Matchday programme: Bristol Bears vs ASM Clermont Auvergne

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ASHTON GATE | saturDAY decEMBER 12th 2020 | 1PM KO

CLUB DIRECTORY 

Bristol Bears, Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Road, Bristol, BS3 2EJ 

Website: bristolbearsrugby.com | Phone: 0117 963 0600 

Email: team@bristolbearsrugby.com 

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BOARD & DIRECTORS 

Owner: Stephen Lansdown CBE 

Director: Jon Lansdown 

Chairman: Chris Booy OBE 

Chief Executive Officer: Mark Tainton 

Company Secretary: Gavin Marshall 

BRISTOL BEARS 

Director of Rugby: Pat Lam 

Assistant Coach: Conor McPhillips 

Forwards Coach: John Muldoon 

Skills Coach: Sean Marsden 

Defence Coach: Omar Mouneimne 

Scrum Coach: Alasdair Dickinson 

Team Manager: Nick Fenton-Wells 

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Head of Medical Services: Rory Murray 

Head of Athletic Performance: Kevin Geary 

Head of Performance Analysis: Stuart Powell 

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ASHTON GATE STADIUM 

Chairman: Martin Griffiths 

Managing Director: Mark Kelly 

Group Head of Communications: 

Lisa Knights 

Stadium General Manager: Ross Wormald 

Head of Safety: David Storr 

Head of Grounds: Dan Sparks 

BRISTOL SPORT 

Chairman: Jon Lansdown 

Group Head of Communications: 

Lisa Knights 

Group Chief Financial Officer: 

Gavin Marshall 

Head of Marketing: Charlie Lincoln 

LEAGUE: 

• Gloucestershire County League 1898/99, 1899/1900 

• Sunday Telegraph English Merit Table 1965/66, 1973/74 

• Sunday Telegraph English and English/Welsh Merit Table 1971/72 

• RFU South West Merit Table 1979/80, 1981/82 • Allied Dunbar Premiership Two 1998/99 

• National Division One 2004/05 • Greene King IPA Championship play-off 2015/16 

• Greene King IPA Championship 2017/18 

CUP 

• Gloucestershire County Cup 1905/06 • John Player Cup 1982/83 

• Powergen Shield 2003/04 • British & Irish Cup 2010/11 

• European Challenge Cup 2019/20 

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12 

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24 

26 

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ASHTON GATE | saturDAY decEMBER 12th 2020 | 1PM KO 

pat lam’s notes 

KYLE SINCKLER 

WELCOME MESSAGE 

MARK HOSKINS 

TOBY FRICKER 

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 

LAST TIME OUT 

ACADEMY NEWS 

PAT LAM 

PLAYER PROFILES 

TEAM NEWS 

Editor: Will Carpenter 

Design: Charlie Burman 

Photography: JMPUK 

BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT AUVERGNE | 2020/21 BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT AUVERGNE | 2020/21

PAT LAM’S NOTES 

Planning for your future requires an investment 

of time, money and effort. So it’s good to have 

a team of specialists who can help. 

Pat Lam says the Bears are excited and relishing the 

challenge as they prepare to end a 12-year wait for 

Champions Cup rugby against French giants ASM 

Clermont Auvergne at Ashton Gate on Saturday (1pm 

KO, live on Channel 4 and BT Sport 2 HD). 

Clermont arrive in the West Country sitting fourth in the Top 14, 

and Lam says his side are well aware of the task they face this 

weekend, but not satisfied with merely taking part in Europe’s 

elite competition. 

“I’m massively excited. It’s in our vision to be a team that 

consistently, year-on-year and forever, contests the Champions 

Cup,” said Lam. 

4 5 

Because it’s not just rugby 

that’s a team sport 

“But I don’t want us to be a club which just gets into Europe and 

are happy to be in it. We have got to go after the star, go after 

the trophy. It is so exciting to be involved. 

“Pretty much everyone who won the Challenge Cup is still here. 

We know as a group what it took to win that and that emphasises 

that if you do the work, you get the rewards, but we said after 

the final we will have to go up another level now. 

“These are the sort of games you want, because they grow 

you as a club, grow you as players and give you really good 

recognition of being a part of big-time rugby. 

“This is our first time in the Champions Cup as a club, as a group, 

for many years, but we don’t see that as a negative, we see it as 

a positive. 

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“You look at Clermont and they’re going really well in the TOP 14, 

sitting fourth behind La Rochelle, Toulouse and Racing 92. 

“They have a lot of world-class players - I coached some of them 

in the Barbarians, so I know the quality. 

“They’ve got to the finals and it’s their big dream to win it. To 

play against them is a good marker of where we are and how far 

we’ve come as a club.” 

PAT LAM 

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY 


KYLE SINCKLER 

preview 

Kyle Sinckler is ready and 

raring to go ahead of the Bears’ 

Champions Cup campaign, after 

returning from international duty 

with two more trophies in the 

cabinet. 

The England prop helped his country to 

the 2020 Six Nations title with victory 

over Italy in Rome, before Eddie Jones’ 

side went unbeaten throughout the 

Autumn Nations Cup, culminating in last 

weekend’s sudden-death defeat of France 

at Twickenham. 

And Sinckler, who says he is ‘loving every 

minute’ of life in the West Country, is 

relishing Saturday’s mouth-watering 

European clash with French giants, ASM 

Clermont Auvergne. 

“It’s always an honour to represent your 

country and it was great to win all of our 

games and a couple of trophies as well,” 

he said. 

“It was quite weird in terms of the 

lockdown and the uncertainty around 

when I was coming to Bristol, but once it 

was confirmed it was all systems go and 

I’ve loved it. 

6 7 

TRAIN LIKE A PRO 

ENGINEERED FOR PERFORMANCE 

“I’ve loved every minute being down 

here, testing myself and being in a 

different environment and I think this is 

only going to make me a better player. 

“In terms of winning silverware, it’s 

been pretty crazy. We were unlucky 

in the Premiership semi-final and the 

week after, we played really well in the 

Challenge Cup final, and then I went off 

with England and won two more trophies, 

so it’s not been a bad couple of months. 

The challenge now is to try and sustain 

that and bring more success to the club. 

“From Pat (Lam) down to the Club Chef, 

everyone has been so welcoming. They 

really let me be myself and I love coming 

in every day and having a laugh with the 

boys. 

“One thing I’ve really noticed is that it’s 

such a tight-knit group and everyone is 

really close – hopefully, I’ve just fitted in 

seamlessly.” 

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Chairman 

welcome messages 

Heineken Champions Cup Rounds 1&2 2020/21 

Less than eight weeks after Exeter Chiefs became the 

twelfth club to lift this prestigious trophy in Bristol, the 

tournament kicks off again with an exciting new format to 

meet the challenges that club rugby has been presented by 

the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wherever you are 

watching the action, the whole EPCR team joins me in hoping 

that you enjoy it. 

next-best four clubs in each section continuing their European 

adventure in the knockout rounds of the Challenge Cup. 

8 9 

When the global health crisis struck, we were well on course to 

have the final of this tournament in 2019/20 watched live in the 

stadium by a capacity crowd in Marseille. As we set out on the 

pathway to the Stade Vélodrome again this term, we will not 

be swayed from our purpose of lobbying for fans to return to 

stadiums across Europe. 

We believe that it is essential for the sport and for the mental 

health of a public and of clubs who have suffered enough in 

recent months. Of course, we say that believing that this can 

be achieved safely and consistently with guidelines of various 

governments across other industries. 

European club rugby tournaments will be played across eight 

weekends on an exceptional basis this season and that means 

24 clubs lining up in two pools of this Heineken Champions Cup. 

With no repeats of domestic matches in the pool stage, each 

club will play two opponents home and away in the December 

and January rounds. Then, the top four classified in each pool 

will head through to a new, two-legged quarter-final with the 

The back-to-back weekends that kick off the season give some 

mouthwatering clashes for us to savour the 25th season of 

Heineken’s association with the tournament. Last season’s 

quarter-final and semi-final are immediately repeated as 

Toulouse take on Ulster Rugby in Belfast followed by holders 

Exeter Chiefs at home. There’s a re-run of the classic 2011 

showpiece between Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints 

and Challenge Cup holders Bristol Bears take on European 

heavyweights ASM Clermont Auvergne as well as Connacht 

Rugby, which will be a reunion for Pat Lam, among others. 

There is no doubting in the quality of the matches as this 

tournament goes from strength-to-strength. We thank our 

broadcast partners – BT Sport, Channel 4, Virgin Media, 

beIN SPORTS and France Télévisions domestically – for their 

dedication to taking the action to homes across the world, which 

has been appreciated even more during the pandemic. 

We share this journey with you, the fans, but also with the 

support of partners Tissot, the Financial Times, Gilbert and 

Kappa, and hope to be in your company soon once more as we 

make our way through what promises to be an exciting 2020/21 

season. 

Yours in Rugby, 

SIMON HALLIDAY, CHAIRMAN, EPCR 


10 11 

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Proud sponsors of Bristol Bears 


BRISTOL IN THE 

HEINEKEN CUP 

MARK HOSKINS 

The long wait is over. 

After a gap of just over 12 years, 

Bristol will once again be playing 

in the Heineken Champions Cup 

this season. 

Their most recent game in the 

competition, an instantly forgettable 

17-0 home defeat to Cardiff Blues, was 

on January 20th 2008, and in total they 

have played twelve ties spread over 

two Heineken Cup campaigns. Now is 

an appropriate time to reflect on the 

highs and lows of Bristol’s ventures into 

Europe’s top rugby competition. 

Bristol first qualified for the Heineken 

Cup after unexpectedly reaching the 

final of the 2001-02 Zurich Championship, 

which was a discreet competition 

contested at the end of the Premiership 

season. In fact, Bristol qualified 

after their semi-final victory over 

Northampton, a game in which Felipe 

Contepomi scored all his side’s 32 points 

and famously ran up into the stand to 

join in the applause for one of his tries. 

Bristol’s group opponents in the 2002-03 

Heineken Cup were Leinster, Montferrand 

and Swansea, and they kicked off their 

campaign with a tricky tie against 

Leinster at Donnybrook on October 11th 

2002. This game was lost, but Bristol 

won the first Heineken Cup game played 

at the Memorial Stadium, defeating 

Montferrand 24-19. 

The games with Swansea were played 

on consecutive weekends in December, 

with Bristol losing away and winning 

at home. This brings us to what was 

unquestionably the highlight of the 2002- 

03 campaign in Europe – a victory which 

still deserves to be ranked amongst 

the team’s finest achievements. Bristol 

travelled to Montferrand in January 

under something of a cloud, having 

badly underperformed in a Premiership 

game at Harlequins. They arrived at 

the ground to find the pitch covered in 

snow, but conscious of the fact that they 

would have to remain in France until the 

tie was played they agreed to start the 

match, even though the temperature 

at kick-off was minus four. Montferrand 

had lost at home to Leinster, but prior 

to that they had been unbeaten at home 

in 21 European games, so they were the 

favourites by a clear margin. But Bristol 

won a thrilling match 30-22, with a try 

from replacement Jamie Williams sealing 

victory in injury time. Several players left 

the field with ice burns at the end of the 

game. 

Victory in France meant that Bristol 

still had a mathematical chance of 

qualifying for the quarter final, but 

they lost at home to Leinster, and as 

many supporters will recall they were 

relegated at the end of the season. Their 

second and most recent Heineken Cup 

campaign was in the 2007-08 season, 

following a brilliant third place finish in 

the Premiership. This time their group 

opponents were Cardiff Blues, Stade 

Francais and Harlequins, and they kicked 

off with defeat in Cardiff. Next up was a 

home tie with Stade Francais, then very 

much the glamour boys of the French 

club game, and here we come to another 

of the great days in Bristol’s history. The 

visitors had international talent aplenty 

in their side, but on a wet and windy 

afternoon they never settled against a 

passionate and committed Bristol side. A 

Neil Brew try and four David Hill penalties 

saw Bristol to a famous 17-0 victory in 

what was arguably the team’s finest ever 

performance during Richard Hill’s tenure 

as head coach. The win was memorably 

summed up by the Evening Post’s Steve 

Cotton. “There are victories,” he wrote, 

“there are victories in the Heineken 

Cup – and there are once-in-a-lifetime 

occasions like beating and shutting out 

the French champions in front of your 

own supporters.” 

12 13 

Bristol built on this great win by 

defeating Harlequins home and away, 

with David Lemi scoring tries in both 

games. But they failed to get a bonus 

point in Paris, despite a brave effort in 

losing 19-11 to Stade Francais. This left 

them needing at the very least a bonus 

point win over Cardiff Blues to progress 

from their group, but as mentioned at the 

start of this article, they couldn’t score a 

single point against their Welsh rivals. 

So ended Bristol’s second Heineken Cup 

venture. Both campaigns have featured 

some success, with one classic match 

in each. Bears supporters will be hoping 

that the 2020-21 competition will provide 

plenty of thrills, and that the team can 

make a bit of club history by progressing 

to the knockout stages for the first time. 

BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT AUVERGNE | 2020/21 

BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT AUVERGNE | 2020/21

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BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT AUVERGNE | 2020/21 


toby fricker 

word from camp 

16 17 

The 2007/08 season was the last time Bristol Bears 

competed in the European Champions Cup. We have 

never won it and it is probably the most competitive 

form of club rugby in the world. Consequently, 

underestimating the challenge presented over the 

next couple of weeks is not an option, especially as 

the new format of the competition means winning 

each game is the bare minimum needed to progress. 

So, it’s safe to say that 13 years later we are back 

and firing on all cylinders. 

Europe is not the only factor making its comeback this week. 

Our international players have all returned from successful 

campaigns and swiftly slipped back into the working 

environment. Timing is everything and there is no better time 

for their return as we head into two tough European fixtures. 

The last couple of weeks have been huge for the development 

of the club, with over 45 players getting game time. Winning our 

last two premiership games has left us in a good place in the 

league and going into the European games. Our ‘A’ team fixtures 

against Ealing provided valuable experience and opportunity 

for a lot of young players. It has been a true testament to the 

character and culture of the club. This was evident when the first 

team, having played and beaten Worcester came back to the HPC 

to support the boys playing Ealing, once again demonstrating 

our one-club mentality. 

We are a close group, with a diverse range of backgrounds and 

hobbies. How we spend our downtime varies significantly. Whilst 

Andy Uren spends several hours a day searching for videos of 

his tries and rugby exploits, the likes of Luke Morahan and Harry 

Thacker enjoy surfing. Some boys have some more obscure 

pastimes. Dan Thomas, for example spends a great deal of time 

artificially inseminating his beloved cows back on his family’s 

farm in Wales. I don’t know where to start with Max Lahiff, but 

from film reviews to juggling, it’s safe to say he is a man of many 

talents. I myself have found a love for baking sourdough bread. 

The variety of interests and personalities in the club contribute 

greatly to making life within exciting. 

TOBY FRICKER 


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18 19 

WE ARE RUGBY 

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BRISTOL BEARS 

community 

foundation 

Bristol Bears Community Foundation’s Matchday 

Draw kicks off this weekend, giving the supporters 

a chance to win up to £1,000, while also supporting 

the club’s award-winning charity. 

The draw will take place during the half time interval of every 

Bears home fixture this season. Every ticket purchased helps 

20 

BEST TRY 

support the incredible community work carried out by the 

21 

Community Foundation. 

The best tries, place kicks and drop goals from 

25 years of the Heineken Champions Cup are 

being voted for in the exciting new Tissot 10s 

series – and you can have your say in the winner 

on official digital channels of the tournament. 

Takudzwa Ngwenya’s stunning try for Biarritz 

Olympique in their 2009/10 quarter-final win 

over Ospreys landed the accolade of the top try 

from an outstanding shortlist as EPCR team up 

with Official Partner Tissot to bring you some 

top class action from a quarter of a century of 

elite club rugby. 

The shortlist is revealed with a series of video 

vignettes on HeinekenChampionsCup.com and 

official social media channels before a public 

vote for the fans, which is combined with the 

views of an expert to determine the winner. 

European Cup winner Bryan Habana was on 

hand as Ngwenya’s try was selected and the 

countdown of the best place kicks has already 

started. 

Fans who have their say on their favourite 

selection enter a draw to win a Tissot watch as 

part of this exciting activation. 

The proceeds of the Matchday Draw are split 50/50, with 50% 

of the net proceeds going to one lucky fan and the other 50% 

going to the Foundation, to be invested back into the local 

community. 

There is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase, so 

why not increase your odds of winning and purchase multiple. 

The winner of the draw will be announced at half time via the 

Bears’ social media channels, so be sure to keep an eye out to 

find out if you’re the winner. 

2010 

TAKUDZWA NGWENYA 

BIARRITZ OLYMPIQUE V OSPREYS 


For the fifth consecutive season, the Champions 

Try of the Round competition will bring fans and 

leading broadcasters together to decide the best 

score of each weekend of matches in the Heineken 

Champions Cup, giving supporters the chance to 

also win some top-class rugby prizes. 

Racing 92 dotted down for some outstanding tries 

in 2019/20, with Teddy Thomas twice lauded for 

different scores against Munster Rugby in the pool 

stage before Juan Imhoff’s sensational, matchwinning 

try in the Paris semi-final against Saracens 

plucked the Try of the Season award having earned 

praise from Channel 4’s Nolli Waterman, Virgin 

Media’s Alan Quinlan and the fans. 

Imhoff’s success followed Nick Abendanon 

(2016/17), Tadhg Beirne (2017/18) and Maxime 

Médard (2018/19) to the annual accolade after 

impressive growth of engagement with the public 

vote through HeinekenChampionsCup.com. On the 

Monday after each round of matches in European 

club rugby’s blue riband tournament, a shortlist of 

five tries is compiled by EPCR’s editorial team and 

Bristol Bears won their first European trophy as they beat 

Toulon 32-19 in an enthralling Challenge Cup final at Stade 

Maurice-David. 

On an historic night for the club, Harry Randall’s try after 15 

seconds set Pat Lam’s on their way to their first major honour 

since 1983, before Toulon hit back to lead 16-10 at the break. 

But Max Malins classy score on the hour and 22 points from the boot of Callum 

Sheedy saw the Bears storm clear in Aix-en-Provence to earn major silverware 

for the first time in 37 years. 

The Bears were out of the blocks in record time in the south of France, 

crossing for the opening score after just 15 seconds, as Radradra and Leiua 

combined straight from the kick off to send Randall over for the perfect start. 

Sheedy’s opening penalty made it 10-0 three minutes later, but Toulon hit back 

with an opportunist try from Bryce Heem. 

opened to the public in the vote. 

22 23 

Enjoy some high-calibre rugby and HAVE YOUR SAY 

in the winner! 

CHAMPIONS TRY OF THE ROUND WINNERS 2019/20 

Round 1: James Lang 

ASM Clermont Auvergne v Harlequins 

Round 2: Teddy Thomas 

Munster Rugby v Racing 92 

Round 3: James Lowe 

Northampton Saints v Leinster Rugby 

Round 4: Lewis Ludlow 

Connacht Rugby v Gloucester Rugby 

Round 5: Teddy Thomas 

Racing 92 v Munster Rugby 

Round 6: Luke Northmore 

Harlequins v ASM Clermont Auvergne 

Quarter-Final: Alex Goode 

Leinster Rugby v Saracens 

Semi-Final / Champions Try of the Season: 

Juan Imhoff 

Racing 92 v Saracens 

last time out 

Challenge Cup Final 

Bristol Bears 32-19 RC Toulon 

Thacker then saw his try disallowed for a knock-on as he attempted to ground 

at the tail of a driving lineout, before Louis Carbonel’s penalty levelled the 

scores. 

The Bears had a second try disallowed on 26 minutes, when Joe Joyce’s 

sensational finish in the corner was ruled out for an adjudged forward pass in 

the build-up. 

At the other end, Toulon quickly gained a foothold in a topsy-turvy encounter 

courtesy of two more Carbonel penalties to take six-point lead at the interval. 

Sheedy closed the gap to three with his second penalty of the evening, before 

Carbonel cancelled it out. 

But a quick-fire double from the faultless boot of Sheedy’s levelled things up 

once again, leaving the silky-smooth Malins to glide his way to a second Bears 

try and edge his side closer to the finish line. 

A huge shove at scrum time earned Sheedy a fifth successful penalty – and the 

number ten put the icing on the Bears cake with his sixth, as the Bears sealed 

a maiden European title in typically stylish fashion. 

Bristol Bears: Malins; Morahan, Radradra (O’Conor 61), S Piutau (c), Leiua; Sheedy, Randall (Kessell 78); Y Thomas, (Woolmore 56) Thacker, 

Sinckler (Afoa 56), Attwood, Joyce, Vui, D Thomas, Earl. 

System players: Kloska, Woolmore, Afoa, Holmes, Heenan, Uren, O’Conor, Adeolokun. 

RC Toulon: Cordin; Heem, Toeava, Paia’aua, Villiere; Carbonel, Serin; Gros, Etrillard (c), Gigashvili, Etzebeth, Taofifenua, Ollivon, Lakafia, 

Parisse. 

Replacements: Soury, Fresia, Setiano, Alainu’uese, Rebbadj, Ory, Takalua, Dakuwaqa. 

EPCRUGBY.COM/TOTR 


BRISTOL BEARS 

academy news 

Academy scholar Rowson 

relishing Xledger opportunity 

Academy scholar, Harry Rowson 

has reflected on the ‘unbelievable 

experience’ of combining professional 

rugby with a work placement outside of 

the sport, after beginning an internship 

with Academy principal partner Xledger. 

“It’s created challenges, balancing the 

professional rugby life with working 

for Xledger, but they’ve been really 

accommodating with last-minute 

scheduling. My own personal growth has 

been really good, challenging myself on 

and off the pitch, growing my mind as 

well. 

The 18-year-old, who featured in the 

recent friendly clashes against Ealing 

Trailfinders, was one of the club’s 

inaugural scholars – an additional group 

of players, working with the professional 

staff, while also exploring external career 

“It takes me away from the rugby pitch 

– I don’t want to be constantly thinking 

about rugby 24/7, it’s quite a nice break 

from that and allows me to carry on 

being academic. 

24 opportunities. 

“Going forward, when I finish rugby, it’s 

25 

Rowson, a lively centre who was part 

of the Academy U18 side that reached 

the 2019/20 Premiership Finals Day, is 

relishing the opportunity to learn from 

industry experts both on the field and in 

the office. 

“Training with the first team has been 

really good – there’s a lot of content to 

learn though, so it’s been hard to fit into 

it, but week on week it’s getting easier 

and easier and you get more and more 

reps, which is good, but it’s a lot to take 

in,” he said. 

“A few weeks ago, we were watching 

on TV and now we’re in training with 

them all, eating lunch with them, so 

it’s amazing to be involved. They do all 

they can to help us out, but at the same 

time, it’s hard for them because they 

are playing a match on the weekend, so 

they’ve got to do their thing as well. We 

learn from each other as Academy boys. 

what I want to go into and it’s a great 

experience to take out of it. I’m really 

grateful, it’s an unbelievable experience 

and not many people get to do this, so 

I’m a lucky boy.” 

Ian Halliwell, Sales and Marketing 

Director at Xledger, said: “We understand 

the value that the Bristol Bears Academy 

brings to young people as individuals, 

which extends far beyond the game of 

rugby. 

“Welcoming Harry into our organisation 

as part of Xledger’s internship 

programme has delivered a great 

outcome for all parties involved. 

“We’re really proud to be playing a role in 

the club’s ongoing strategy to develop its 

young players both on and off the field.” 


Pat Lam is a Champions Cup romantic and he’s not 

afraid to admit it. 

The Bears Director of Rugby, a winner of the coveted trophy as a 

player with Northampton Saints in 2000, will rekindle his relationship 

with a competition he regards as ‘the ultimate’ when French giants 

ASM Clermont Auvergne visit Ashton Gate this weekend. 

For Bristol, it ends a 12-year absence from Europe’s top table. For the 

club’s supporters, who have suffered many long nights of the soul, 

it represents a lofty milestone of progress – three years ago, the 

club was preparing to face Leinster ‘A’ in the British & Irish Cup. The 

tragedy here, will be their absence on Saturday. 

For Lam, the Champions Cup has been in the Bears’ blueprint from 

day one, but their mere presence in the competition is far from the 

final destination – the occasion though, is one to relish. 

“I didn’t really know much about the European Cup till I came over 

here in 1997 when I was playing for Newcastle in the Championship, 

so we were trying to get promoted,” said Lam. 

“We got promoted but the boycott happened, and I ended up 

at Northampton after that and we soon realised that this is the 

ultimate and that it’s the closest thing in club rugby to Test rugby. 

moment of inspiration. 

“We talk about our visions around inspiring our rugby community 

to bring rugby success. So, that trophy gave huge inspiration to 

Bristolians and people in our community all around the world, but 

as we keep saying to the players when we came back, it’s just a 

moment. It’s now in the history books, which we can enjoy, but now 

it’s all about getting more and more of those moments - whether 

that’s trophies, visiting kids, old people’s homes, hospitals [and] so 

forth. That’s the club we want to be and what we are, but now we 

want more, and it certainly helps guys understand the process. To 

get that trophy, it took hard work, and if we want more, it requires 

more hard work.” 

A new competition format, due to the impact of coronavirus and for 

this season only, provides a fresh spin on Europe’s highest honour, 

with fewer fixtures and two larger pools of 12, made up of eight clubs 

from the Gallagher Premiership, Pro 14 and Top 14. In Lam’s opinion, 

the temporary format leaves teams with no second chances. 

“It’s intriguing, it’s exciting. It’s like you’re going into finals rugby 

straight away because looking at it, with only four out of 12 strong 

teams in each pool going through to the quarter finals, I would say, 

if you lose a game in the pool stages, in these four rounds, it’s very 

unlikely that you’re going to make it through, whereas previously 

you could. 

pat lam & 

the HEINEKEN CUP 

“You are playing teams you don’t normally face, and it’s probably 

influenced me in my coaching because when I came back to the 

Northern Hemisphere with Connacht, the ambition was about being 

the best Irish team, but my eyes were set on the Champions Cup. 

“We set out as part of our vision that we wanted to be a Heineken 

Champions Cup team and then when I came to Bristol it was the 

same thing. There was talk about just getting into the Premiership, 

but I said no. It was the wrong thinking – I wanted the club to be a 

Champions Cup side. 

“So, it just forces you to be at your best right from round one, 

otherwise your chances of winning it are gone.” 

For the Bears, that means hitting their straps from the first whistle 

against a Clermont side steeped in European history and pedigree – 

and Lam says their opening clash ‘will give a good marker of where 

we are and how far we’ve come as a club’. 

26 27 

“That’s the ambition and the realistic goal we set and everything we 

do daily and the standards we set are geared towards that because 

it is the ultimate competition to win.” 

Lam’s Heineken Cup triumph came on a wet and stormy afternoon 

at Twickenham in May 2000, as three Paul Grayson penalties saw 

Northampton, captained by the Bears boss, edge out Munster 9-7. 

Only Leo Cullen, the Leinster captain turned Director of Rugby, has 

lifted the prestigious trophy as both a player and (head) coach. 

The 52-year-old labelled the Bears’ 2019/20 Challenge Cup win as ‘a 

moment of inspiration’, a stepping-stone – he knows the ultimate 

test begins at Ashton Gate on Saturday. 

“It’s been a long time since Bristol have been a part of the 

Champions Cup. It’s in our vision, it’s in our dream to be a team that 

consistently, year on year and forever, contests the Champions Cup. 

That’s what we want to be. These are the sort of games you want, 

because they grow you as a club, grow you as players and give you 

really good recognition to be a part of big-time rugby. That’s what all 

players, coaches and staff thrive on. There’s huge excitement and we 

want to make sure that we’re at our best when we start. 

“Winning the Challenge Cup was good recognition for the work that 

everyone has done, and it just again highlights and gives everyone 

an understanding that if you do the work, and we work together and 

we grow on and off the field, you’ll get the rewards - and it’s only a 

“It’s a tough start. They’re going really well in the Top 14 and there 

are a lot of world class players - I coached some of them in the 

Barbarians, so I know the quality. That is a tough start but it’s also an 

exciting one. 

“We know, or we talk about the fact that Clermont are a Champions 

Cup team. They’ve got to the finals and it’s their big dream to win 

it. But they’re there consistently and to play against them is a good 

marker of where we are and how far we’ve come as a club.” 

After a 12-year wait for Champions Cup rugby in Bristol, the Covid-19 

pandemic and the city’s current tier three status has denied the 

Ashton Gate faithful the most memorable of occasions. It’s a 

frustration for Lam, his players and the thousands of enchanted 

Bristolians who have joined the Bears on their journey of resurgence. 

But the Director of Rugby knows the good times will soon return. 

“I would definitely say with Clermont here, we would have had a 

sell-out crowd and that’s because the fans are loving what the team 

are doing, on and off the field. They love the sort of rugby that we’re 

playing, and they haven’t had Champions Cup rugby for many years. 

“It’s such a shame, but when the time comes, they’ll be back. They’ll 

be flooding back in numbers, and we’re looking forward to that day.” 

Lam and the Bears will be hoping that day is a Champions Cup 

quarter final. 

BRISTOL BEARS VS CLERMONT NORTHAMPTON AUVERGNE SAINTS | | 2020/21 

BRISTOL BEARS VS NORTHAMPTON CLERMONT AUVERGNE SAINTS | 2020/21

BRISTOL BEARS 

FIRST TEAM SQUAD 

ALAPATI LEIUA 

STEVEN LUATUA 

MAX MALINS 

PETER MCCABE 

NIYI ADEOLOKUN 

JOHN AFOA 

JAKE ARMSTRONG 

DAVE ATTWOOD 

LUKE MORAHAN 

SIVA NAULAGO 

PIERS O’CONOR 

CHARLES PIUTAU 

SAM BEDLOW 

BRYAN BYRNE 

WILL CAPON 

CHRIS COOK 

SIALE PIUTAU 

CHARLIE POWELL 

28 29 

HENRY PURDY 

JAMES DUN 

JAMES DUN 

MITCH EADIE 

BEN EARL 

TIFF EDEN 

SEMI RADRADRA 

HARRY RANDALL 

CALLUM SHEEDY 

KYLE SINCKLER 

TOBY FRICKER 

JOHN HAWKINS 

JAKE HEENAN 

ED HOLMES 

HARRY THACKER 

DAN THOMAS 

YANN THOMAS 

ANDY UREN 

sponsor a player 

for more information contact 

commercial@bristol-sport.co.uk 

NATHAN HUGHES 

JOE JOYCE 

TOM KESSELL 

MAX LAHIFF 

CHRIS VUI 

JAKE WOOLMORE 


BRISTOL BEARS 

ACADEMY SQUAD 

HARRY AscherL DEAGO BAILEY BEN BAMBER 

JACK BATES 

BLAKE BOYLAND 

ALEX GROVES 

FITZ HARDING 

IOAN LLOYD 

30 31 

BRISTOL BEARS 

COACHING STAFF 

GEORGE KLOSKA 

FREDDIE OWSLEY 

ANDREW TURNER 

TOM WILSTEAD 

PAT LAM 

CONOR MCPHILLIPS 

OMAR MOUNEIMNE 

JOHN MULDOON 

ALASDAIR DICKINSON 

SEAN MARSDEN 

DANNY GREWCOCK 

JORDAN CRANE 


YOUR ACCESS TO THE HEART 

OF EUROPEAN RUGBY HAS 

NEVER BEEN BETTER 

2020/21 

EUROPEAN 

KIT 

HEINEKENCHAMPIONSCUP.COM 

#HEINEKENCHAMPIONSCUP 

32 33 

BRISTOLBEARSRUGBY.COM/STORE 


OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER 

34 35 

TISSOT supersport 

chrono. 

TISSOTWATCHES.COM 


2016 2017 2018 

2019 

2020 

36 37 

Rugby’s family values have never been more literally 

emphasised than at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium back in 

October. Joe Simmonds was already the Heineken Star of the 

Match before the penalty that took Exeter Chiefs to their first 

European crown against Racing 92 in the final and, soon after, 

brother Sam was presented with the Anthony Foley Memorial 

Trophy as EPCR European Player of the Year. 

The number eight was the tournament’s top try scorer 

during the season, crossing eight times to become the fourth 

Englishman in five seasons to win the prestigious accolade. 

Simmonds was selected by a combination of an expert panel 

deliberating right until the end of the Heineken Champions 

Cup final and more than 20,000 votes cast through 

HeinekenChampionsCup.com. 

This season, stars of the global game will have more intense 

periods to prove they are Europe’s standout player with the 

pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup played over four 

rounds in December and January on an exceptional basis, 

with an expanded knockout stage leading a path to Marseille 

for Finals Weekend on 21-22 May 2021, before which a list of 

nominees will have been streamlined to five candidates. 

By taking part in the public vote through official channels of 

the tournaments, fans can be in with a chance of winning 

outstanding rugby prizes. 

EPCR European 

Player of the Year 

Past Winners 

1995-2010 Ronan O’Gara 

2011 Sean O’Brien 

2012 Rob Kearney 

2013 Jonny Wilkinson 

2014 Steffon Armitage 

2015 Nick Abendanon 

2016 Maro Itoje 

2017 Owen Farrell 

2018 Leone Nakarawa 

2019 Alex Goode 

2020 Sam Simmonds 

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP 

league standings 

POS TEAM PL W D L DIFF PTS 

1 Exeter Chiefs 3 3 0 0 89 15 

2 Newcastle Falcons 3 3 0 0 19 12 

3 BRISTOL BEARS 3 2 0 1 15 10 

4 Sale Sharks 3 2 0 1 15 10 

5 Harlequins 3 2 0 1 0 10 

6 Bath Rugby 3 1 0 2 -28 6 

7 London Irish 3 1 0 2 4 5 

8 Leicester Tigers 3 1 0 2 -12 5 

9 Gloucester Rugby 3 1 0 2 -17 5 

10 Wasps 3 1 0 2 -23 5 

11 Worcester Warriors 3 1 0 2 -32 4 

12 Northampton Saints 3 0 0 3 -30 2 


TODAY’S TEAMS 

SATURDAY, decEMBER 12TH 1PM KO 

Max Malins 

Alapati Leiua 

Piers O’Conor 

Siale Piutau (c) 

Henry Purdy 

Callum Sheedy 

Harry Randall 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

Kotaro Matsushima 

Damian Penaud 

Apisai Naqalevu 

George Moala 

Alivereti Raka 

Camille Lopez (c) 

Morgan Parra 

Jake Woolmore 

Bryan Byrne 

John Afoa 

Ed Holmes 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Etienne Falgoux 

Adrien Pélissié 

Rabah Slimani 

Sitaleki Timani 

C 

M 

Y 

Joe Joyce 

5 Sébastien Vahaamahina 

38 

CM 

Ben Earl 6 

6 Judicaël Cancoriet 

MY 

Dan Thomas 7 

7 Peceli Yato 

39 

CY 

Nathan Hughes 8 

8 Fritz Lee 

CMY 

Will Capon 

Yann Thomas 

Kyle Sinckler 

Dave Attwood 

Jake Heenan 

Andy Uren 

Ioan Lloyd 

Siva Naulago 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

Etienne Fourcade 

Peni Ravai 

Sipili Falatea 

Paul Jedrasiak 

Tavite Veredamu 

Sébastien Bézy 

Cheik Tiberghien 

tani Vili 

K 

MATCH OFFICIALS 

Referee Andrew Brace (Ireland) 

Assistant Referees Craig Maxwell-Keys (England) & Paul Dix (England) 

TMO Trevor Fisher (England) 


TRY. CONVERT 

40

Matchday programme: Bristol Bears vs ASM Clermont Auvergne

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