Well that’s the league double over Gloucester added to the one over Bath and local bragging rights firmly secured for this term.
At the start of the season I think most fans would have been aiming for a top-six spot and an outside chance of the play-offs. But surely after the win at Gloucester and the defeat of Saracens we can start to aim a little higher.
The first 20 minutes at Kingsholm on Friday evening were sublime. Bristol cutting through the Gloucester defence at will and bagging three tries. Quite rightly fans and pundits alike have singled out the performance of Semi Radradra who was unplayable in the first half.
After a subdued debut against Saracens, Semi announced himself to the Premiership with a barnstorming performance. How much are we going to enjoy seeing him pull on a Bears’ shirt in the years ahead?
But while much of the media focus was on Radradra we also saw Kyle Sinckler, Ben Earl and Max Malins all make their first starts in a Bristol shirt.
All made a telling contribution to the game and for me highlighted how this squad has moved from aspiring challengers to genuine contenders. This is now a 23-man game and the power we can unleash from the bench is a joy to behold.
The scary thing about this Bristol Bears team is that I still don’t think it’s quite firing on all cylinders. While that first quarter of the match was close to perfection, we did let Gloucester back into the game by giving away too many silly penalties. Tighten this up and get the new boys fully embedded and I think we can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in Europe.
It is such a shame this local derby was played behind closed doors as it would have been wonderful to witness that win at Kingsholm. The four of us from the podcast had tickets in the Shed for the original fixture and were looking forward to renewing some old friendships.
Mind you, seeing the ground on the TV it looked like the Shed was boarded up. Perhaps the rickety old stand has finally been condemned! I know one thing for sure; we’d have been singing ‘Blackbird’ on the last train home to Temple Meads on Friday night.
Next up is Exeter on Tuesday and another Westcountry double to potentially add to the collection.
Tony Cox is co-host of Bears Beyond The Gate. A weekly Bristol Bears rugby podcast made by fans for fans. You can listen to and download the latest episode HERE
