By BrianC
September 15 2006

It seems like ages since we have had a proper home game. Whilst our first game this season at the London Double Header was technically classed as one, however it is painted, Twickenham just doesn’t feel like home.

This Saturday we return to the Madejski where we take on Bristol. At the start of this season, as with the last one, the bookmakers had Bristol as favourites for relegation. Their 11 - 41 demolition of Worcester at Sixways on the opening day of the season was enough to see them shake off this mantle. Last weekend they drew with Saracens 13 – 13. They currently sit third in the table with seven points.

Whilst we won both our games against them last season both were by very narrow margins. The equivalent fixture we won 24 - 22 and when we traveled to play them in March the score was 20 – 21.

Incidentally, this fixture is one which should give us a reasonable clue as to how like for like crowds will go this season compared to last. In 05/06 we played them at home on 24^th September. The gate then was 6,957, by some way our lowest Premiership gate of the season.

So what do we know about this Bristol team? As their results thus far testify they will be ready to put us to the test. Their forwards have impressed in both games, notably they pushed what looks like a strong Worcester pack all over the park. Like us they have only conceded two tries thus far. They appear to be difficult to score against.

Our start to the season has been mixed. A very rusty looking side scraped a victory over Quins at the LDH, although we did play better than that score reflected. Our defeat to Wasps at Adams Park last Friday, whilst not totally unexpected, does serve as something of a reality check to the heady days of last season. We are in the early stages of what will be a long, hard campaign.

One thing that strikes me is just how early in the season games start to take on great importance. This can be said of this match. A victory will see us in the top half of the table with confidence high. Should we lose we’ll find ourselves languishing in the lower part of the table with all that entails. Quite simply, this is a must win game.