Sam Warburton argued this month a high-risk approach did not work in professional rugby because defences were so good. The former Wales and Lions captain said that moving the ball in your own half rarely yielded any reward which is why there was so much kicking. Here Bristol proved him right and wrong, clumsy, clueless and careless for 39 minutes and unstoppable for the next 41 as they climbed to second in the table.
Aside from the depressing reality of what Warburton was saying about defence counting for more than attack, imagine Barcelona in Messi’s heyday dropping the Argentinian, while Xavi and Iniesta claim the long-ball game is more productive; Bristol are a team prepared to pass where others kick.
The tactic laid down by the Bristol head coach, Pat Lam, has helped them escape from the Championship and reach the Champions Cup and it may have seemed a good idea anyway against a side that had lost their last four home matches in all competitions while winning five in a row away in the Premiership. Quins’ defence has had a seasonal generosity but here, knowing what to expect, they were ready.
And so, with one minute of the first half remaining, Harlequins led 9-0, two of their three penalties coming when Bristol had been caught in possession in their own half, doubting their Thomases, Dan and Yann, who both turned attack into three points for Marcus Smith. The Bears may have had the ball, but Quins had the lead.
Bristol stuck at it, even when Semi Radradra, making his first appearance of the season, dropped a couple of passes and threw another forward. Quins let out jubilant howls every time they thwarted an attack, most notably when Will Evans foiled a blindside raid by Harry Randall and Callum Sheedy following a lineout.
Their persistence delivered with the final move of the opening period. Dan Thomas slipped a short pass to Steven Luatua after Radradra had stormed the gainline and moved outside his captain to receive the ball back and finish from 25 metres with the defence for once caught out.
Bristol should have scored after three minutes when Nathan Hughes had space to run into at the side of a ruck but he was slow into his stride and Evans and Alex Dombrandt, who led by example before being taken off after 55 minutes, held him up over the line. Otherwise the chances went to Quins, largely through their opportunism after turnovers.
Smith’s dink on halfway was caught by Ben Tapuai but what would have been a scoring pass for Ross Chisholm turned into an intercept for the lurking Siva Naulago and when Wilco Louw made it over the line, the referee, Matt Carley, declared he had been held up by Dan Thomas and Hughes, a decision the television match official, Wayne Barnes, upheld because there was no evidence of the ball being grounded despite the prop’s protestations.
A few words from Lam at the break made all the difference. Bristol still ran from their own half but also played for territory. Harlequins no longer had isolated ball-carriers to milk and found it far more testing to keep Bristol behind the gainline. If the home side’s defence had improved, their discipline had not and the eighth penalty they conceded cost them.
Harry Randall took it quickly 10 metres out and Luatua finished off before Randall scored himself after Hughes took Smith for a ride as the fly-half clung on after an attempted tackle. Smith had earlier equalised with his fourth penalty before Sheedy replied from 40 metres, but it was Quins who were now running from their own half and making mistakes after struggling to find a way through.
Bristol scented a bonus point and it arrived 14 minutes from time when Luatua’s slick pass freed the replacement wing Niyi Adeolokun who showed instant acceleration before stepping inside Mike Brown. Quins did score a try through Smith, but it came too late with the last move of the match and their one solace was the impact in defence and attack of the wing Louis Lynagh who was making his Premiership debut.
It was Bristol’s first league win here since 2001. “I told the players at half-time they had a choice of two doors,” said Lam. “The one on to the coach or the one back on to the field. We were woeful in the first half, too individual and the worst I have seen us. The mindset changed and it was a good lesson for us.”
