Bristol face a 3-2-1 countdown in the coming Premiership rounds but the promoted club will have to improve on last Sunday’s showing against Northampton at Ashton Gate if they are to achieve lift-off.
Bristol secured a bonus point in a narrow defeat by Harlequins at Twickenham on the opening weekend of the season but they were punted, scrummaged and mauled into submission by the Saints. It will not get any easier for the Championship champions in the next three rounds. Sunday’s visit to Wasps, who finished third last season, is followed by home matches against Exeter, runners-up in the Premiership final, and the league and European champions, Saracens.
Andy Robinson, Bristol’s director of rugby, says: “We played well for 40 minutes in the first match and 40 against Northampton but we have yet to deliver an 80-minute performance in the Premiership.” Robinson has made seven changes for the visit to Wasps, with three players making their competitive debuts for the club. “Sunday is an important opportunity for guys who have been waiting for their chance this season to show what they can do.”
Bristol are among the Premiership’s wealthiest clubs but they started the campaign without a marquee player because it was only in June that they knew they would be in the top flight. Last week, though, they signed the Hurricanes’ full-back Jason Woodward, who will arrive from the Super Rugby franchise at the beginning of November on a two-year deal.
The 26-year old also plays on the wing, starting there in the 20-3 victory over the Lions in last month’s 2016 Super Rugby final. He studied at Hartpury College near Gloucester and is qualified to play for England. “We first looked to bring him over two years ago when he was at the Rebels but he went to the Hurricanes,” says Robinson. “He is a player of quality who finished the Super Rugby season strongly. He can play in two positions, he is really talented and he is qualified to play for England. He ticks all the boxes and it is great that he wants to join us. As a big lad who is strong in the air, he will suit the conditions here and the way the game is played in the Premiership.”
Woodward played at full-back for the Rebels against the Lions in 2013. The side was captained that day by the former Bath and Wales No8 Gareth Delve, who told Bristol not to waste any time in signing him. He will be part of a back division that includes the experienced internationals Gavin Henson and David Lemi, who both miss the trip to Wasps through injury, Tom Varndell and Tusi Pisi.
“Winning the Super Rugby title was a fitting way to sign off with the Hurricanes and I am excited about testing myself in the top flight of England,” says Woodward. “I felt it was the right time to experience playing in a new environment and Bristol is the right fit for me, a great club with a big supporter base in a city that is passionate about rugby.”
Woodward’s first match is likely to be at Bath in the West Country derby on 18 November. If anything Bristol pick up in the next three weeks will be regarded as a bonus, it will be different on 8 October when they travel to Newcastle who, along with Worcester, look like being involved in the relegation scrap.
