By Andy Miller
March 21 2005

As the chorus of “Bread of Heaven” wafted out from the Brickfields club bar TV into the warm, err winter(?), evening I surveyed the scene before me. As the chorus of “Bread of Heaven” wafted out from the Brickfields club bar TV into the warm, err winter(?), evening I surveyed the scene before me. Huddles of Plymouth supporters conspiratorially asking each other why their Chairman of Rugby had decided to select himself for this game and bigger gaggles of Bris fans beaming all over their face. Like me they were probably still letting the momentous events of the afternoon sink in. No nothing to do with grand slams occurring in foreign lands but an attempt to digest one of the best displays of forward and back play in a Bristol shirt for many a year.

I know that sounds like quite a sweeping, if not grandiose, statement but trust me…it really was that good. From the moment the Bris Team trotted out onto the pitch one could sense that this time things were going to be different. Then it happened, a whirlwind of passing; committed, passionate, but controlled, rugby that frankly knocked the Plymouth pack to the ground. Even their influential, but absent, captain Dan Ward-Smith would have been unable to stop this onslaught and merely waved a few Canute-like gestures in the face of his protagonists before being blown, like his colleagues, into the Home Team dressing room by half time. The match all but gone wondering why the tide of the game had swamped him already.

After 5 minutes, and a turned over Plymouth line-out, Marsden skipped merrily into the corner to start the band-wagon rolling and create a new Bristol try scoring record to boot. My fellow supporter and I looked at each other and said ”…well I guess that’s a fairly good start”. Unfortunately this was quickly tempered by a Plymouth try after Bristol had camped in the opposition 22 and somehow referee Rowe allowed Pritchard to pick a ball from the base of a ruck and run the length of the pitch. Admittedly, I was a fair way away from the action but it looked like a pretty solid ruck to me as Hentie Martens considered his options. Any road up…. The feelings of “here we go again” came flooding back like a warm incontinent trickle down one’s leg. Thankfully, the past is another country therefore the Bris response was to start playing like All Blacks. Another catch and drive and the much-vaulted 8-15 man (choose a number) scrum and maul of Plymouth was pushed over the line for Captain Fantastic Salter to claim the points.

About this time Manu Contepomi received his second consecutive “Welcome to Div One rugby” i.e. what seems to be a growing accepted tradition of garrotting new (esp. foreign) players in front of the ref. who then waves play on whilst gently laying a calling card at his prostrate body! I’m sure that referee Rowe, who all in all, I thought, had a good game, later awarded Plymouth a penalty for the same offence. No conspiracy theory here but a bit of consistency would be nice. Perhaps Tim Beddow could look that word up before next week’s title decider?

Bristol’s pack then showed why they are now probably the best in the Division. Bodies were laid on the line; tackles crunched; gain lines re-gained and, the piece de resistance, unstoppable rolling mauls that the Plymouth pack had no response to; other than proving that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery by trying to ruck and maul the ball out of their own 22. Unfortunately for them, they came unstuck, the ball was whisked out wide and Bernie went over to bring us up to half time. Off to the excellent real ale bar(s) that Albion had kindly arranged, via one of the local breweries, only to find that both of them had sold out of the stuff. “You buggers can’t half drink in Bristol” being the customer service focussed explanation for this inability for a brewery to arrange anticipated p*ss-up!

At this point most Bris fans are saying ”…OK, right, so we’ve just played the best 40+ mins of rugby in many a year and all we’ve got to do is do it again and we’ll be top of the league again.”
And blow me down if that’s not exactly what happened. Forwards drive it up the park; ball goes wide and Marsden goes over for try no 4 and the bonus point! Much rustling of paper from the stands as Bris fans furiously look at their scripts and can’t see where anyone told them this was going to happen.
This was now freshly baked Bread of Heaven and enough manna for the huge Bristle (the collective noun for Bris supporters?) contingent to be well sated. Basking and baying, like a colony of seals sunning themselves on Plymouth Hoe; they upped the volume a few notches to drown the last words of encouragement that the Ply fans had for Bristol! And thankfully, those awful air horns that should be banned from all rugby clubs and the loud and proud sound of BRISSSSTOL rang, like the Cwm Rhondda, around the homely stadium of Brickfields. Incidentally, what a difference a little organisation makes to the sound generated if we all stand in the same place guys and gals? Ps If any Plymouth officers are considering removing air horns etc from their stadium (if you have a good crowd surely you don’t need artificial support ?) please would you either disconnect the tinny tannoy system outside the far terrace or get the frustrated DJ who has his finger on the music button to lay off pressing it the moment a try is scored or a conversion/penalty is in mid-air. It‘s not clever and it’s not funny! At least we have serious public service announcements at the Mem eg advising people if they hear the following noise (i.e. an air raid siren) then they must seek shelter in the nearest beer cellar for the good of their health and safety or telling the prawn cocktail brigade to take their beers and vol au vents inside the safety of their hut should the sight of green fields turn them into football hooligans and start throwing bottles around!

So the game was played to its rather wonderful denouement. Plymouth giving it a serious go in the middle section of the second half but Bris were in no mood to let the result slip and after Bernie “the Bolt” Stortoni raced over to effectively seal the match Plymouth, to their credit, threw the kitchen sink at the away team and were rewarded with a Matt Carrington try to bring the result a little closer to respectability at 23-38. At this point I must confess to a chortle to my neighbour as Bristol, camped on the Plymouth 22 again, were vociferously asked by several fans standing behind us to “use it or lose it” what a very good maxim. Not only for rugby but for life!

At this juncture I stop to seek clarification whether Div. 1 clubs are considered sensible enough to be able to cite incidents/players during games. If not then they should be allowed to do so. If they can then I suggest that Bristol look at the footage of Graham Dawe’s attempts of opthalmetry on our Captain. The touch judge spotted it but obviously the ref. considered it a genuine attempt, on Mr Dawe’s part, to engage Matt Salter in a debate about the working of the cornea. He gave a penalty but obviously thought that this was recognition enough for Mr Dawe’s attempts to pursue another career without being assisted further by being sent from the field to continue it sooner rather than later. The only blot (or should that be blob!) on what was otherwise a fiercely but very fairly contested game of rugby.

And so after Mr Rowe’s spare watch turned up so he could check that he had added the best part of 9 mins of extra time he deigned to blow and thus started the very low but nonetheless very sweet swinging of a chariot that, whisper it very, very quietly. may be arriving for to carry Bris back home. Top of the table again and looking like a side more than capable of going up and staying in the Premiership. So whilst Bris’s result may have caused a few worried frowns over the Gin and Tonics at the Stoop and Franklin Gardens, or for that matter at Twickers, the chariot rolls on to the next “must win” next week.

As for the players I always think that it’s the sign of a great performance when one can’t single out a Man of the Match. This was a TEAM performance. The forwards giving their all and the backs interlinking with them whenever possible. No passes going to ground, and yet the courage and vision to be creative out wide. The Bristol way that Richard Hill looks to be instilling in his squad selection and style of play.
However as superb and downright excellent as everyone was wearing the Blue & White today surely it cannot be a coincidence that our upturn in fortunes and performance have coincided with the return of our inspirational Captain. Stand up and take a bow Matt Salter and accept the heartfelt thanks of several hundred Bris fans who are now, at least a little, able to reduce the number of ulcers caused by watching their beloved Bris play rugby. If I may (and as I’m writing this then I can) I would also like to give a special mention to Jim Brownrigg. A consistent colossus in the pack; the line out and around the fringes I have absolutely no doubt at all that without him we would not be in the position we are today

Believe me, however, providing there is no complacency amongst the squad (and I can’t believe there will) and we show the same commitment; focus and passion as today, until the rest of the season, I cannot see anyone taking wheels off this chariot. Feed me ‘till I want no more, Bris!