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 211 - European campaign underway as Bears squeeze past a dogged Scarlets
In this episode we review the game against Scarlets. It looked like we were cruising at 12-0 up with more points to come but the home side had other ideas and put in a proper shift to take us to the wire.
We discuss the reasons why this might have happened as well as hear the thoughts of some listeners.
Equally as importantly the game marked the first BBTG road trip of the season so we also review activities that took place off the pitch and as well as on it. Suffice to say we tried to squeeze as much out of Llanelli as we could and had a thoroughly good time despite the weather, the lack of any discernable taxi infrastructure and a poor decision to go to the Red Cow.
We briefly look forward to the next game against Section Paloise or 'Pau' as they are also known (although we also hope to get more insight next week with a special 'edu-pod' on Wednesday) and finish off by making a spirited defence of the claim by some loyal listeners that we have sold our souls to the devil for the price of a bobble hat.
All this and more with Pete, Lee and Miles live from the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom.
No, it's not in a video Riddle Guy. Doing come against Scarlet, doing just with you go Scarlet's never been Bristol Bears are doing round here, Bears Beyond the Gate.
SPEAKER_02:You're listening to Bears Beyond the Gate, a Bristol Bears podcast made by fans for fans, with three friends who love the club, the game, and all things bears. This week we will review the first round of the Champions Cup away at Scarlet to a based in Clenethley for those with poor geographical knowledge. It was a close run affair with the Bears scraping a 17-16 win. We chat about the game and also our matchday experience. Next up is section Paloirs, Back at the Gate. We know very little about them apart from the fact that actually most people call them Poe. But we have a crack at providing you with a handy explainer that we found on Twitter. Finally, we address a couple of other bits of business, including a suggestion that we may have sold our souls to the devil for a couple of bubble hats. I'm Pete and I'm joined by Lee and Miles for a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby banter. Well, boys, it's it I've gotta say it's been a bit of a struggle to get here tonight because we only got back from West Wales at one o'clock. Yeah. And we were all a little bit tired, weren't we, Miles?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I've had a little kip in your car on the way home, mate. I'm still feeling a little bit tired, and I hate to say I'm not even not even here with a dog. Having a nice, nice sugary lemonade this evening.
SPEAKER_02:Well, that's the reason why I did, you know, we're here at the Bristol Beer Factory tap room for a uh a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby banter, but that's not strictly true, is it? We'll try and do the banter, but but Miles, we can't say it's a very good thing.
SPEAKER_05:It's the last name, hasn't he? A cheeky lemonade. But I should say that we're on uh on a lovely Vienna flight, I'm on, and uh and you're on laser juice, aren't you?
SPEAKER_02:Laser juice. Laser juice to me is is like is a kind of refresher.
SPEAKER_05:Well it yeah, I mean it is uh it's it's a livener again.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I I'm it's it's slipping down well enough. Slipping down well enough. After yesterday, well enough. Well, we'll come on to a little bit of the reasons why Miles is feeling really tired, but uh before we do that, let's focus on the game. And and what I'll do very quickly, lads, is I'll just read through the key points of the game and then we can chat about it afterwards. So um, three minutes in, we score our first try. Big Bill Matter on the crash ball um after an attacking line out and a big carry from from Yancey, and we're 7-0 up because it was under the sticks. 30 minutes, they then score, a couple of phases, and then a cross kick. Uh, I think it was Tom Rogers, and but then after quite a long time with the TMO involvement, it then got scrubbed off for a forward pass in the build-up, and then 19 minutes, Big Bill scores again, and we didn't really see it live, but having seen it afterwards, there was a mate there was a filthy offload from uh Calavetti back of the hand offload. So we're we're we're 12-nil up after 19 minutes, 24 minutes they get on the scoreboard, Costello kicks a penalty, so it's 12-3, 27 minutes. Big Bill gets sent to the sent to the bin. So he's had a pretty uh uh he's had a busy first half. Yeah, um 33 minutes, then they score with Bill in the bin. Gareth Davis burrows over, so it's 12-10, and then 38 minutes they get another try disallowed for a forward pass, sort of in the build-up, and again it takes a long time for that to be sorted. So at half time it's 12-10. Um could have been very, very different. Uh, 47 minutes. Um, we then score a try from probably what I would say was one of our best moves of the game, only for that to be scrubbed off after quite a length. Well, actually, that one wasn't quite quick. I think they'd be told to speed it up a bit half time. So poor old um Tom Jordan sort of the final pass from Tom was a bit forward, and I think it was. Um then after that 50 minutes, Costello scores another one, so another pen, so they go 13-12 ahead, and then then we start getting the uh the subs come on. So Thax comes on for Ogre after 51. Um, and then two minutes later, another Costello pen, and they're leading 16-12, so they've been taking the points going to the sticks. Um, 53 minutes we then send on another um we send on Woolley, Lovejoy, Cha Chawitama, um, and Joe Owen. Uh come on for Genji, Max Lahith, and Big Bill. Um, and then 55 minutes we then score a legitimate try with uh Lewis Reese Zamit, but as someone said, it wasn't the sort of try he's gonna have on his highlights reel because he basically was given the ball about a metre from the line, caught sort of tripped over, and then managed to sort of place the ball down. Still five points, but it's still five points. So then it's 17-16 to us, and then essentially it stays like that for the rest of the game. And Aidan Boschoff comes on on 69 minutes for for Joe Worsley, who apparently had quite a big gash.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So I hope he's alright. Did you say Joe Worsley? Joe Worsley, yeah. Not big Lemonhead. Not Lemonhead, no, he's somewhere else. I just don't want us on Mellonhead. Lemonhead, they're the band. No, Joe Worsley, famously the wasp player, is known as Mellonhead. And he coaches in France, doesn't he? Anyway, that's uh that's a bit of a uh diversion, and then 73 minutes. Um Sam Wollstenholm and Benjamin Grondona come on for Marmion and Santi Grondona, and then we nearly score at the end, but essentially the game finishes um in a bit of a stalemate, and we win by one point 17-16. So Lee from what you can remember, uh what was your general sort of overview of the game from your point of view?
SPEAKER_05:Well, I I'm glad that you summarised it because uh my overview of the game was it was pretty awful, really. It was um it was not it's not one for you know to to look back on uh you know with uh fond memories in terms of the actual what had happened out on the pitch, was it?
SPEAKER_02:No. Not one for the purest.
SPEAKER_05:Not one for the purest, that's it, perfectly, perfectly said.
SPEAKER_02:What why do you think that is then? What was the what was the overriding reason or so many reasons?
SPEAKER_05:I I I just didn't think we got going. But having said that, it the positive side of that was that we ground it out and and it was a gritty performance, and a couple of years back we didn't have that in us. So you know what I mean? You can still take positives, even though it was a it was a pretty rough game. I don't really know why it was that rough because we started well, as you already said. Um I think Big Bill Matter was actually 100 to 1 as well to score the first two tries.
SPEAKER_02:Score 100 to one for a break.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Um and I don't really know what what happened, but I think that we got dragged into their game as and it maybe wasn't the best, you know, the easiest um pitch to you know to throw the you know, you our usual passing game. But I think we just kind of we lowered our standards and it it suited them much better than it it did us, and it kind of just went that way. We didn't seem to get any breaks, did we, where we could like pull away?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I mean Miles Lee makes a good point. I mean, after at 12-0, I did think I thought, you know, we this is gonna be a stroll in the literally a stroll in the park, yeah. Parky Scarlet. But you're right, it it it it it kind of it's then stuttered a lot. And the what was your thoughts on the second what I would call the second quarter of the game, which a lot of other people say as well, but Miles, you wouldn't call it that. So but that second bit of the second half, what what what do you think?
SPEAKER_03:Um I mean I can't figure out obviously, you know, but Bill Matter got a yellow card on 28 minutes, and that sort of took the wind out of our sails a little bit, but I can't um I can't quite put my finger on why from that second try at 17 minutes, um part of the disallowed one, it it just seemed very stagnant. I mean I've watched it again on S4C this afternoon, and actually, their halfbacks of Davies and Costello played really flipping well and and controlled that game, so big pat on the back for them. Um, and I don't know if I felt like the whole squad that played yesterday for Bristol. I mean, the effort was there, but something didn't click, it wasn't firing on all cylinders. There was quite a lot of aimless kicking, um, which is not our it's not our style, is it? But maybe you're right, the pitch did look a bit heavy and maybe didn't suit our fast running game. Um, and they probably thought we'd play that sort of way, and we just didn't. I mean, God forbid, those two disallowed tries, which are lovely tries, weren't they? That sort of Crossfield kick and another one. Um, if they've not been chalked off, we could have been staring down the barrel barrel of quite an embarrassing loss.
SPEAKER_05:I mean, we should say those delays didn't help as well, because they I mean we we got it to to at one stage. These the uh delays were taking so long that I could actually go out of the ground, not not literally out of the side of the ground, grow onto the concourse, get a pint, come back and drink it before they'd actually made the decision. Yeah, so how long they were.
SPEAKER_03:It was like ten phases. Yeah. Uh kick to the st kick kick the sticks, and and and then you know the the TMO had chalked it off.
SPEAKER_02:It was uh it was I think that was one of the big debates of the first half because basically three tries, two for them and one for us got and I think I mean we couldn't really see it live, although one of them I think I think was possible to see where we were, but actually when you look at the the replays, it was so you're surprised the the ref didn't call or the lino didn't call at least one or two of those immediately because there was particularly I think the one for their second try, it was a kind of little pop pass that was literally at 45 degrees, and I yeah the ref was there, and I I I I it's it's difficult because it's not easy ref in a game, and you know the ref is kind of has got to think of lots of things, and he's thinking about people coming in and releasing the tackle, and and but but the surely that I think I someone out there will know that does the TMO have to wait until there's a break in play, or can he I'm sure I've seen TMOs say knock on to the straight away, and then and then the ref is kind of having a quick chat while it's going and then stops the game. But I I there'll be a couple of nauses out there that can tell like those.
SPEAKER_05:I I just thought, I mean, this it's the champions cup, right? It's European elite rugby. Yeah, and I just thought that was shockingly bad referee, and and and you know, TMO officiating was awful, I thought, yesterday. Some of those decisions, like you say, they were so a couple of those forward passes, they were so forward you could see them at eye level. And then it the referee doesn't need to referee a match like that, it's just make a decision.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean I suppose the the argument is it they were correct decisions. So, in a way, it was good that the decision was made, but our point and your point is very good is that the the the impact of that on the game was to kind of stop it and you know it was stop start, and they it it probably did have a factor in stopping the momentum of the game flow.
SPEAKER_05:We don't want to go down the football route, do we? Like nowadays, like if a if your team scores, you you don't really like you don't know, like you're cheering, but you you don't actually know if it's gonna be trouble.
SPEAKER_02:You know what? I remember I won't I think what their crossfield, their first try that was a few phases, and then there was a crossfield kick to Rogers who scored. Like I I and then when they started looking at it, and it was a it wasn't it was they had to look at it quite a lot. And I said to a Scarlet's fan, you know what, I've already accepted you scored that because you did have the ascendancy, you were on top. It's it seems a bit unfair for you that it was very unlucky, and actually it was so long that I I'd already accepted that, and actually, maybe that would be a good thing for Bristol to have uh conceded then because it could have up the kicked him up the backside. So, in some ways, it it uh it it there is a rule out there or a law out there, isn't there, for for how much time, but we don't know. But I think there's a really good point you make that that that did definitely did sort of muck up the uh the first half a little bit. Um I mean, talking of kicking, Miles, because you brought it up, we have it does appear like we ha we talked about this last pod, you know, our game management has got better, and Sam Worsley has been part of that because he has got a good boot on him, and Kira Mami and particularly the Saints game last week. We felt as though there was some really good strategic kicking. But I don't know, it it I it's almost like we got to a point where when it worked, we started to do a little bit too much of it, yeah, and and not quite getting the balance right. I don't know what what do you think?
SPEAKER_03:It is it is a bit hard. I mean, you're right, we have seen a bit more of it, and I and I can't figure out why. There is a time and a place for it, um but it's just historically not Le Bear's way, is it?
SPEAKER_02:So I think I think Pat has said that he wanted us to play more than the opposition's 22, and that is the quickest way of getting there, but it is you've got to get it right.
SPEAKER_03:Well, yeah, but then if you land in the 22, inevitably if it's you know, there is a risk then then the opposition call the mark, and that's why historically you you pump it just outside the 22, don't you? And put the pressure on. Um, I I don't know why. I mean, there were I mean there are loads of people. Jimmy Williams did a lot of kicking yesterday as well, didn't he? As l as well as Worsley. Um yeah, it was alright, but it's just not I wouldn't say it was in the in the correct area yesterday. I I I can't figure out why it wasn't it wasn't successful, or the pressure from Scarlet's. I mean, we we've got Pat them on the back, haven't we? They they nearly won that yesterday. They played out of their skins, some of their players were phenomenal. Um, and maybe just you're right, the ding-dong of the Anglo-Welsh um match, they stepped up their game a little bit. Um, why not? Champions Cup, you've only got one chance, and and they they they went for it.
SPEAKER_05:I think as well, I mean we should say to to you know, to listeners who didn't go yesterday, weather was awful. Oh, yeah, it was shockingly bad, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:I mean the book caught out and is it but the pitch was wet.
SPEAKER_05:It was really wet, yeah. And then it was it was quite windy as well. And I think like some of those it it that type of um place and atmosphere, you you've got to get those kicks absolutely spot on. Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_02:And I think that's the thing about kicking, if it works, it you know it is obvious. I mean, we did try a few 50-22s, I think it didn't quite come off, and on another day, you know, if that had come off, we would have been cockahoo. Of course, I just think it's it's like anything, it's um it's the execution, and and some days you slightly get it. I I get it, I get why we're doing it, and I don't think we've turned into an aimless box-kicking team at all, but we are trying to be a bit more strategic. But again, it's like anything, you sort of play the conditions a bit. Of course. Yeah, I mean, I I actually think what you said, Miles, is also true, is that I think Scarlett's like they got shocked into it a little bit because you know, I think after that first Bill Matter try, when he basically kind of sighed through three or four of their tackles, I think they that was a very, very early wake-up call and a classic case of us scoring too early, actually. And I genuinely think that galvanised them. And I thought personally, I thought their defence was was pretty good. They they didn't appear to give us much space, they were coming out the line quick. You know, I I know Tom Jordan didn't really get much change, Lewis Reese Samut didn't get much change out of the space he was given, and I mean even he was kind of trying to kick it a bit. So I I think we have to give quite a lot of credit to to Scarlets. They they knew, you know, they know the way the Bears play, and so their obvious game plan is to try and you know, try and disrupt us, try and sort of put us under pressure with with you know high balls, and and I I would say it worked quite well.
SPEAKER_05:I would say as well, I think that we've got I mean it was it was one of those days where they inevitably up their game. And you could see they they played and they battled hard, didn't they?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And I think we were just quite a little bit off it. And in all fairness, I'm gonna hold my hands up. When I saw the team sheets, I I thought that we were gonna win by at least 14 points, I said to you guys before. So I hold my hands up. I I didn't expect Scarlet to play quite as well as they did.
SPEAKER_02:And I do wonder whether subconsciously there was a little bit of complacency in in our team. Maybe uh but combined with the fact that I mean an eight o'clock kickoff on a Saturday is quite a long time for an away team to kind of mentally prepare. And of course, all those Scarlet's boys would have been comfortable, would have come from home, whereas we would have come up the night before on a coach, whatever. And I think this was one of those cases where it was difficult, it was it it was difficult having an away game, and I think actually that therefore to flip that, like you said, I think credit to the boys for actually grinding it out in the end, realising pretty much halfway through the second half that it was going to be a grinder, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, but a grinder miles to outgrind Scarlets in the rain backyard is it's pretty good. Exactly. Also, we should say about times, and I know this is going off track a little bit. We've got a pretty awful uh start time next week as well, haven't we? Against Book of the World.
SPEAKER_02:We'll come on to that, we'll come on to that. Yeah, I mean the Europe the champion but again, this is it's all known up front, so you have to manage these things properly, yeah, but it's just not easy to do. Um I don't know. I the only other thing I thought, I don't know whether you whether you felt maybe one or two players are starting to get a little bit tired. Like, as in not saying they're not trying, but they they have been playing a lot of minutes, and that might have been a factor as well.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, yeah, maybe. I mean, there's a lot of players who put in a pool full shift of 80 again at the weekend. Big Petro, Santi almost. Well, quite um, and these boys have been doing it week in, week out, uh uh along with some of the internationals, the Orbitam International. So, yeah, but we needed that first win under our belt, and I get that. Um, and maybe we'll come on to talk about resting a few players for the sort of home match next weekend. But yeah, there must be some tired bodies out there.
SPEAKER_05:Can we afford to rest though?
SPEAKER_02:Like, I mean we'll talk about that when we talk about who we think might play for against Poe. Um but yeah, I mean we have it goes back to what we've talked about right from the beginning of the season. We've got a small squad within even without people injured, we've got a lot of games coming up over the Christmas period and into January. And as I said, Pat's uh I think I said a few weeks ago, Pat's selection algorithm is gonna be uh going into overdrive. Um but actually yeah, um so yeah, I mean, so I think I think there's not much or much more we can say. I think set piece was alright. I think we lost one gen there was one scrum pen against Genji, and then I remember I think Genji had a word with ref and come and look at my side and then he won, and then then it was fine after that. That was a good bit of ref management.
SPEAKER_05:There was a bit of needlework there from Kenji.
SPEAKER_03:I mean it it late in the second half. There was a couple of line outs which didn't work when Slack came on, but alternatively that uh that happened with um happened with uh skulls as well, yeah. Not throwing straight.
SPEAKER_02:I mean again, maybe conditions. I mean, having said that, I mean Bats, I seem to remember him stealing a couple of line outs, and and I remember when he did it the first half, kind of saying what a what an absolute quality operator Batley is. Like he is the the the the full on perfect second row, isn't he?
SPEAKER_05:I hope you heard us shouting out his name as well when he was on the wing because he was right next to us. Come on, bats!
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we yeah, that was uh yeah, that's true. But yeah, I mean it was it was it was good enough. I just think I just think Scarlet's just defended for their lives and they had a bit of pride and they disrupted us, and even the best teams when they get disrupted find it difficult to to get back into it, especially when other things are difficult like the weather and the pitch and and it's easy to panic a little bit, and you know we s we kept on trying, and yeah, I think I ironically they'll be quite I think Pat will be uh secretly quite pleased about that game that just kind of just pet reminds everybody that there's no there's no freebies in rugby. There's no free lunches unless you're South African national team, obviously.
SPEAKER_05:But apart from that, I think ultimately we won the game, didn't we? And that's that's everything we went there to do, and we and we come away with the so while okay, boys.
SPEAKER_02:Well, so whilst the game might have been a bit stodgy and backwards and forwards, the match day experience, however, was absolute rasmataz, wasn't it? What there was some stodge involved. Should we set the context for listeners that haven't quite clocked it? So we We decided to have a road trip first Bears Beyond the Gate road trip of the season. Miles had got very organized at the beginning of the season, had booked separate rooms for the travel lodge for us. Thank goodness. Um, got the tickets. We we got tickets for the the standing area in the north stand, right down by the pitch. So it was the full-on match day experience. Get there early, go to the pub where loads of fans are, chat to fans, get to the ground, get right close to the pitch, stick the flag up using bits of plastic bag that had been ripped up because I forgot the cable ties, have a load of banter with other fans, shout loads of stuff, do a lot of bristling, and then after the game have a few more pints, go back to rugby pub, and then end up somewhere else until two in the morning. Anyway, that was about it. Anyway, start us off a quiet night, huh?
SPEAKER_05:Well, the the this the start, I mean, obviously it it was it was West Wells. We expected the rain, didn't we? But thankfully the rain was coming back towards us. So when we actually got to Scarlet's it had dry, which was a bonus.
SPEAKER_02:Um but yeah, we I mean uh first big challenge when we we got into the travel lodge, then we thought, right, let's go.
SPEAKER_05:First thing I'm gonna say is Miles, well done for not booking the Premier Inn, because initially that's where we were gonna stay, but then we saw there was a massive uh uh electricity pylon right outside, which was buzzing.
SPEAKER_02:I was in all night. I mean, from the fact the Premier Inn would have been more practical for both the ground and the pub, but it's my long-term health that I'd be worried about being next to that pylon.
SPEAKER_05:So, yeah, so we got there and then we've got what 10-minute change around, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:We had a quick turnaround, we said 10 minutes.
SPEAKER_05:10 minutes and we're out, we're out, and let's get Uber to the ground.
SPEAKER_02:But then we had a look at Google Maps. I thought, ooh, 25 minutes walk. Yeah, we didn't fancy it, and it didn't fancy it. It just started raining again. This is the pub, by the way, wasn't it? So we thought, ah, you know, this is a modern advanced democracy. I'll get my Uber app out. Like a load of cars came up, ordered one, and then it kept saying, it kept like saying, Oh, we we're still looking, and then another 10 minutes, another 10 minutes, and then in the end, we we then decided to ring a couple of local taxi firms.
SPEAKER_05:Which I think was just like literally someone putting their mobile phone and push down and doing it whenever they fancied.
SPEAKER_02:So, what we we did what we should have done straight away was then go and find a bloke and ask him and get a bus. We found a local guy that was going to the game and he said, Yeah, get on the number 11, get to Morrison's, you can walk to the pub. And we did that, and it took about more than that.
SPEAKER_05:He was a he was a season ticket over there. Lovely chat. And we should mention for those that those people that may think we've saw our saw, two of us could have saw our saw right now because he had two free passes.
SPEAKER_02:He did he did, he had two space. He was a hospitality and he was a he got free drinks for the whole game and hospitality, and he said, lads, I've got he goes, I've got two lanyards. And me and Lee, you know, we were so nice because we thought Miles wouldn't cope on his own, would he?
SPEAKER_03:I know. Well, we yeah, but we did say to him Pete was the other side of the bus, he went, he's not actually with us, so we'll be happy to take hospital. I mean, Ben's done rock, paper, scissors, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I would have been quite happy if you two had gone off to hospitality. I'd be quite happy.
SPEAKER_05:We stuck together. To be honest, and I'm glad we did stick together because actually when we got to the halfway house, pub was rammed. Oh, it's absolutely rammed, brilliant atmosphere. Straight away got on really well with the Scarlet's fans. I I've got to say, I thought they they were to a to a person, man and woman, they were really good value.
SPEAKER_02:Man, woman, and one or two weren't sure, but yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And uh I thought they were brilliant value. But my I'm gonna let Miles have this one because me and Miles, well, and you, Pete, but we did share a uh a a goat, wasn't it? A scarlet's goat. And that was Miles, do you want to take it away?
SPEAKER_03:Quality or lack of quality, any beer or ale in in Clenatley. I mean, I d I don't know what's gone on, but there's some as Lee said, there's some great breweries there, but none were to be seen serving any decent beer in the halfway or even at um Parky Scarlet's.
SPEAKER_05:There's nothing Welsh, was there? We wanted we wanted to try Welsh beer.
SPEAKER_03:It's a bit of a goat on a you know on a road trip, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:You know, we had to I mean the problem is it it it raises a bit of a wider issue, is that whilst the fans we met and were great and we had a great time, it was pretty disappointing. They said 7,000 and I don't think there were 7,000 there because neither of the the two stands behind the uh sticks had any seats, and then the one opposite us definitely had spare seats and we did. And if you're thinking it's a 14,000 stadium, that by definition suggests that both of the the two stands that were open should should have been pretty full. And I I think they I think they did what what all of clubs do is they just count the season ticket or then don't bother counting it and and that is and I think that kind of reflects the rest of the whole of the of the setup. It's not quite it's they've got to do it on the cheap, really, or that they've got to do it on the basics because they haven't got enough fans there. So it would be lovely to have a real ale bar, but maybe they've just worked out that it's just not worth it. They're not gonna make it, so it's just basic, sort of the basic beers, and it but you're right, it's it's not what we hope for.
SPEAKER_05:Well me and Miles were saying actually it it it just shows how lucky we are at BS3. I mean we've sat in this brilliant venue here now, uh in the in the tap room, and fantastic beers they brew on site, so we we are blessed, and also but fans just to come into it, come in here for you know, way fans. You know, you can just walk down North Street and you've got so many good places you can have a drink, and you know, I I just thought I was I personally was really disappointed because I thought all I wanted to try was like you know, some nice Kidwelly brewery beer, and you know, I just thought it would have been that would have been perfect, but you know, that aside that was that was the only the only gripe really, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:But then after the game and we we walked back to the halfway in and we we had a right old laugh round there. It was a great sort of rugby pub, wasn't it? Saw a load of Bristol fans, uh load of like locals that were oblivious to the floor.
SPEAKER_03:Pished out some handkerchiefs, even to people who didn't want to get it.
SPEAKER_02:Gave out loads of hankies, yeah, even to people that uh didn't have a clue what we were doing. And then um well, when it all kind of finished at twelve, we then realised, of course, that we'd got the bus there earlier, and of course, there's no buses at that time. So we you know we did have quite a long walk back to the travel lodge via a a personal station to get some snacks. I bought about five packets of crisp and ate them all the weekend.
SPEAKER_05:I went and bought these pepperoni snacks, and uh and they were so hot that they gave me art burns I didn't sleep to start with. Oh dear.
SPEAKER_02:But as we were getting back to our travel lodge and I was sort of ready for bed, who should pipe up but Miles? And you were looking at the Facebook page.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think I'd seen something earlier in the day saying some other pub is giving away uh a free free drink to either Bears or Scarlets fans who wear their tops to the pub. So I think it's called the Red Cow. The red cow. So we thought, wow, well, I thought, let's give it a go. It's open till 3 a.m. What the heck? Wandered in. We were clearly the oldest person in there by about 50 years or something like that.
SPEAKER_02:And the only people wearing rugby shirts as well.
SPEAKER_03:We got a free shot, didn't we? Uh had a bit of a boogie, one more beer, and then ripping a it was it was probably uh pub too many. One pub too many.
SPEAKER_05:Hence the reason Miles is on level eight now.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so don't listen to me next time, boys. If you feel a bit tired and it's and it's after midnight, just so let's go.
SPEAKER_02:Having said that, we did say that we felt a duty to squeeze as much out of Clinthly as we could. We were there one night only as representatives of the fan base.
SPEAKER_05:I should say as well, I'd given ourselves credit. We you know, we actually you know, we'd been walking for what 20 odd minutes, hadn't we? Yeah, yeah, and we were all knackered, but actually we we came back to we had a good bit of it.
SPEAKER_02:I mean we we gave it we gave it a lot of effort. We ground out a ground out a good wind, didn't we? There was no raspbertas, we were nobody was talking to us. We were like dancing, nobody showed up to the water. We kept going, didn't we? We had to tell you.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, there were no yeah, I think I agree, and you know, uh there were no no prams, no, no people being pushed on in Prams, were there? So I don't know. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I could have thought that if we were in this place with our like Bristol stuff on, there would have been people saying, Oh, Bristol fans, you alright, boy? Like lit all right, how are you doing? Nice to meet you. They literally had no interest whatsoever. And this is my thing about Clenethly, and no, no disrespect to Clenethy, but broadly speaking, I don't think they care about the the rest of the world. It's like one of those things you kind of it was.
SPEAKER_05:Maybe it will be I really did get that impression.
SPEAKER_02:But anyway, that was maybe you know it's it is.
SPEAKER_03:We had a great fun night out, good road trip. Um maybe we might go back to that.
SPEAKER_02:I just remembered, boys. Yeah, um, we did get a bit of listener uh interaction, and actually we did speak to a very knowledgeable Scarlet's fan. Yeah, of course. Um who actually, as people will now have known because they'll have heard the the intro to this pod, provided us with a Welsh introduction, you're listening to Bears Beyond the Gate. Um, this is uh Ridian, really nice guy we met, actually works in England, but born and bred in in um Clenefley. And uh we we we we asked him for a bit of a soundbite after the game, um, what his impression of the game was as a Scarlets fan. So uh I think we should listen to it now.
SPEAKER_00:Probably in many ways exceeded our expectation because we expected uh Bristol to come and play a bit. So we were in the game for a lot longer than we thought we would be. Bristol probably didn't play the way they would week in, week out. That probably played into our hands a little bit.
SPEAKER_01:Do you think that the Scarlet's up that game a bit because it was an English team that's come to Clinefly?
SPEAKER_00:Er possibly. I don't think I I don't think we saw from Bristol what you see week in, week out. And I think that's the I don't think that was the big difference. They didn't fire in the way that they normally do, and they play multi-phase rugby normally and string together phases and produce some unbelievable tries. Luckily for us, that didn't happen. And it it turned into a classic cup arm wrestle, and that suited us, and and it was diff they I think they found it difficult to get out of that place once they got into it.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, obviously it's disappointing for you to uh to lose. I mean, what's your thoughts on the rest of the Champions Cup campaign?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's a that's a really good question. We did we you know there's lots of lots of lots of intent from Classy, but not much until well funnily enough, we we got two tries to slowed. How that would have shaped the game, I don't know. But beyond that, if you took those two truck two dissload tries out of the equation, we didn't offer that much. So it's difficult to tell, really. We're in a bit of a tricky place at the minute, and it it might be that that is our ceiling at the minute. But you know, good win against Glasgow last week. We held Bristol to a one point, lost. Let's see.
SPEAKER_01:So a bit of a final question, a bit of a random one, but do you think in the future it would be better for Welsh rugby to play English teams all the time? In other words, join the premiership.
SPEAKER_00:Short answer is yes. Yeah, that absolutely. Because if you look at the English crowds week in, week out, if you look at the quality of the premiership, if you look at how that translates into the way England play at the minute. The obvious answer is that would be a real positive for us. So look, I'm not gonna represent the views of every everybody in Wales, obviously, but as a snapshot, that would seem like a very logical thing for us.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, boys. Well, there you go, that was Rydian. Um, yeah, very, very articulate, uh, you know, very um very astute. So uh pretty we should have really played that right at the beginning of the pod, shouldn't we? Yeah, uh and then we could have saved ourselves some time. So yeah, good good stuff. We really enjoyed meeting him and his dad as well, Lee. You you struck up a friendship with him, didn't you?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, uh like really well-spoken people. Uh I mean well spoken as it is. With a Welsh accent, yeah, yeah. But really knowledgeable and you know, really kind of nice downsworth people. I thought a great to be honest, we didn't meet a bad Scarlets fan, did we? That was probably all brilliant value. Really friendly.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean uh I met some bloke and the young lad in the toilets, you know, uh legitimately in the toilets, big big Scarlets lad. He must have been 20 early 20s, and he was like, Yeah, yeah, I've been to Bristol, look you, Bristol. Yeah, I met two girls there, yeah, yeah, yeah. They've got kids now. I was like, he's a lot down to the big city, and that's what happens, isn't it? He was very proud of himself. Uh anyway, uh right. On that note, we also did get a few short, sharp summaries in from listeners, and I will do a little bit of a shout-out list in a minute because the people we met. Oh, absolutely, there was quite a lot. So uh let's get screwed. So JP Holden, we is now kind of on a regular basis sending in rhyming sort of limerick type things, and we have no idea who JP Holden is. I'm sure at some point, do we even know gender, age, demographic? We don't know anything.
SPEAKER_05:No, no, it'll be nice if we can come in say a load to it.
SPEAKER_02:Although I quite like the idea of the mystery of not knowing, yeah. And maybe right at the end of the season, like we then find out. But anyway, JP Holden, here we go. Without asking, sent this through this afternoon. At the Parky Scarlets for a mini day out, bad vibes of Green Galway soon started to sprout. Whilst most kicking was aimless, a sneaked win was priceless, much better halfway in than all the way out. Wow, that's dope. That's the sort of thing that could do with a bit more contextal analysis. It's uh some good stuff in there, referring to the Connett disaster of uh two years ago. So yeah, very, very clever. Thank you, JP. We actually saw their team cage as well, didn't we? We did.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, strange, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Tell us that bizarre. Well, we were we're at the end of the portway, weren't we? Just driving out of Bristol about two o'clock. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then um I'm gonna get slated for pronouncing this again now, I know, but um and then and the in the connact the connect connaut, as you said, Pete. Yeah, um and the yeah, and the the team coach has gone past us and we're thinking, well, where's it going? And like the only thing we came to the conclusion of is uh is Joycey's taking them around to his place, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:But we thought it Joycey might even have been driving it as well, but it and then we found out they're supposed to be playing the Ospreys today. Yeah, Bridge End. And then someone told us it was at Bridgeend, but Bridge End, I I I I genuinely think, and this may be Connact has said, you know what, we've got to go and play in Bridgeend, because I imagine they were playing in a really small stadium. Yeah, yeah. Like boys will we'll put you up in the McCure Holland Park in Bristol the night before, so you can have it, and then we'll drive you to Bridge End the next morning. I I genuinely think there probably wasn't a hotel in Bridge End that they could stay at, and that's the only or as you say, Joycey said, gonna give you a little trip round the mead. I got a barbecue on the biggest.
SPEAKER_05:So anyway, if uh didn't do them any good anyway, did it? Because they lost, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_02:Every now and again, Joycey might listen to this. If Joycey's listening, or somebody who knows Joycey's listening, could you find out why that coach was driving into Bristol at two o'clock on a Saturday? Um, anyway, Richard Spurlock, he's been in touch again, he likes to get in touch, which is great. Um, his short, sharp summary was started strong, then let them in, although they were better than expected. Referee was awful, right result in the end. Mentioned for JW Jordan, Sam Worsley, LRZ, Kieran, and always BJVR, and Pedro Fitz, maybe easier to say team. Um and then uh Tango Romeo has uh been back to the city.
SPEAKER_05:He comes hello to us, didn't he?
SPEAKER_02:Didn't he was there? We probably tried to, but we were surrounded by people like Gannett's trying to it's like a giving those hankies. It was like you know, when they have those like aid convoys that go in and then people are running to get the aid. I was like that. I felt like I was just giving hankies out left, right, and side.
SPEAKER_05:I d I didn't tell you that I handed one hanky out and a guy um guy used it and then gave me a poke. Gave it back. Not many cheeks.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, um Tango Romeo said positive start, but thought we got dragged into a dogfight. It wasn't very pretty, but a decent result to get the campaign going. But and I'll say this quietly, our shirts are truly horrendous. Right.
SPEAKER_05:Are we allowed to mention this name? Do it, yeah, it's good. Because actually, you'll have to to to say the names because I couldn't remember the the couple we were chatting to in the halfway house.
SPEAKER_02:Kevin Liz. Kevin Liz.
SPEAKER_05:So Kev Kev had the the shirt on, yeah, and actually I did say to him, looking at it you know up close, it looked a lot better on than it did in the shop, I thought.
SPEAKER_02:Right. Tanga, I mean I think Tanger Romeo is a man of a certain age and sort of outlook, and I I don't and I think it's fair comment. I I don't think certain people would want to wear shirts.
SPEAKER_05:Well no, I mean it it's it's you know, it's not a shirt that we we no, we're not gonna wear it.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I quite liked it. What? But I haven't got a 70 quid at the moment to buy, so I don't think I will. But I mean I might go on to eBay later in the season when we get knocked out of the round of 32 to see if there's any features.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Christmas is coming.
SPEAKER_02:Um anyway, talking to shout-outs, we did meet a lot of people and we had some really nice chats with people. So in no particular well, it is actually in total order that we saw them. Um Dave Owens bumped into, and that was when I was at the bar, and he kind of said, Oh, are you Pete? And then he said he got a hanky. I was like, Yeah, let's get it. So that started off. So Dave, lovely to meet you. Then we Liz and uh Kev and Liz Gregory, who um we we chatted to, then Mike Neville and Natalie in the queue, me from the queue, John Wood and his son Liam, uh as as predicted, and of course, um we also afterwards saw Spencer Mizzen and his son Freddie. Oh, that was great with Silver Thorns, big big Steve and Big John. And then also me and um well, we after the game, we also met Mr. and Mrs. Fitz Harding, didn't we? We did, because uh we we saw Fitzy and we thought, oh, let's get Fitzy to hold the flag like Dunny did. Well ask him, yeah, ask him nicely, yeah. And uh anyway, we was chatting to a lovely nice couple, and and actually in my mind I was thinking I uh he he obviously knows them quite well. It took me a while because I had had quite a few pints to process that and think that might be his parents, but anyway, he finished off and he kind of gave us a smile because I think he kind of knows who we are. Anyway, I said, Oh, as I was about to say something, the the the dad turned around and said, Oh, you're the boys from the pod, aren't you? I'm Fitz's dad, and this is Fitz's mum, and we listen every week. So Fitzy had no choice after that to hold the floor. He was like, Boy, son, hold the flag for the nice man over there.
SPEAKER_05:I love it. Oh, they were lovely, weren't they?
SPEAKER_02:They were really nice. It was actually genuinely, it was really nice. We had a nice little chat, and and it kind of reminds us that um, yeah, we have all sorts of listeners, we have to be remember that the graphics.
SPEAKER_05:It was genuinely so lovely that um you know we got to meet so many supporters and uh and listeners, and it was a really fab day.
SPEAKER_02:And also, Matt Matt Morgan, I should so I saw him. Matt Morgan in the in the support.
SPEAKER_03:I even dished out a I even dished out a business card, lads. I'm not entirely sure he wanted it. No. This chap in there and he had a few too many beers.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, is that the bouncer at the red cow? Is that how we got in? I thought we got in early, well.
SPEAKER_03:There you go, there you go.
SPEAKER_02:Well no, I think we're done. Is there anything else we want to say for our Scarlet's trip? I think I mean well.
SPEAKER_03:It didn't quite end last night, did it? No, I mean we I think we we we went on a road trip. We went on a road trip.
SPEAKER_05:I know what Miles is on about now.
SPEAKER_03:You know, obviously the problem is that uh you know the boys had to send send the hotel staff to wake me up this morning. Oh and then and then I got a text saying, you know, there's a 40 minute queue for the breakfast downstairs. So I thought well we we decided we'd hit the road, didn't we?
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, so we hit the road and then we we we stopped at McDonald's and we saw and it started to laugh. Down and there was a kind of McDonald's on a roundabout, and I said, Boys, let's just go in there, have quick breakfast. Then I realised I couldn't get in because there was a bus lane, and I was a bit so I went in a parallel road and parked the car sort of by a bank, and there was a there was like a grass bank that led down to the McDonald's. We were so hungry, we didn't even clock the fact that there was a path that went down, we just went straight over the fence, straight down the grass bank. What did you say, Miles, just before we did it?
SPEAKER_03:Be careful, looks a bit slippery. Turn round two seconds later. Louis on his arms.
SPEAKER_02:Louis has got legs. Louis's got his like little dainty white trainers on, leg to Kimber. Get up, he's got mud all the way. So we then, but then even worse, we miss the fact that where the front door is of the McDonald's, and we then we skirt round and then we had to climb over the fences because we're basically in. We tried to squeeze through the fence. But we were basically in the drive-through bit, we went all the way round, went all the way right to where we'd actually come, and we hadn't even noticed the entrance, and then we had to go inside. And I had to ask a lady if she had any paper towel that we could wipe his wipe his.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, I was I was absolutely covered, wasn't I?
SPEAKER_02:And then then he had to get changed in the rain because he wasn't allowed back in the car like that.
SPEAKER_05:Well, lucky enough, I had I still had my you know spare kit that landed by because I was going to wear white white water game.
SPEAKER_03:But I mean that was definitely a sign to get it, get the heck out of Lenethley, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:It was it was a sign, it was it was it was Clineshley saying, Boys, you've had a good time, but we don't want you here anymore. Yeah, exactly. Off you go, don't come back.
SPEAKER_05:Certainly.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, I think we're done. So that said, another game to come. Um and this is something you mentioned earlier, is that we've got the visit of Section Palois, commonly known as Po, which is a uh little French club. Uh it's their first time in the Champions League, so they're coming to Ashton Gate. And of course, you think, whoa, fantastic! Get a French team to Ashton Gate. What a great time, have a big jamboree. Oh, 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Thoughts Lee.
SPEAKER_05:I I know this is nothing to do with the club, so we first that we first should say, like, yeah, that's it's obviously TV schedule it. I know the club probably aren't very happy about it themselves, but it's pretty poor, isn't it? And the thing is, these European games, we really love the interaction with the with the you know the the opposition fans, and we've had some great times, haven't we? You know, um uh against you know, it's like Stard France. We we we met Ram Remy and everything, and and uh it's it's just I just feel sorry, I tr I feel bad for them because it would be just so nice if we had a A, we had bums on seats, of course, opposition fans, they they bring the atmosphere.
SPEAKER_02:Any level is 5 30 on a Sunday a good time for it.
SPEAKER_03:I think even for sort of English clubs, I think it's a I mean it was an odd. I mean, you know, it was the same time last week back in the Prem, and that was strangely quiet, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Um I don't think I'm s assuming it won't be a particularly big crowd, unfortunately, on Sunday.
SPEAKER_03:I think I think that's sad for the club, really. But like you said, it's uh totally out of their hands, and and it's not easy, I think, getting to the Pyrenees Club anyway. You've got to go by two season and then another drive up into the Pyrenees. So it I'd be quite sad. I mean, they may bring no fans at all, really.
SPEAKER_02:Having said all that, um, you know, I also with Poe, I I imagine not many people know much about Poe, including us. No, and so despite the fact it's 5 30, I tell you Tubby, didn't I? I thought that um yeah, I I actually we got in touch with uh there is a podcast called Roast Beast Rugby, and a couple of English guys who clear to well who who seem to English they're English guys, but they seem to know a lot about French clubs, and actually we got in touch, we were gonna try and talk to them before the pod tonight, um, but couldn't quite make it work. But actually, we thought because it was interesting, and Poe apparently is a is a kind of interesting story, and it turns out there are a couple of English players and players that people know play there that actually we we've arranged to have a chat with them on Tuesday, a bit of a deeper one, as and we're gonna call it as a bit of a kind of mini education pod. And uh for for those kind of discerning listeners who are interested in learning something.
SPEAKER_05:The rugby nauseas about Poe.
SPEAKER_02:But one of the things the guys had done, they'd actually had put out a little explainer on Twitter about all of the French clubs for English fans, which I thought was amazing. That's great. The only and I don't want to give away too much that perhaps they talk about on Tuesday, but but just you know, by way of um incentivising people to listen again on Wednesday, hopefully, yeah, it's it's saying that you know Poe are flying high in the in the Super 14 at the moment, um, and you know it's a really big thing for that. It's a very small place in the Pyrenees, and it and their rugby success is a massive thing for them, but there is a caveat that they may not necessarily prioritize the Champions Cup, which you know means that maybe we've got a chance of uh of winning next thing because we do want to win. I mean I think if we can get two wins from two, we've got as good a chance to get into some sort of knockout because we haven't we haven't had it, have we? So yeah, I thought we'd um I thought rather than sort of go through this explainer, and they are available, but but I just sort of tease people that we're gonna be chatting to the guys on Tuesday and we're gonna put a a pod out um on uh but on that note the one thing that we can speculate on quickly is is what sort of team do you think we might put out next week? So Miles, come to you first. Any thoughts on team selection?
SPEAKER_03:Uh I I I didn't appear to be any injuries today yesterday from what from what I think.
SPEAKER_05:Summit. Uh but he played on, didn't he?
SPEAKER_03:And Worsley had that facial. Oh well, yeah. I mean, if they just stitched that up and put a lot of Vaseline on his head, um I think it could be alright.
SPEAKER_02:You're right about re-summit. He did pop up his face. He did quite early on looked a bit uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And I don't know whether that might yeah, he he he played, carried on, didn't he?
SPEAKER_05:But I mean it could have been a niggle. You know, I I I guess if there was any danger, he wouldn't have carried on. No.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, what your thoughts you were chatting earlier, what your thoughts about um giving Sam Worsley a rest with his head injury, uh head injury, and maybe moving Tom Jordan to 10 and El Azalde or someone back to 15. Um, you know, it's a possibility. Well what do you think, Mike?
SPEAKER_05:Well, I think it was great shape that you that you said, Pete, because I I just thought I mean Tom Jordan, I know he played brilliant at fullback, you know, uh whatever game it was, I can't remember now, but he is our 10. Yeah, well we he is a 10, I should say, and I just think Worrisley's just not um I mean we've got to remember he's a young lad, we've got to look after him.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think more than anything, we we've got a lot of fixtures coming up, yeah, yeah. And actually uh we we will need him. And actually, is there a time where you put cut a wool on him a little bit?
SPEAKER_05:Well, I guess sorry, when we when we see the team selection from Bo, then then maybe it would be a game where an opportunity to rest him.
SPEAKER_02:And also I think Tom Jordan would probably be the first to admit he hasn't really had a cut he hasn't really got stuck into the season yet. He's had a real difficult one where he you know he played one, then he got carded, then he got banned, then he went to the Autumn Internationals, and then he comes back against Scarlets and he's playing at fullback on a heavy pitch, and you know, he then he does the forward pass, and he probably feels like he wants to be in the thick of the action. And to me, possibly putting him at ten against Poe would be a way of doing that. It also rests Worsley, or at least Worsley on the bench to have a bit of express, but then it does beg of the ask the question who would go fullback because Elisalde, I was seeing some stuff on the forum, is like it almost suggesting he's gone a bit out of favour because he may well be going to France next year. Oh, okay. Um but he's not injured, no, but maybe needs must.
SPEAKER_05:Well, what about I mean, this is a name we've not spoken about for a while, but I I know he's uh from what I've heard, he's quite close to a return. Rich Lane. Yeah. I mean, it would be a big throw-in to start him. But if he's not far away, maybe bench.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but I mean, or Carrington, because Carrington was on the bench. Yeah, he didn't come on, did he, Saturday? But he's he could start, he started fullback against Chiefs, didn't he? So Tigers. I just think maybe Jordan at Jordan at ten would be a shout. I I also wonder whether that we might I wonder whether one of Santi Grandona might get a rest or give at least bench for his brother, because his brother came on at the end and he's he has played a lot of minutes. Pedro maybe Joe as a start, and you bring Ruby Pedro on. Yeah. Um but I think you know, I think one thing we do need to do is make sure we're we're solid in the set piece. So I think we'll have a you know a strong front row. I mean, I think you bet Genji probably would start maybe and then Bat row, you know. I don't know really. We've got obviously Fitz, I think Fitz just goes on forever. It does. Bill.
SPEAKER_05:Lua 2 is not far away, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Lua 2 is not far away. I'm not sure they'd risk him a 530 against the French side, but maybe the big game for big game for a big boy, uh big lad, as in a big kind of influence, big unit, big unit in uh in the maybe the the uh Harlequins game.
SPEAKER_03:And also, I mean we might point out that Pete you're not even gonna be in the country. No, I mean let alone the bad bad kick off time.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, we're gonna be we're gonna struggle for a couple of we well we won't be able to do a pod next Sunday because it's a Sunday game and I'm actually away, so we're probably looking at doing a pod after the um we may do a pod after the Harlequin. So we're back to the weekend and then maybe do one in the new year to sort of wrap up Christmas, so it's gonna be a little bit bitter. We haven't quite planned that out yet, and I may well be zooming in from wherever I am to help the lads out, literally zooming in. Literally zoom in. Private jet. So yeah, I think uh I think so. Um two more things on any other business lads. Um I I mentioned it in the intro, but they're ones we were kind of quite proudly talking about our bobble hats that Tom Tainton gave us last week and read out the letter, which I thought was very clear. We had a bit of pelters from some of our regulars telling us that we'd sold out to the bobble hats, and you know, like there was a little bit of passive-aggressive boys. You you know, you're not representing us. So I don't know what do you think about that, Lee?
SPEAKER_05:I think the the listeners know full well that they can rip us as much as they like. We will never sell our soul, we'll always uh say it as we see it and be uh as uh balanced as ever. Um but that bobble that did fit lovely.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, we'll call it out, and I I say we're just you know, should a thread or some stitching come loose, we'll call it out, won't we? We'll be straight up there and don't worry, don't worry, listeners.
SPEAKER_02:And I also think that maybe they forgot that when I read the letter out, Tom Tainton clearly said that he thanked us for holding the club to account.
SPEAKER_05:And actually, on that note, I am gonna hold the club to account.
SPEAKER_03:Do it. Alright, go.
SPEAKER_05:You know, we were good we had this road trip, so I thought what I'll do is I'll pop down to the club shop and I was gonna buy a hoodie or or something similar. And I have to admit, um I'm not a huge fan of the O'Neill's stuff anyway, I'll be honest. But I I can understand why we used them because the quick turnaround.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Um but I just I tried this hoodie on and it was just it was quite it felt quite heavy and and thick, and I just thought, you know what, we always like to wear the G-lace, don't we? Yeah. And I just thought, nah, it doesn't didn't feel right. So I I've got to call that one out. But but that's a personal thing to me.
SPEAKER_02:And other other garments are available for other people, and it is a fact that there are plenty of bubble hats in stock. There was loots and caps back in. And you know, but and I we put it on your Christmas list, you know. So I think I think uh we'll put that to bed now. That has been put to bed, the sellout, Sully Solter Devil. That's been put to bed. Um and then the last thing I wanted to mention was we did have a nice chat earlier on uh with two of the lads from the new Bears Supporters Advisory Committee, and we we they'd asked us if they could come on and chat about that, and we have had a chat with them, but I we felt that maybe what we'll do is put that into this mini pod on Wednesday along with the roast beef rugby boys. So it's as I said, a kind of education, an edu pod. So there was one thing that they mentioned that we were gonna mention was something that a lot of listeners said about the women's fixtures. Um there's a clash now, quite a lot of a big clash between so for people with dual season tickets, it's it's a bit of a problem.
SPEAKER_05:There's not enough time, is there?
SPEAKER_02:We won't talk about that now, but it has been noted and is and it's gonna be, and and then they talked a little bit more about it. So if you're interested to find out a bit more about the Bears Advisory Committee, look out for a midweek pod and there and you'll hear the guys talk about it.
SPEAKER_05:Just one other thing, and this is really important. Uh, it's a personal apology from a good friend of the pod, John Wood, to all the people that are travelling on the supporters coach, and we're 20 minutes delayed waiting for him in travelling to uh Camarbonshire. And uh John would like to say he was absolutely more mortified that uh that he was late and actually very, very usually very punctual. He is um, and he's a brilliant lad, so he did he did want me to say he's like the naughty child who arrived late late, did he? Apologies for force.
SPEAKER_02:I bet like he then did he have to walk all the way up the aisle because the owed his street was right up. Oh, we had to sit, you know, would have to sit next to the driver at the front, maybe. Uh yeah, well, fair play to John. He held his hands up and he was a but apparently um he's not welcome back on the bus. Anyway, boys, uh it's been a good weekend. I I feel quite tired now. Yeah, um you look very tired, Miles. Lee, you look just like you always do, to be honest. So um, everyone, have a good week. Look out for our midweek pod. Uh stay safe. And one, two, three.
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