A long way, still, from a first English title maybe, but Bristol stared down their darkest demons in the sunshine at Ashton Gate. No, no, not again, all but the most phlegmatic of a raucous crowd must have been thinking, as Harlequins threatened to overturn Bristol’s early lead in all-too-familiar style, midway through the second half.
Memories of that extraordinary semi-final here four years ago were at the forefront of everyone’s minds, including, surely, those in blue out there on the greensward, lungs burning, minds twisting. Had they succumbed, the entire Pat Lam project might just have gone up in smoke, so yawning the flaws would have seemed.
As it is, players, coaches and staff held their nerve. Only five points ahead with more than 25 minutes remaining, having been 19 ahead midway through the first half, Bristol finished strongly to claim the fourth playoff spot – and with it a tie at deeply beloved rivals Bath on Friday night. They can move on to that now with confidence and little to lose.
“I don’t have to do anything [to motivate them],” said Lam. “The local boys take over and sort it out. We’ve played Bath 14 times since we’ve been back in the Premiership and won 11. We know how to beat them. But they’ve spent close to £3m more than we have on our squad.”
The pressure is off Bristol now, their recent slump with the line in sight averted. But it had been very much on here with the hour approaching. The response this time was decisive.
The telling moment was a searching touch-finder from AJ MacGinty, the man-of-the-match and such a vital hand on the tiller for this wild, free-flowing team. His 50-22 just shy of the hour set up the attack from which Bristol replied to Quins’ questions in a way that proved beyond them in 2021. When Santiago Grondona drove over at the second attempt, for Bristol’s sixth try of the day, the visitors, albeit this time playing without the prize on offer the year they went on to win the title, fell away.
Gabriel Ibitoye, once of Quins himself, scored his second a few minutes later, his 13th try of the season, before Benhard Janse van Rensburg crashed over with 10 minutes remaining. In a match that was a microcosm of their season – so rich in tries and flair for the first half, before dwindling alarmingly in the second – Bristol had righted themselves to deny Gloucester and Saracens, who both registered bonus-point wins behind them.
When Bristol scored their fourth try in the 24th minute, they had their 16th try bonus point of the season, a new record. It is worth thinking about that for a moment. They have scored four tries or more in every match bar two.
At times, they have practically defied belief with the outrageousness of their rugby. That 24-54 win at Welford Road just before Christmas springs to mind. Had they not made the playoffs after that, where would they have gone?
Leicester secured a home semi-final with a 42-20 victory over bottom-placed Newcastle at Welford Road. The Tigers were always expected to secure second spot against opponents with just two league victories all season and ran in six tries to book a date with third-placed Sale next Saturday.
The Falcons opened the scoring in the 17th minute through a Brett Connon penalty from in front of the posts but Leicester’s response was swift as they took the lead two minutes later when good hands from Joseph Woodward and Freddie Steward led to the back-rower Hanro Liebenberg stepping inside to score, with Handre Pollard converting. Further tries followed for Josh Bassett, Solomone Kata, Joe Heyes, Matt Rogerson and Ollie Hassell-Collins. Connon landed a second penalty and two conversions after late Falcons tries for Ollie Leatherbarrow and Sammy Arnold.
Michael Cheika, the Leicester head coach, said: "I'm really pleased for the fans, that they get another opportunity to see the team this year, and for the players to have a chance to play in front of their people and their families here next weekend. Obviously, it's a semi-final of the Premiership, it'll be a tough battle and that'll be good."
Sale booked their place in the playoffs after they were pushed all the way by second-bottom Exeter in an enthralling 30-26 contest at Sandy Park.
There seemed little doubt over the Sharks’ destiny at half-time – when they led 20-5 - but Chiefs got within four points with just over two minutes left. However, the visitors hung on.
Saracens overcame a heavily weakened Bath but their limp 36-26 victory was not enough to secure a place in the playoffs. Bath had already booked a home semi-final on Friday, enabling them to pick an entirely new matchday 23 to the one that defeated Lyon in the Challenge Cup final last weekend, and they were duly dispatched. But victories for Sale and Bristol meant a top-four finish was out of Saracens’ reach and they finished a disappointing campaign in sixth.
Bath's head coach, Johann van Graan, said: "Bristol are a good side … We played them a few weeks ago in the Principality so I think the beauty of a semi-final is, it doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter what happened before, it's a new venue, new ball, new referee, two totally different teams and it's the knockouts. It's what we've worked the whole season for and we can't wait." PA Media
And again here. As expected, they raced into that early lead. Not quite the 28-0 lead after half an hour they held in 2021, but 26-7 up, bonus point in the bag, within 25 minutes is going some. They thought they had a fifth within the half-hour, only for it to be chalked off for a marginal forward pass.
They were two tries up within only five minutes. Bristol’s lethal wings Ibitoye and Kalaveti Ravouvou combined down the left, paving the way for George Kloska to drive over after barely a minute. Joe Batley followed up a few minutes later in similar style, through a thicket of Quins defenders.
The visitors are another team far more comfortable in attack than defence. The electric Cadan Murley scored the first of his two first-half tries, but tries by Ravouvou and Viliame Mata, Fijians more than comfortable with Bristol’s style, maintained the hosts’ dominance for the time being, despite a wonder try by Murley from his own 22. When Ibitoye finished a counterattack from Bristol’s 22 five minutes into the second half, all seemed set fair at 31-12.
But then came Quins, without a care in the world. Jamie Benson, confident and clever in Marcus Smith’s boots, had set up Murley’s first, and his break sent Alex Dombrandt away to the line. Three minutes later, with the replacement hooker Nathan Jibulu running amok, Quins scored again through George Hammond. Ashton Gate practically gasped.
“When you’ve coached the Bears for eight years, you find yourself in this situation a lot,” said Lam. “The big one is not to panic. No doubt we’re underdogs in everyone’s eyes. We’ll just go to Bath and see what happens.”
The answer to that is pretty much anything.
