had a couple of decisions go against us. We lost collisions a little bit early, and then they just got on a bit of a roll momentum eyes and we struggled to get it back, but a bit of promise in the second half. Obviously, you could have had that bonus point try at the end, which was disappointing, but yeah, it gotta be better next week. Got Exeter at home next weekend.
SPEAKER_01:You looking forward to it?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we literally just spoke in a huddle on the pitch then we need a bounce back, so yeah, we'll see what happens.
SPEAKER_01:We'll see you back in the gate next week, Dunny. Cheers, mate.
SPEAKER_02:Cheers, mate, thank you very much. So there you go. I mean, it was an honest assessment of Dunny.
SPEAKER_03:Dunny's always honest.
SPEAKER_02:And also, I think one of the massive positives was that you know he looked fit at the end of the game. He put a massive he put a big shift in. He came off in the second half for Pig Stevie, but it was a physical game, and obviously his shoulder is is is uh is standing up well.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he does. I thought Dunny played well, actually. He was he was one of the the brighter sparks, I think, in yesterday's book.
SPEAKER_02:Well I think we'll we'll talk about those in a minute, the bright sparks. But I think before we we go on, I I did tentatively this morning put out a short short summary clarion call because I thought it'd be quite interesting to see what other listeners thought about uh thought about the um the day. There's a little bit of laughing going on because Lewis has just come in with a few more cans. And he's trying to be as quiet as he can. He's trying to be as quiet as he can. He's done in control.
SPEAKER_00:This is the service you did not today as well. Normally there's a bucket of ice. Ah, that's fine, buddy.
SPEAKER_02:Hey, you've had a busy 102 covers on 102 hour shift, he's putting in one day. Yeah, so this is brilliant, and we can we're all forever raising.
SPEAKER_03:There's no ice, I like you know, I'm not gonna.
SPEAKER_02:Don't matter.
SPEAKER_03:Don't worry about that. Mate, we've got we've got we've got ring pulls. That's all we need. Thank you, Lewis.
unknown:No worries.
SPEAKER_02:So I thought I did put a clarion call out for a few listeners. I I thought uh people like to I don't think it's not just listening to the pod that I think a lot of listeners know. They actually like the fact that there's a kind of Bears Beyond the Gate feed that they can also write to and know that other people um and it is mainly um X or Twitter. Sorry, it is mainly Twitter. Um, our Instagram is very niche, but uh here we go. So let's let's get a few. I'll I'll just read through a few really quickly. Um, Matt Matt Morgan Bears. Bear, he said one game doesn't define our season. Bad day at the office, not many teams will win at Saris this season. Time to regroup and put it right against the Chiefs. I thought I'd start with a positive one. Yeah, um, Steve Smith, Erstwhile. He did two emojis, and I'm sure he won't mind me saying that one emoji was a dog and the other one was a little brown thing with two eyes.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, we have kids that listen to us, so uh is you had emoji with a dog and a brown thing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so a dog and a brown thing, I think we could work that out, and uh that was very short and sharp. So cheers, Steve. Um huge Swede, huge Swede has come in, and he came in with um a kind of well, it was a soulful poem, really, but it was only four four words. It was Saracen Storm Bears Benign. Oof soulful and alliterative.
SPEAKER_03:I do want to meet Huge Swede because I just have this. If he's got a big head, yeah. I just I just have this vision of walking in and the guy's head's like three times the size of normal.
SPEAKER_04:Huge it's the most unpopular vegetable in the casserole. So I'd like I do I I agree.
SPEAKER_02:I would like to I am assuming that the Swede is a reference to the size of his head. It's gotta be, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03:It's huge. Uh we need to see you, mate.
SPEAKER_02:Unless he literally is a walking Swede. I mean that'd be weird, wouldn't it? Maybe he's from Sweden. How does he text?
SPEAKER_03:I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, let's move on. Nick Spragg, he said we need more positivity. We go to certain grounds like the Stonex or Salford thinking we're gonna lose and let ourselves get so far behind after 50 minutes there's no coming back. We need to use our heads more. Some of this stuff I think we'll come back to, boys.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, well, I'm gonna definitely mention pick up on that Nick's point.
SPEAKER_02:Brisley or Briz at Brisley. Um, he said positive attitude from the top is needed, a lot of negativity, and that reflected in the performance. Too many silly pens. When the ref's telling you to leave it and he's right next to you and you still don't listen, that's pure stupidity. We score decent tries, but poor defence. Brizzle Nick, Nick Howe, big fan, big fan of the pod. Hero listener. Didn't win the shirt though. Come back to that later. Um Nick was quite positive. Well, pragmatic. He said, write it off. And he always is. Write it off. Bad day at the office. Chiefs at home is a whole different game. Brackets, but not easy given their record at Ashton Gate. Crank up the positivity and big up those who are wearing the shirts rather than those who aren't. Is it too soon for a must-win game? Don't think so. Oh, Anthony Baxter, cycle fan, he was very too small a squad. Stupid to think you can get away with it. Just fed up with it already.
SPEAKER_03:But I would I would also say he's very pragmatic as well. So he felt fed up, everyone's opinions.
SPEAKER_02:Sunday morning, he's got up and he's feeling fed up. And I like him. I don't blame him.
SPEAKER_03:That was pre-bike ride, I too.
SPEAKER_02:We had mist Mr. Knight. I'm not sure we've had much from Mr. Knight. It says at Mr. Knight PE, so his P teacher, not the Dark Knight, he's a P teacher. He said, uh Pat told the public our odds on top four had lengthened after one game, and that was something he said in the week to John Eavely. Demotivating the squad of which is small and slightly and tightly knit is perhaps not a good idea. We replaced those injuries for game two with three internationals, plus a Puma and a Lion to return yet. Not quite sure what the point he's making there, but anyway, it's a good point, otherwise. Um Max at 978 Max. Big question marking defence, was hoping some of the holes would be patched over in the summer. Instead, we've opened up more, but plenty of time left. It got me thinking of whack-a-mole. It is a bit like whack-a-mole, isn't it? And actually, that isn't that the most annoying like fair ground game at whack-a-mole where you're smashing it and you can never quite win it at all. And it feels a bit like that sometimes, you know. We got rid we've replaced plugged some holes and then others appear.
SPEAKER_03:John Phipps running out of your plasters, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:It is John Phipps, uh, BS 15 Red. He's another hero listener. Hero listener, very poor start, over as a contest very quickly. Only positive is that the boys kept going to the end. Signings need ASAP, especially a fly half. Then we had Tango Romeo, which is at Glan. Oh, I can't read that. My uh I've got my glasses on now. Sounds like a copper to me. This was a this was coming quite new. This was a simultaneous acrostic, like a simultaneous equation, a simultaneous equation. So it's it's got two parallel next to each other. So I'm gonna do it. They're quite short, so you should be able to get this. So acrostic one. Skillful, adventurous, resilient, rampaging, incisive, elite, strong. Saries. Sarys. Yeah, and then you can see what's coming. The other one, the parallel across the beginning. It starts with bashed, erratic, awful, redundant, struggled. Bears. There you go. Sorry, Joey, don't we? I like it. I like that. I like it a simultaneous doubler. Doubler. Tom the Toffee. Um we need to take this man to test. Come on, here he goes. He goes, Bristol Bears Chin Up. That's the name of his poem. Okay, yeah, yeah. And it goes, The Bristol Bears went east with fire and flare, but Saracen stripped them then and there. Their pants pulled down, the scoreboard cruel, a bruising day at the rugby school. Yet faith's not lost. No, not a chance. For Ashton Gate still roars with pride. Tom the Tommy. You bet yourself done at the end there. What happened to that last sentence? Literally the last word. So we need to think of uh we need to just and this is what you do with teaching, you provide feedback to improve. So I think Lee's going to provide some feedback. It's yet faith's not lost, no, not a chance. For Ashton Gate still roars with Romance.
SPEAKER_03:Romance loving that straight off the top of my tongue.
SPEAKER_02:There we are. Yeah, you never, never, we didn't practice that at all with Marah, did we? But Tom Natoffey, brilliant effort for three quarters. Nine out of ten. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And then Music Life at Funky House, which also knows Debs from K-Town. She's come in. I mean, probably the most dedicated away fan and her and Big Jim. But she's come back with a cross stick as well. Christoph Ridley joins the Hammy gang. An arm armchair warriors, please try and attend one away game. The boys need you. Like Saris of old, mighty effort second half. I got it. Got it?
SPEAKER_03:It's calm. But I'm a bit disappointed in Deb. Because really Pristodians, they we like to say carm. It should have been an R really. Calm. C-A-R-M.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but she has she has also put a kind of an extra explanation after it, and she says it's game two. If we can stay around mid-table until the injury situation improves, uh hope actually, then she must have written us something else saying, then it will be alright. Okay, couple more. Um oh that was it. It was the last one. So well done. Um really appreciate all of those um those discussions, and it gives us it kind of gives us a warm-up as well. It does and reminds us. So we need something. I think we need to get get stuck into this. So um, I mean, I called it a shellacking, and Saracens and the word shellacking are are quite well connected. Ironically, if if long-term listeners will know that Jez from Fezcast once came onto our pod and said he feared they were gonna get a shellacking at Ashton Gate. This was the first game after the uh semi-final loss, yeah, and of course they then beat us. Um so shellacking is always something we associate with Sarri's, ironically. I mean, I'm just gonna put that out there. If if you do concede 50 points, does that get you into the shellacking area? Most definitely, absolutely without question. I mean, is there any mitigation? No, I don't think so. No, not at all. I don't think so. So I think we'll accept that overall it was a shellacking, and I've got to say, and boys, I mean, you were watching it on telly. I was I was watching it um live, and I was sat quite in the middle, it's kind of the middle of the sort of pitch, so I could see everything unfolding. And it we literally went soft penalty, soft penalty, try, soft penalty, try, conversion, conversion. Because I mean Owen Fowl kicked the first conversion from the touchline, and you're thinking, Oh, that's great, cheers for that, Owen. And then before I knew, I literally had only just sat down. It it felt we're 14-nil down.
SPEAKER_03:Well, when you talk about things unfolding, I think we folded like an omelette or a or a deck chair, to be honest.
SPEAKER_02:Do you have you have to fold an omelet though, don't you? So the deck chair just folded under its under its own weight, wouldn't it? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And it felt like maybe you get you get what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_02:I think both of them work actually, because Saracens was like the flipper that flipped the omelet over. We were the omelette and got flipped by Saracen's, or we were the deck chair and the weight of Saracens on top of us. Yeah, so it works both. I love the deck chair and that that many injuries occur from deck chair scenarios, and as did happen, I mean whilst we're at it, I mean, to be honest, from 14-nil down, and I you know, this is being honest from what I could see, we did look a little bit all over the place. Um I mean, I think the players were pretty shell-shocked by the shellacking because so, in some ways, we were trying to rearrange the deck chairs, and it was it was quite windy, and it was quite hard to get them in line. And you know, we I I felt as though that it wasn't just the 14 points that were difficult, it was it was like kind of what it created in our kind of mindset and confidence. It was uh it's very difficult, it was.
SPEAKER_03:Well, we're gonna we we will dissect the the whole game anyway, won't we, now but one thing I will say, and this isn't this isn't I'll be honest, I think Sarri's the way they played yesterday, they would have beaten any team in the league, and I'm including Bath in that, I think. I I agree that was an outstanding performance, and I know we are gonna get to the to the kind of you know be in all be all and end all of this, but ultimately that performance would have beaten any team in the league.
SPEAKER_02:And and I and I mean I was there and I was I was only I was literally like ten yards away from the some of the play because it was on the touch lane. When Van Zill just popped up about four drop four box kits, I I just you just knew it they were all contestable, they we they all knew what they were doing, and we I don't think we won one of them, and they it was and it was just it was a tactical masterclass. The other thing was clearly quite obvious, they absolutely targeted our big players. Yeah, so Bill Matter was kind of given the ball and he was just smothered straight away. There was one tackle where that you he got pushed back backwards about five yards, and of course, just them that is just mentally for the rest of the boys thinking hang on, you're our one-up runner and you're going backwards. What's happened there? And then they targeted Lewis Reezamit. I mean, Lewis Rezamut was pretty game, he had a lot of balls pumped at him. He actually took a lot of contact, but he did he got very little space. But as we saw in the second half, when he did get a bit of space, he clearly is very destructive. But they they were just they their game plan was absolutely on point.
SPEAKER_03:Right, I'm gonna mention this now because I I think it's better to get this done early. Yeah, I did feel that Pat Lamb's talk before the the pre the pre-game conference was so negative, and I'm not saying it, I mean the the guys go out on the pitch, that it wouldn't have affected them at all because they go out to win, whatever. We we know that but I just felt it was so negative that you know Pat's kind of saying about well, our chances of finishing in the top four have already been depleted, and I don't want to hear that from my coach. I like we all know that, but it's almost like well, we don't need to say it. Uh I I thought that was a really bad start to things. Yeah, I don't know what you guys think. I I uh Miles, what do you think?
SPEAKER_04:Not not ideal, you're absolutely right. I think as as as fans and viewers, you know, we we are fully aware of the the um injury situation, and we know that it's gonna be an upward, uh, uphill battle to even even get top six, top four if if these injuries aren't replaced or sorted by the end of the season. And I agree it's potentially not the best choice of words by our DOR to sort of you know tell us that that that exact same thing, and yeah, we know it, but potentially I'm you know, I don't want that reiterated by Pat Lamb. I agree.
SPEAKER_03:I just think we've we've we've actually chosen to start with a smaller squad this season, the smallest squad in the in the premiership, and it is unprecedented the amount of injuries we've had or you know in the in two games. I know I I fully appreciate that. But the thing is, when you're starting with such a small squad anyway, you've got nothing to lean back on now. So, you know, now all of a sudden we're you know, Pat's looking around trying to sign players to to draft players in. And are we going to be paying extra money now for these guys because they know we've got a massive injury list and we need players to well to step in.
SPEAKER_02:I I mean, I don't know. And I mean we know we spoke to Tom Taint a few weeks ago and he said, you know, it's always a balance. We know we have low season ticket prices, so you know, we we the but it's budgeting bad. I mean, at the end of the day, we will get dispensation, you get injury cover dispensation. And you know, if somebody's not playing, then they might be kind of not necessarily in the box seat in terms of the in terms of contracts. But yeah, boys, I mean it's i i the only thing I would say in in as a kind of devil's advocate is if if Pat was here to defend himself, he might say, Well, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to to like say, Oh, it's all gonna be fine? Because we all knew we lost three players being injured, so you know, if he had said, Oh no, it'd be all fine, it's like no Pat, we're going to Sarry's and we've lost three players. It's kind of it, I guess it you've got to kind of get this balance of expectation against sort of blind optimism.
SPEAKER_03:No, I I get that, but but then saying chances of us finishing in the top four already after one game too far.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, I agree. And are we uh I mean the the worry is that on game two we have just exposed that not pay not paying or playing to the salary cap um is has been our downfall but only on two games.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but last season we weren't paying to the salary cap, and we were like half a half a yeah half away from a Prem final. I agree.
SPEAKER_03:We still didn't achieve anything though, Pete.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but we almost I agree.
SPEAKER_04:But I grant that that an injury um you what would you the average? I mean I mean maybe I read some statistics that an injury a month potentially is on average in a in a high contact sport like rugby. Yes, and this is unprecedented, absolutely unprecedented. And I get that you know it's very hard to get out of this injury scenario, but it it still doesn't detract from our small squad as potentially not so early.
SPEAKER_02:But again, I go back to I I don't know why I see like I'm just going back to like listeners might say, Well, hang on, you did say this to Tom, yeah. And he did say what you you know, if we haven't got the money and we're not given the money, what do you want us to do? Put ticket prices up, and you know, it is a balance, and I think we have to accept that it's no no no no.
SPEAKER_03:I I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what it is, right? Bristol Bears fans, supporters want us to win something, and it's almost got to the point now we need to win at all costs, full stop for me. Okay, if if we need to to break the budget, we need to break the budget, and I love I like the idealism of having a small squad, a tight-knit unit, but as Miles just said, we've got so many injuries already, and we're we're two games into the season, and I'm I'm not all doom and gloom. Don't I I don't want no, I don't want it to come across like that. Players will come back, players will come back from injury, and and you know, it is all about staying in there until you know later on the season.
SPEAKER_02:But I think when we talk about we talk about the Exeter game, we can maybe talk about that a bit more about when we get there about you know what we think the team for Saturday, because there are some yeah things to think about in terms of players coming back. So, yeah, okay. Well, I mean, let we kind of diverted away from the game was absolutely fine, but that that was a big, clearly a big talking point from the game. But let's get back to the game. I mean, 31 0 down, was it?
SPEAKER_04:Half time, yeah, yeah, absolutely it was.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I mean it wasn't I I was sat there and I was thinking after 14, I was thinking we obviously we've got to get a foothold in this game, and obviously the forwards have got to get we've got or we've got to get some sort of ascendancy, we've got to get we've got to spend some time in their half, we've got to perhaps be a bit more pragmatic, and we did get quite a lot of time in their half after 14-nil down, but unfortunately, um we just didn't convert anything at all. Now, when I was watching it, I actually think it was because Saracen's just defended their line unbelievably well. No, I I agree with that, and I don't think I'm really not sure we could have done that much more.
SPEAKER_03:I'm gonna have to back you up on that. I think that's that's exactly how I saw it. I think Miles has probably got a different.
SPEAKER_04:No, no, no, no. On the other side on that flip the coin in that we had two chances right on the try line and we failed. Yeah, but that's not pointing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, no. You don't you're not you're not guaranteed to score every time a meter or more, of course, not especially with the rules of holding up because you've got to be so sure that you're gonna do it.
SPEAKER_04:I absolutely agree that visits to the 22 never you know, there's never 100%, is there visits to the 22 and tries to the 22? But um, you know, Bristol's breakdown, you're right. It was it Sarres looked a little little bit slow, but maybe you're absolutely right. But Sarres were just too too good and too fast and too disciplined and just protected it too well, and or or was it that just Bristol were not aggressive enough, knowing that Sarres are that good at the breakdown? And it and it's a balance.
SPEAKER_03:The eternal question to me to me, it looked like they were equally as good in defence as they were in attack, and and I think sometimes you've just got to put your hands up and say it was massively disappointing, but but they were absolutely clinical at both ends of the pitch.
SPEAKER_02:I mean I I did I did the post article and I just said that they dominated in every area in terms of collisions, in terms of being clinical, being and just in terms of connectedness, they were connected in defence, and they were real I mean they were quite exciting to watch. They're some of their back line moves were were were like what I was thinking that's like how we do it.
SPEAKER_03:I I looked at that Sarry's performance and and I was thinking Sarry's bath final straight away. Yeah, yeah. I have to admit.
SPEAKER_02:And on that note, I know you'll know what wound me up more than anything when I was live, because it happened right in front of me, was when Max Mose. Oh no, I mean first of all, talk about let's talk about Max Moes. First of all, I mean, fair play, the lad's an unbelievably good rugby player, still wearing tights, mind. I think he was the only guy on the pitch to wearing tights, which I still think is an issue, and I know someone will say, Oh, yeah, they've got you pitch. But there were 30 blokes on that pitch and the ref, and only one of them was wearing tights.
SPEAKER_03:So we had two refs, didn't we?
SPEAKER_02:Well, we did, but um, so Max, yeah. I mean, part of me it was at that try scored where I mean again, it was Tom Willis, unbelievable game. Well, that's playing the match. Tom Willis absolutely Tom Willis doesn't have to make yards, it was just that he took two tacklers and then released his hands, popped it to Maylis, and then I mean the the no look out the back, and then Van Zil to it reminded me of that Blumen try at um Gloucester when uh Thomas Williams did the look the other way one over the back of the top. And then I mean, the only thing that I thought when I saw him do the biggest splash ash splash, I thought he might drop it, he might drop it, and he I mean that must bluming hurt on that pitch.
SPEAKER_04:Even Ashie commended, didn't he, on commentary? But but it must hurt on a plastic one.
SPEAKER_03:I wouldn't do it on a plastic one. I just thought it was a bit of kicking the teeth. I mean, we we signed him we signed him. He he was Did we get two games from him? Two games two games, he was injured all seasons.
SPEAKER_02:We did score quite a lot of tries in those two games.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I don't know. It's just it's the game.
SPEAKER_04:It's a hard, is it a heart bitter pill to swallow, isn't it? I think that well yesterday.
SPEAKER_02:Somebody did comment on social saying, you know, he spent we spent all our season getting him fit for him to play that game.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah, pretty much. That's how it feels. But it did feel and I agree, just to come back on that. That that that that Tom Willis was absolutely phenomenal. I mean, he's you know, he's easily working himself into Steve Borthwick's and an England category, isn't he? Absolutely brilliant. And if he wasn't, you know, mauling, you know, dominating, he flipping just nicks the ball off us. He was he played that well yesterday.
SPEAKER_02:Uh what was doubly because he came off for an HIA after about and I thought he was right in front of me, and I thought that could be I wrote down turning coming back. He gave back on, he gave my gone turning point. The only turning point was when he turned to come back on and played about three times as well when he got back. No, I mean he anyway, go back to Max Malin's. So 100% great, great try, but then he did start showboating a bit afterwards, and I'm not sure the likes of Dunny and bats would have liked that. And I I meant to ask Dunny, was there any sort of chat about we've got to shut Max down a little bit? He's getting a little bit too cheeky, cocky, bit cocky, but he uh you know he played well. He played there's always other games, isn't there? There's always other games. I mean, just going back to the stats, actually, um, because I had a quick look at what.
SPEAKER_04:I mean right, we had more possession.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Bizarrely. I've got them right here, Miles. In terms of possession, 62% against 39, and we had 57% against yeah, 30%, I can't read it. Then we had 57% territory, yeah, and we had 12 entries into the 22. This is the killer stat, obviously. They had 14 entries, they scored 50 points, and we scored 17. So our our red zone efficiency obviously was the issue. As we've said, Sarry's defended so well as a U.
SPEAKER_04:Have you got the penalty count on there? Because this is the unbelievably it was 12 all.
SPEAKER_02:I know, yeah. I couldn't believe that because I thought we were giving away penalties like sweets.
SPEAKER_03:I've known it did feel like that watching it.
SPEAKER_02:But again, it shows why stats, we've had this conversation so many times, they are meaningless if there's no context. Now, it you know, we they may have given away 12 penalties, but we clearly like you know didn't make take any advantage of their penalties, whereas they took advantage of ours.
SPEAKER_03:But that's almost like uh talking a good game without winning a trophy, isn't it? That's exactly what I think. Well that's what happened.
SPEAKER_02:I like that, I like the way you segued that back again. Very clever, mate. Very, very clever. I start so and then every other stat was pretty similar clean breaks, defended beaters, offloads, but it was that I mean, even things like small success. Was pretty same. We had some more seven malls, they had four ruck success. We had 99% ruck success. But I was just thinking, what we know, but it's not about the success of the ruck, it's how fast it goes, and how it doesn't tell you slowing down the opposition percentage, does it? And I mean that's what really matters, doesn't it? So again, lovely little sideways bar graphs, it looked be good look good in a little project, but totally doesn't tell you anything about it. Ultimately it's meaningless, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, the result of the game.
SPEAKER_02:The result is everything. Um why did we have a slow start though? This is a question. Why why did we you know we knew exactly what we're going to expect there. We know exactly how Saracen's are going to play. We know that they would have analysed us. Why did we not absolutely were we just blown away too quickly?
SPEAKER_04:I think so. But I feel like that that first Theo Dan score after only two minutes was so was such a good training ground move. I'm not sure any team would have stopped it. They threw it short, didn't they, on the on on the throw-in. Back to Theo Dan, they just legged it over in the corner on the pitch. Um, I I don't think you could have defended that. That's the sort of thing we will try.
SPEAKER_02:To be fair, Kira Marlin did try and tackle him and got hit. It was a it was down against Marmion. And Marmion, I thought it was a textbook tackle from about three yards out, and he just got absolutely marmalised. And I mean he didn't do anything wrong, it was just that the power took took Dan three yards over. No, we couldn't do anything about that. That was a classic move. But then the thing was, after that, what annoyed me was he then gave away another stupid penalty straight after that, then they got back down again. And that's when you have to think, boys, this is where you say we've all got to focus 10% more. We've got somebody's gotta say it's 10%, boys, 10%, like absolutely on it, and then it just had the annoying thing when the ref told um Gabe Zogre not up to number nine, and then he just was after thought.
SPEAKER_04:That was that was that was yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:There were some silly penalties, and yeah, absolutely. Yeah, so um for the we're just gonna have a little pause for a moment because Lee needs to go to the toilet. So we'll be back. Is this where we need adverts, boys, don't we? We've always said we don't want adverts. We're gonna have a quick advert.
SPEAKER_04:You know, they're like that the the young girl with the stripes in the 80s, the intermission sort of thing on the BBC. What were you doing in the oh I know what you mean?
SPEAKER_03:Fellas, we should say that I did get you down here at six o'clock.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I'm still recording, right? Let's stop. So uh listeners will be pleased to know that Lee has now returned from the toilet and we've now got ourselves coordinated. So are you ready, boys, for the second part of the pod. 3, 2, 1.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, ring balls on the ready.
SPEAKER_02:It's just got a spillage all over my trousers.
SPEAKER_03:That's what happens when you take a nick, yeah, anyway.
SPEAKER_02:We've got to move on, boys. Um, so Lee, you're you're now fit as a fit. I thought you were getting a bit quiet towards the end of that first part. So we've we've done a lot of chat. We've done a lot of chat. I mean, there's lots of different opinions out there. Some people you know are very unhappy. Some people are saying, look, it's it was always going to be a difficult game, let's move on. We've got we've got other games to focus on. Let's talk about the second half until right at the end. We were actually winning the second half. Absolutely. A lot of people say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's too little, too late, and I get it. But it was actually quite nice to see some sort of response. Um, so I think we'll just focus a little bit on that, and we've got to doff our cap. And I know that our uh big fan from Connett, Iana Jakes, will be very I did promise I'd mention it because he's obviously Kira Marmion's like I think he's the secretary of Kira Marmion's fan club, to be honest, because he'd already put something on saying, Don't let me say it. But anyway, Marmion has was actually played really well. I thought he was our best player by a stretch, and this is a guy who was on the back foot quite a lot at the time, scored three great tries. He's clearly started the season in form, and I think that's the one general positive we have is that I don't think we're we're lacking at the moment at scrum half. We just don't want him to get injured either. So I think we need to doffer cap to Marmion and to Kieran and say, you know, well done. And he you know, he he did a he had a full 80. He knew that he knew that there was no one really. I mean, Max Pepper came on, to be fair, and and did well, but came on you know in the wing or somewhere. So Jenkins' centre, wasn't he? Yeah, Marmion's really got a he knew he had to step up, but he didn't he didn't go into himself, he kept playing like a scrum art should play.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I I think that was the biggest positive of the second half was the fact that that that we kept going. I mean we knew the game was gone at half time, but actually the the whole performance of the second half, the whole team, when you're beaten, sometimes you can let your heads go down and you know, but we didn't, and we we kept going for the for the you know the bonus, uh the four try bonus point, and really we're very, very close. It was it was the grasp of Harry Fach's fingers, or the lack of or the lack of yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I mean it was it was a shame that and and actually to be honest, that came from nothing. We were I think we had five seconds to go, and then we got a penalty, and we then I thought I thought game's gone. We got a penalty, we went down, we did everything we could, and actually they did the right thing, they didn't try and do a rolling mall, did they? They they did a little spin-off and and it almost was there, and I thought it was in, and I I jumped up, looked like a bit of a knobby. Um to be fair on the TV it did look like he got it first of all, um, but you know, it it it wasn't to be a couple of other things. Um, Aidan Boschoff came on very early for Joe Jenkins. Now we've seen a bit of this guy, he's under Wales under 20, he's the one with the flowing locks. Um played a couple of Prem Cup games, but this was his actual premiership debut, so you can imagine how he was feeling. Well, where at Sarage thinking I might be the last person to come on at the end of the game, yeah, yeah. And the interesting thing was I actually saw him afterwards. Um, he was talking to his mum and some relatives, and he they were stood right next to me, and I could hear him saying that he, you know, they genuinely thought he was only gonna get 20 minutes, so when he came on early, it was quite a big thing, and he and he was kind of like a star-struck sort of um fan because he said, and the other thing was I heard him say this did you not see me? I was I was almost a scrapping with Owen Farrell, it was like he was kind of fast, brilliant, and it was brilliant. And you know what? I I came away, I thought I like that boy's attitude, and he's big. I thought he looks quite small, he's big, and he's got he's muscly, and I think we're gonna need him, to be honest, at this rate.
SPEAKER_03:And he held his own as well, didn't he?
SPEAKER_02:Physically, he did he wasn't he didn't panic, and there was I think when he came on, he went on the wing, and then we had two rucks, and Marmion was out of it, and he went in at scrum half and he flipped, you know, he took control, he did, and I just think that was a positive attitude.
SPEAKER_04:Um that was a you know that and we'll see more of Aidan. I mean, there weren't many, there weren't too many positives of the whole game, but I I I I absolutely agree. The second half, the the substitutes that came on, the energy they brought, and the power, uh, and you're right, they did not look down, uh, and they brought some absolute life to the second half, and I thought they were bluffing brilliant. You know, Boschoff came on Pepper, Graham Slaw. Well, the whole bench came on. The whole bench was empty, to be honest with you. Uh, and every one of those subs put on put in a hundred percent, and Thacker looked really lively, and it's yeah, you're right, really unlucky not to get that bonus point on the 81st minute.
SPEAKER_03:Biggest positive second half is um Joe Owen's offload. Yeah, resummit break, Joe Owen's offload, and Marmian scores. I mean, that offload Joe was it off. It was the acceleration.
SPEAKER_04:He looked like a thoroughbred. Well, he is.
SPEAKER_02:We've said this before. It's like I'd say he's he's best mate. He's not Denman. Denman's a bit stocky, he's best mate. Just he's a he's a champion, he's a gold cup horse. Oh, yes. I wouldn't put him for the for uh I'd be if I was training him, it would be uh he'd be champ, he'd be gold cup. Totally agree. Yeah, uh last player. And he yeah, and actually, to be fair, we should mention I think he had a you know he put a big shift in, him and bats, and uh you know he he did he did quite a lot of carrying as well, Joe Joe Owen, because he played at six. And he's a I mean that was one that was one debate someone put on. It's like why was he starting at six and we had Stevie on the bench? Maybe Stevie should have started at six, and we also had we had Luca seven.
SPEAKER_04:Well, it was quite a lot of time when Luca switched to number eight, you see that. So maybe on the Saris putting probably when when matter was off the yellow.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think during the I've got to say, that was harsh. That was there was hardly any contact at all.
SPEAKER_04:In my opinion, on TB shoulder to shoulder, without doubt. The guy who no no doubt, look at no head in the city.
SPEAKER_02:And it was the young lad as well, it's like the 12-year-old who's about six foot four. He didn't complain at all, and he didn't and he was slipping. I I thought that was very, very harsh yellow. It didn't really matter, did it?
SPEAKER_04:But they scored a couple of so boys.
SPEAKER_02:I think we're gonna stop it there because there's only so much people want to hear about Saracens away. We've never won there, it feels like we never will. Um, but I I had quite a good time. I got I it's just another mitigation, it's just a must be a terrible place to play rugby if you're a rugby player, it's just so soulless, and and and the the setup's great that you don't queue for drinks, there's loads of food, it's it's easy to I love the fact you could get right close to the pitch beforehand and afterhand, but just to play there, everything about it is all is all about the home team and all about Saris know exactly how to play there.
SPEAKER_04:I guess I've got what I got I've got a question at the end of my notes though. However, you you're absolutely right, Sarre's are absolutely they're gonna dominate the season. I cannot see any flaws in the in the system they played at the weekend. I think we've all agreed that. However, you know, there is a little bit of a little bit of defensive questioning going on. We cannot if we cannot outscore teams, do we need better defence? And I agree Saracens were just too good yesterday, um, but there were a little bit too many missed tackles, and I agree it's Saracens, but that is that not just basics of defence. Um defend, defend, defend, get your tackles right, and I and I I feel we need a little bit of better defence, even against the best teams in the league.
SPEAKER_03:We definitely 100% need to start games better because we we can't be 20 points down after 20 minutes, I totally agree.
SPEAKER_04:We we can't get we can't against anyone, we can't come back against better teams, can we?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think let's draw a line under that because it's a good point, well made, and and will be a continual point, I imagine, and even for this weekend coming. So you're listening to Bears Beyond the Gate, a Bristol Bears podcast made by fans for fans. Um, if you want to get in touch, uh please give us an email. Uh, like a couple of people have, and I'll try and remember that at the end to to say that. Uh BearsBeyTegate at gmail.com. We've got our socials, which is as bears be at bears beyond gate on Twitter, and we've got our burgeoning Instagram account, which is really for the for the kids, you know. I think I think I think big burgeoning is the day we die. It's really for our two or three teenage fans that we have, one of which we did say did what did talk to my daughter on the downs. Oh, okay. And also my my my um this is oh, this is a fun thing, boys. My uh oh eldest daughter is doing English language A level, and that next week they've got to choose the introductions to four different podcasts and analyse it. But get this one of the lads in her set listens to Bears Beyond the Gate, and he said that he's gonna use us as one of the ones. We're gonna be part of the curriculum lads. Actually, on that note, didn't you meet someone at Sarys, Pete? Oh, I did, I should say. I was gonna wake that at the end, but I let's do the shout-out now. I met a lovely lady called Lucia. Big shout out to Lucia, kind of approached me, said, Are you Pete from the pod? I was like, Yeah, who are you? And uh, you know, I I could have said, Well, I don't know how you're supposed to react to these situations. Anyway, love really nice. But the thing was, she's a Bristol fan from Lockdown, just kind of got into rugby. Her um fella who was there is a Saracens fan. They live in London. Where's Lockdown, by the way? Well, where's suburb of Bristol? Well, exactly, from Lockdown. Well, I said, What? Lot Lee's? I went, Lock Lee's. She went, no, Lockdown. I said, I've got anyway, yeah, that's quality. Anyway, she just said she started watching Bristol because she just loved the way we played, and then she got she hurt, she sort of found the pod, started listening to the pod, said I love it. I just feel like I get, you know, by listening to the pod, I've I've learned more about I love her she doesn't like Sarry's.
SPEAKER_04:That's the best way exactly.
SPEAKER_02:So so I said, Oh, you know, when you know, you should come to Ashton Gate. She said, I've never been, she's never even been to Bristol. She needs to remedy that. So Lucio, it was really nice to meet you, I really appreciate it. And then it turned out she was sat like right behind me as well. So had a nice little chat half-time and and uh so forth. So, you know, we've got to remember that there are died-in-the-wool Bristol fans who've been there from like literally when the sort of animals came out of the soup since Cove. People have been there, been there are people who have been supporting Bristol since the Neolithic times. I know that, but it is quite nice to think that the branding you know has widened the interest in our club.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. At the end of the day, we're all supporters, aren't we? Yeah, whether you don't know where we come from, we're all shapes and sizes, yes, absolutely. We have one collective and and and it's us winning something. Yeah, let's yeah, right. You just get that dig in there, right?
SPEAKER_02:At the end, all the way. But Lucia was Shisha said, I'm just happy. But she did say we need to win something as well. Even Lucia said that. Even right. Let's move on, boys. Um, so we've got a game next week. We've got a game Saturday, thick and fast. I mean, we've been moaning about oh, hang on, you can't moan about it. Like we've been waiting all summer, and then you're like, oh, we've got another game now. I'll tell you why, because Miles has done in already because I can't come.
SPEAKER_03:Got it. That's got nothing to do with that's got nothing to do with Chiefs, though. No, no, no, no. Oh dear, right?
SPEAKER_02:Hopefully that won't get in the A-level curriculum. Let's not go there. It's not it's not PSHE Miles, it's English language, right? Anyway, let's move on. Chiefs. I I mean Chiefs have actually started pretty well. I mean, having said that, they were losing, then they came that amazing comeback in the first game, and then it sounds like they won quite convincingly Faye. Um Fayo Busso is seems to be on fire. So we know we don't have a we have a variable record against Chiefs at home. I you know, I I can't get beyond that Christmas one. Oh and and we've had some ding-dongs, and it is the week next weekend is being marketed as the local derby, but the ding-dong derby. The ding-dong derby. And to be honest, Chiefs are gonna come up the uh the M4 with their peckers relatively high. Unlike Miles, unlike Miles. Well, I'm gonna be going down the other way down the M5 with and also there is a little bit of added interest that obviously Dave Walder, who was our you know, ex um briefly assistant, uh well, Pat's assistant.
SPEAKER_04:Um and we might also add that what Miles? Say it. One of Lee's best mate and chief supporter, Paddy Paddy is in town. Paddy's in town.
SPEAKER_02:So I so there's a little bit of extra nickel. It's I I think I'd I'm I put it this way, I'm more excited, even whatever happened at the weekend, it's more exciting to think about playing Chiefs at Ashton Gates. Ever carrying Stonex. So I think I think the biggest issue to talk about, because we know how we're gonna play rugby, we know that. Yeah, yeah, so we think it need to think about our team. Now we've bemoaned injuries, and and of course, rightly so, but there is a little bit of a silver lining, and I'm gonna throw that in straight away. Fitz Harding. Please do. We miss Fitz Harding on Saturday, I've got to say. And and it you know, sometimes you don't know how good someone is sometimes until they're not there. That was a classic case of Fitz. He's got to be back because it was a one-game HIA, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_04:Should be back.
SPEAKER_02:Well, he should be by now. I mean, how long does he need? Well ten days, I thought it was. Two weeks. Okay. He'll be back. He'll be back. Now, the other Genji has to be back.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, game three. So I think all of those Lions are back.
SPEAKER_02:And unless so Genji on Hume is back. He's gonna be chomping at the bit. And um the other big issue is the Argentinians. So the rugby championship's now finished. Yes. We've got Pedro Rubiolo, he went 80 against the South Africans though, and we got Santi Grandona. So I'm hoping that both of those will be at least benched. Yes, yeah. Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree.
SPEAKER_02:The other little one I'm gonna throw out there, Rich Lane. Because when we had that when we had that update, he was the one where you thought it was only a little stinger.
SPEAKER_04:It wasn't it wasn't surgery required.
SPEAKER_02:It wasn't out for the season, it was a bit of a stinger, should we come back soon? Because we really need Rich Lane. Yeah, I think I agree. I absolutely agree. So on that note, should we go for a starting fifteen? We can try. Let's do it. You can choose what you want, because I've already done one in my head, but if you want to you've got a chance to choose which part of that fifteen you want. If we do it, let's take the front ring. Should we do well let's divide it in? It's fifteen divided by three, five each. So who's gonna do front five? I'm happy. Go on in. Right, front five, Genji. Yeah Ogre. Chawarma or Klosker. I s I suspect it might be Klosker at the start. Okay. But I think those two are interchangeable at the moment. So Chawatama would be on the on the on the bench. And then I mean both Dunn and Bats.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Because they both I saw them like live a metre away, and they look fine. So I can I can say that as an exclusive, they both looked alright.
SPEAKER_04:They came off the pitch as a bigger one.
SPEAKER_02:They weren't hobbling, they didn't have blood anywhere. Like bats look like he had a bit of a black eye, but I mean that's standard, isn't it? That's a given, isn't it? Um so so I'm gonna go that. So we're going Genj, Ogre, um, Closker, I think, will get a start because of a good strong second half. I think so.
SPEAKER_03:Dunbar plays well against Chiefs as well.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I would also say that if I'm allowed to, I'd say that the backups will be obviously Sharatama for Closker, Thacker for Ogre, and probably Woolmore, unless he got injured because he went off halfway. So you've got Graham Slaughter Woolmore behind Genji. That's my five. Who's gonna do back three and then half backs?
SPEAKER_04:Uh I don't think we can muck around. Uh uh Bill Matter, number eight. Has to be. Fitz back.
SPEAKER_02:Has to be at seven, I'd say seven. So who's gonna be blind sight? Interesting. See, now we've actually got we go on about injuries, we're now thinking, oh, we've got a bit of a choice here.
SPEAKER_04:I'm gonna go for Luca Ivanishvili.
SPEAKER_02:At six?
SPEAKER_04:Hold on, what no?
SPEAKER_02:Fitz will go seven.
SPEAKER_04:Fitz at seven.
SPEAKER_03:Fitz will be seven, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think I think we're gonna go back to type. I think he if he anything, he'll be on the bench. And he wanna tricky, tricky tricky.
SPEAKER_03:Keep going.
SPEAKER_02:So what are you saying? Fitz at seven, matter at eight.
SPEAKER_04:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Um don't don't lean too far away from the microphone.
SPEAKER_04:No, no, no, no. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:Stevie?
SPEAKER_04:Sorry, Stevie. Stevie it's gotta be.
SPEAKER_02:I think it'd be Stevie and I think probably Santi be on the bench. And I should have said I think Rubiolo will be on the bench.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, yeah, Santi played brilliantly at the weekend when he came to the room.
SPEAKER_02:But he played eight for the RG's.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_02:Um he's just how much rest? I mean, I don't think they need it, but are we gonna give them rest? That's my only thing.
SPEAKER_04:Well, that's it. What? Well, I've got 60 minutes rest.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, when you think how depleted the squad is, no, I think you need to throw him in. You need to throw him in. I think I mean we also got Ben Grandona, who's also came on and played well.
SPEAKER_02:So it might be that we on the Santa might I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:I just feel like Big Stevie to start physicality.
SPEAKER_02:We need Rubiola. I think he's gonna say we need you, Big Pedro, because say you know, Chiefs are gonna come hot and hard. Hot and hard, unlike Miles.
SPEAKER_04:Sorry for Dell Devon.
SPEAKER_03:This podcast is going down.
SPEAKER_04:Let's not detract that you know we needed some leadership at Sarres. Um the captain was out, so we need him back. But secondary captain, big Stevie, we've got to play. There's no mucking around that this weekend, is there?
SPEAKER_02:We've got to get a good start.
SPEAKER_04:We've taken a lot of Stevie Stevie to start.
SPEAKER_02:Right, and half backs, then obviously at number eight. Obviously, you've got two halfbacks for your five. You've had three back row halfbacks, obviously, nine, obviously. Marmion. Start with Marmion, and then ten, we're gonna assume we're gonna see that George is back.
SPEAKER_04:Precautionary rib injury, yeah, rest. Has to be one day, back on Saturday.
SPEAKER_03:Then centres back three, then. Okay, so Joe Jenkins is is uh he's gone, he's finished, not a hammy, yeah, 100%. So I mean, this is this I mean we're talking bare bones now, aren't we? So uh actually Joe Owen. What about Joe Owen? Hang on bench bench bench.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah, definitely bench.
SPEAKER_02:Brilliant unless he could be an outside six, let's put it, could be an outside candidate for six, because he did play well, anyway.
SPEAKER_03:Right, so so we got we got Bernard. You know, Bennard's in the six. Yes, we have. Yes, that's a good one.
SPEAKER_02:I saw him actually, just a little side, because I met him at Asda once. I haven't really spoken to him because I don't think he kind of really understands who we are, because we have had a chat, but I don't like anyway. And I've met him at Asda, which is a you know, you meet a lot of weird people at he's not weird, but he's it we meet anyway.
SPEAKER_04:He's everyone's a weird one.
SPEAKER_02:He's probably been told you lot of you meet a lot of weird people at Asda. Anyway, he came over at the end of the game, and there was some little kid who stood right by me, and he came over and then he did it, and then looked at me and he gave me that look. You know, when you kind of know that you know someone but you're not quite sure. He was definitely that, and he there was that little awkward silence. I thought, no, I I I won't put him on the spot, and just sort of smiled at it and walked away.
SPEAKER_03:I'm sure he looked at you and thought, that's the pervert who was looking at my girlfriend from uh Ash did when we yeah, when we were in the sports party, anyway. Let's go. So play on twelve. Yeah, um bloody hell, who's gonna play alongside him? Come on, Mr. Redband, Revovo, it's called Revovo, it's Revovo. Yeah, but now I'm struggling thinking who's gonna play on the body.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I can tell you. I think the Hobley Toe boy is okay.
SPEAKER_03:I think we're at this point in time, I'm thinking everyone's injured. So Lewis Re-Sammett. He was walking at the end of the pitch on TV.
SPEAKER_02:I told you, boys, I also exclusive Bears beyond the gate exclusive, and I stopped at Reading Services on the way home at about 10 o'clock. Lewis Reesamit came in with his girlfriend into Reading Services. What? And he was walking better than he was when he offered me. I actually asked him, Is your toe alright? And he said he said, Yeah, it'll be alright. And then walked off. There we go. So there you go. It was a toe. Come on.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, strap it to the other toe now.
SPEAKER_02:Based on my experience of talking to him for one second at Reading Services, he's gonna play. He's gonna play. Okay. Well that's I mean that's good. So the other wing is the other question, though.
SPEAKER_03:Wow. Uh Heward?
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_03:No, he's injured. Oh, for God's sake.
SPEAKER_02:I think the guy we've just bigged up massively. Hey? The guy we just bigged up. Who's left? Who came off? Boschhoff, Boschoff. Boschoff's gonna start. He has to. I can't think of any other wingers. Heward's injured, Ibatoy's injured, whatever.
SPEAKER_03:Lane unless Lane's option. But the thing is he because he's so new. Because he's so new, you I I I can't even kind of get it into my no no process.
SPEAKER_02:Pepper might play because I suppose Pepper's got a slightly bit more experience having played at Newcastle.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I guess. And then 15. Well it's got to be Carrington.
SPEAKER_02:Again, he had a he had a he had a couple of he had a he had to deal with a couple of massive start spiral bombs from Farrell. And it was there was one that bounced, it was bounced onto his like chest, which I thought wasn't a knock-on anyway. Um but I thought he did alright considering, and we're like he he's gonna carry on, isn't he?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And I think Bench will be Worsley will be on the bench to cover.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, he did alright, actually. Against Tafsari's team.
SPEAKER_03:Pepper will be on. Well, I mean, we should say actually Worsley, you know he's a Devon boy. Yeah. So he's I think his brother plays for Clumton. Clumpton. Under under Clumpton. I think they'll be bringing another coach up, Clumpton.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, if they took 17 to uh the big day out, they'll be bringing like 700.
SPEAKER_03:Seventeen. They brought 50.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, even more. 62. So I reckon the whole of Columpton. So any like minor thieves out there, it's a good good weekend to our little snout around Clumpton. Paddy's walking. I know Paddy's walking home to Columpton like he normally does.
SPEAKER_03:Oh no, he won't be doing that again. He'll he'll only have to go 300 yards this week.
SPEAKER_02:So I think that's sorted. So let's very quickly we'll go round. Very quickly, what do you think is going to happen? Like, what's your prediction? Score, result, say result, not score, result on Bears win by twelve. Bears win by twelve.
SPEAKER_04:I think it's gonna be tight. I mean, Chiefs have got the peckers up, they came back miles. They came back from what 33 down against Saints, uh, and they've just beaten Chiefs 38-15. There are other metaphors you could have used by Chiefs are just beating Jeeps. I'm not gonna go.
SPEAKER_01:You could have said Chiefs are gonna be strong, but confident.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know, they're gonna be confident. I think it's gonna be Bristol win by two. Two.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I I think it it does depend again on injuries, it depends maybe a little bit on the weather, but I think Dunny, the way he looked at me in the eye, and he said before he kissed you. No, before he said, What the f well he said, you again. You're always following me around. But if he looked me in the eye and he said, We're gonna have big we've been in the huddle, we've said first thing, big response Saturday. But it has to be has to be. So I I'm gonna say Bristol by five. Not much bigger, not bigger than it. It's gonna be one of those responses where the ambulance takes about three hours to get there, but it does eventually get there.
SPEAKER_04:You know what? I you know, I think it could be I seriously, I think it could be a big, a big response, and we'll absolutely smash them. Well, like multi- you just said by two points. I know. I'm being a sceptic, I'm not gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_02:You say like, you know, one of these responses where you get like about five ambulances, fire engines, you may even have the Coast Guard involved as well. Air ambulance, the standard. I mean, I mean that sort of response is that we're gonna marmalise them by two points. A couple of AA vans, the fifth emergency service will be there as well.
SPEAKER_04:That's why I'm swapping counties for the week, just for the day.
SPEAKER_02:Right, boys, we've got to move on. Couple of things we've got to get through. Go um AOP. We did a very, very low-key draw for hero listeners, uh, who people who contributed to this amazing equipment that we're using. Um, we thought we I did email everyone, so they did they have had their thank you. We did a little draw for Dunny's European shirt unwashed and signed, and the few people were there, unfortunately, none of them won it at all. So I'm gonna I'm so basically the winner was Adrian Randall. There was some discussion about whether that was Harry's dad, but it's clearly not. So, Adrian Randall, I will email you actually. But if you're at the game on Saturday, let us know because we could arrange to get the shirt. And also, Chris Thorne, I did an on the spot second prize, which was uh Bristol Beer Factory 10%. It was Miles' 10% card. Which which Miles I've now retracted any uh I've now retracted, I've retracted that offer. But luckily, Lewis has said it's fine. I'm gonna give you my card and he's gonna give me another one. So, Chris, if you are around, get in touch or I'll get in touch with you. And you I mean 10% for the rest of your life is not you add all those percentages up, it's pretty good. Is it? Yeah, all right. It is if you drink as much as we do. And then a couple of so and again, I'd just like to say thanks to everybody who has contributed. It was like 680 quids worth of kit, and we we're hopefully you'll see some sort of it obviously doesn't affect the what we say, but it's just the way you hear us say it. The way we say it, and it makes us feel good, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean it it was humbling again. Like it was brilliant to see you on the concourse. Uh I was so disappointed personally that no one that was in the crowd.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I couldn't fix it because I'd literally written everybody's name, 40 names out. In fact, more than 40, because people who put more money in got more names.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and I think the irony is none none of us knew who Adrian Randall is. No. Where did he come from?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I mean we've got some other. So we'll get on that. And then finally, a couple I've got one more two things to say. Um there was a lot of feedback about the smoke at Ashton Gate last year, and there and I'd posted out like on the when I posted the pod out on uh on Twitter, I'd used a photograph that I'd taken on the day of the smoke, and as someone pointed out, there was an advert underneath said no vaping allowed in the ground, it was absolute quality, and then a few people said it didn't wasn't good for their asthma. I I don't know, I quite like the smoke smoke, but anyway, there you go. For the tigers game, yeah, tigers game, sorry, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I quite liked it.
SPEAKER_02:I thought it was I think there'll be more smoke on certain things.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I thought it was good. Obviously, if you do suffer from asthma, it's not great, but don't go six one to six.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I I'd also think just made me think, is here's a big question to ponder in the week. Do you think we'll see air guitar cam after this pelter, the pelters that it got?
SPEAKER_03:No, no never again never again. No, it deserved pelters. I mean we had Adj Dane, lion injured, and they put that on, it was absolute nonsense. Just don't do that again.
SPEAKER_02:No. Um and then finally, two things actually. Tom Partridge, long time listener, pulled us up. Well pulled me up really on when I was stumbling around the definition pulled us up when we were talking about the score last week being 42 24. It's it's palindromic. And I was trying to explain what that was, and it was a we kind of we didn't really get the definition out right. There was talk of symmetry, there was talk of equilibrium. So and Tom pulled us up. And he didn't, I said, but it was a palindrome. He said, Oh yeah, I'm not arguing that you were right, it's just that your definition wasn't very good. So I I looked it up and here it is. It is a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backwards as forwards, e.g., madam or nurses run, which of course is what they do at the BRI when they see Miles coming along.
SPEAKER_03:But also, Tom, I'd like to say you try drinking 10 pints and still making sense of a podcast.
SPEAKER_04:And then you can do it, or recording a podcast after about.
SPEAKER_02:I'd also like to finish off by um we we mentioned the old fortress thing last week, and then Spikes Spencer Mizen got in touch and he is a history buff, and I think we're running out of time, but he gave us quite a detailed history lesson about fortresses, and you know what? I said it, and if I'm really quick, if I quickly get me uh bears me on the phone. It was a good history. It was actually really, really good. So here it is, I'm gonna read it out. So Spencer got in touch and said, or did he? He says, Spencer Mizin. Hello chaps, still loving the podcast. I enjoyed your discussion on whether Leicester successfully breached Fortress Ashton Gate on Sunday. As a longtime fan of English history, here's my take on the game. For me, Bristol's valiant win over the Tigers most closely resembles the 1216 siege of Dover Castle in the First Barons' War. Prince Louis's French army, led by those dastardly knights, Radwan and Van Portfleet, very clever, breached the fortress walls and threatened to eat our pasties and steal our cider. However, they were quickly identified, isolated, and ultimately repelled by a dashing English counter-attack led by Sir James Dunn of Bristol. Radwan and Van Portfleet were last seen somewhere on the M5, running for their lives back to Leicester. Huzzah! Victory was ours. Oh, and Palaham definitely isn't a modern day King John.
SPEAKER_03:So cheers, Spencer Mizn. Well, that's one of the best things I've I've heard in a long time. But the M5, would it have still been called the M5 back in 1065?
SPEAKER_04:But I do I I can contest.
SPEAKER_03:The Roman road, I don't reckon.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, yeah. I can contest that I have actually seen the walls of Dover Castle and they are huge, and there would be not yeah, the the repelling of them would be quite easy. Okay. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well I think on that note, I love that though. That was so good. And that is what I love about this is that someone's felt compelled to adapt a historical event to kind of clarify something that we talked about.
SPEAKER_03:That is beautiful, and I think I think Spencer is a is a good friend of uh big Johnny Silverphone as well. So easy. So it's all good. All good in the hood. Thank you, Spencer.
SPEAKER_02:Anything else to say, boys? So on that note, that historical note, I think we'll say uh have a good week, stay safe, look for stay positive, stay positive.
SPEAKER_04:You're right.
SPEAKER_02:There's always another game. Please turn up next weekend and one, two, three, up the bear.
