Pat Lam believes Sunday’s derby showdown with Bath Rugby will be ‘a little taste of Test match’ rugby as two of the form sides in the country go head-to-head with a lot at stake.
Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby have both won their last three Gallagher Premiership games on the bounce to put them well in the mix for the play-offs at the midway point of the season.
The Bears travel to The Rec having thrashed Bath 43-16 at Ashton Gate in the opening game of the league season, but Lam is expecting a considerably tougher test this weekend.
He said: “I am expecting a great game down there, a full house. I think the weather could be good so we can have a go. I think the crowd will be fantastic.
“We are obviously only one point ahead of them so in the table whoever wins gets ahead - there is a lot to play for.
“These are the sort of games you want to be playing in. Both teams have put themselves in this position by the hard work they have done this year.
“We love all these West Country games, it is the last game of the round, live on tv.
It is a little taste of Test rugby."
Lam explained why this match is going tog be a sterner test than the seven try demolition in October. He said: “You look at the form of both teams and what is on the line, in Round One you are just starting the season, whereas now we are in the 12th round.
“With us in third in the table and them in fifth it is very close, we are at their home ground.
"When you think about Test matches you think about atmospheres and what’s on the line so that’s why it is like Test match rugby.”
History is certainly not on the Bears’ side. Lam’s squad went down 26-19 at Twickenham in The Clash in the away fixture last season and Bristol have not won at the Rec since November, 2006 when they edged it 19-12.
Lam said: “It is going to be a massive challenge because ultimately it hasn’t happened for 14 years, beating them there.
“We certainly haven’t done the double over them since 2006 which just underlines how tough it is and even more so because they are going really well on their home ground.
"It is five from six they have had there this season [losing to just Saracens in the Premiership], so they know how to win at home.
“We are under no illusion of how tough it is going to be.
“Having said that for us it is about getting our mental side right and our game right.”
Bath have been bolstered by the signings of Welsh international scrum half Rhys Webb and young England U20s star Cameron Redpath with both men available to play this weekend; but Lam says he is unperturbed by the Blue, Black and Whites selection.
The Bears director of rugby, whose entire vision for the club is ‘inspiring the community through rugby success’ said his side needs no extra motivation this weekend.
He added: “Derby games are about our supporters, that is what it is always about.
“For us it is another game of trying to achieve our goal of finishing in the top six however we all realise the importance of derbies to our community and both sets of supporters - that is why we put our bodies on the line, for our supporters.”
