Off once again to a league match at the Rec. On my train to Reading were several London Irish supporters, their consensus opinion appeared to be a surprising degree of nervousness about their game which, if Leeds failed to win would ensure Bristol’s safety before we had even kicked off. I, of course, have been to the Rec too many times to have any degree of confidence whatsoever despite B**h’s league position and any distractions provided by their upcoming Heineken Cup activities. On arriving at the ground text, e-mail and eventually an announcement informed me that Leeds had lost with two bonus points so that we were safe. This meant, though, that B**h and Newcastle remained at risk.

As the game got under way it looked like Bristol were really sharp with Sam Cox latching on to a wayward Bath tap (!) from the kick-off, but eventual recipient Shaun Perry was forced into touch by the B**h defenders. This proved a false dawn as B**h controlled possession thereafter with excellent lines of running, use of space, offloading in the tackle and Olly Barkley giving a fine performance at fly-half with both hand and extremely strong boot. B**h dominated possession throughout the half, and, as is normally the case, the defending side gave away penalties.

After six minutes Bristol presented the first kickable chance as a player failed to roll away at the breakdown and Barkley slotted the kick home with Malone-esque aplomb. Just a few minutes later Mark Regan was tempted offside at the ruck and Barkley kicked the resulting penalty from virtually the half-way line to make it 6 – 0 to B**h.

The Bristol defence was looking poorly organised in the face of determined B**h attacks and, after the restart, yet another penalty was conceded on the ground. Sadly this breakdown was also marked by a serious injury to Nathan Budgett who was eventually stretchered off in a neck support and taking oxygen, although he was conscious. When the penalty was finally taken Barkley was well wide of the posts. It seemed likely that Bristol would be disrupted by the long delay, particularly as they had not engaged in any organised warming or team activities during the injury break. Instead, it was B**h’s turn to be penalised, this time for failing to stay on their feet at a ruck. Jason Strange was as reliable as always making the score 6 – 3. Perhaps Bristol could stay with B**h? It certainly looked that way when David Lemi was on the end of an excellent move, but not only was the ball not touched down properly but the referee judged there to have been a very marginal forward pass earlier in the move. Scrum to B**h, who now returned to their attacking dominance. From a stolen lineout Barkley made a lovely cross kick to the left corner.

At this point I couldn’t see what happened due to the appalling sight lines in the Helphire stand. Even whilst everyone sits down the far corner is invisible, and as soon as someone stands it is impossible to see anything. Given the cost of seats, it really is not adequate for a Premiership ground. Fortunately, I was able to review the TV coverage and as I had guessed from the crowd reaction the kick was gathered by Andy Beattie who made his way across the line with the Bristol defence badly aligned. It was now 11 – 3.

It was now that the continued domination of possession by B**h started to really make itself felt. The replacement for Budgett, Roy Winters, was sin-binned at the ruck for preventing the ball going back on the B**h side. Barkley duly went for the posts and extended the lead to 14-6. From the restart, however, B**h scrum-half Nick Walsh was penalised for holding on after some pretty indecisive play and Strange cancelled out the score to make it 14 – 6. Then, near the touchline, Lemi came agonisingly close to grasping an interception from which he would surely have scored. However, possession was back with B**h, who made it tell once again after a strong run by former Bristol player Andrew Higgins (still wasted on the wing by B**h) with another Barkley penalty for offside taking the score to 17 – 6 with just over half an hour played.

Bristol ’s efforts to gain some possession, or at least halt the flow B**h’s way, then incurred the referee’s ire and Darren Crompton was rather harshly followed Winters to the sin bin. With Bristol down to 13 men B**h would now surely pull away.

Indeed they did, with Joe Maddock spinning out of a last-ditch tackle as the depleted Bristol defence was overwhelmed and scoring by the posts. Barkley converted to bring the score to 24 -6. Although Winters returned to bolster Bristol, it was now time for the try of the match.

B**h scored a length-of-the-field stunner. Maddock started the move just a few metres from the B**h try line and was on hand to collect a beautifully weighted chip from Barkley, before Salesi Finau finally sent over Zak Feau'nati as the 14 man Bristol defence was utterly dislocated. The conversion made it 31 -6 as the half ended. It looked as if another of those uncomfortable afternoons against B**h loomed. You know the ones: where they beat us soundly and their supporters take a gleeful pleasure in our supposed deficiencies rather than anything their own team is doing? The sort of afternoon we endured too many times (in recent years) for comfort and lead many Bristol supporters to brand those of B**h as arrogant.

It was not to be.

As the second half commenced Mariano Sambucetti had replaced Gareth Llewellyn and soon Crompton was permitted to return. B**h started the half by storming into the Bristol 22, but it was, astonishingly the last time they were to visit it. A move in the B**h backs fell into disarray, the ball was kicked on by Cox and Lemi was after it. He too kicked the ball and as it bounced over the try line by the posts he grasped it and thumped it into the turf. The referee asked for the TV official to rule on the grounding (probably because of the surprisingly restrained reaction from Lemi). The wait was brief, the try stood and Strange swiftly converted to make it a palindromic score of 31 – 13.

It was apparently Bristol’s turn to dominate possession and the Bristol centres took the ball to B**h with Dan Ward-Smith also carrying the ball on with some typically powerful running. As in the first half territorial and possessional dominance lead to penalties with Strange kicking the points from a B**h infringement to make it 31 -16. Another penalty soon followed but it was about 40 metres out, at the distance where Strange starts to struggle, and the kick dropped well short of the posts. Surprisingly the penalties conceded by B**h did not lead to sin-binnings as had the Bristol indiscretions and this inconsistency is disappointing. Indeed, at one point the referee could be heard to tell Bristol that he would decide on awarding yellow cards, not when they told him. I don’t see why not, I’m sure Matt Salter would be scrupulously fair.

Bristol, though, continued to seek a way through some determined and well-organised defence. Unfortunately they lacked the cutting edge that B**h had so ably demonstrated in the first half. With just ten minutes to go Lee Robinson almost fashioned an opening for Lemi but the winger was forced into touch just short of the line. If only it had been the other way round, with the more powerful man taking the pass. At the ensuing line-out however Bristol drove the B**h defence back and Danny Grewcock now found it was his turn to make the yellow carded walk of shame. From the screen, although it was certainly a stamp rather than rucking, it seemed a severe decision. Probably his reputation, similar to Garath Archer’s, makes officials judge him harshly.

Bristol rightly chose to take the scrum and Bristol mauled the ball over the line amid a welter of bodies. Once again the TV official was called upon to adjudicate. Although a B**h player had clearly gotten under the Bristol player with the ball, there was more than a hint of the ball being forced down over the intervening limb, but the official unsurprisingly saw it otherwise and the chance had gone begging. Bristol maintained their control to the very end, and Danny Gray got a brief chance to impress and did well in the time he had, but Bristol were unable to translate pressure into points and the referee blew for time as another move broke down.

B**h won this due to an excellent first-half performance and ruthless scoring against a depleted Bristol side. Bristol in turn dominated possession and territory in the second half so much so that B**h were unable to add to their first half points and, frankly, never looked liked doing so after the first few minutes. Unfortunately Bristol lacked the cutting edge of their opponents and were never able to make the most of the good quality ball they generated. I am sure the news of Leeds defeat disrupted their mental approach in the first half, just as B**h’s seemed complacent in the second. However, Bristol ’s target for the season was league survival and we achieved that with games to spare. With another Premiership season to come (and the dregs of this) let us see how Bristol can build on survival and look to flourish.