This week we talk about the disappointing 9-26 defeat to Saracens in the opening game of the 2021/22 season. With just over 19,000 at the Gate, we were left feeling flat as the Bears failed to score a try for the first time in 58 games. We talk about the performances, tactics and new rules from Friday night and ask where did it go wrong. There's also our thoughts on Pat's new five-year deal and the presentation and Q&A session he held for supporters last week. We talk with Bears fan, Matt Pr...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 81
To kick off season three of the podcast we have the BBC's rugby correspondent, Chris Jones, who talks about the Bears, who he fancies for the top four, rule changes, new tournaments and there's even a bit of Strictly Come Dancing! We look ahead to the season opener against Saracens at the Gate with our friends from the Fezcast podcast. Hear our views on the starting XV and score predictions for Friday night. There's also our thoughts on the new home, away and European kits for Bristol Bears. Fin...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 3Ep. 80
In the final episode of BBTG's season two we take a look back at the 2020/21 season and pick out the memorable games, those magic moments off the pitch and give our thoughts on the players of the season. From those early games when we had a big 'unavailable' list through to the record-breaking home and away wins against Bath and finally the heartbreak of the semi-final defeat. Take a trip down memory lane with us for what has been a sensational year for Bristol Bears as we finished top of the le...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 79
In this week's show emotions are still a bit raw as we discuss the semi final defeat at home against Harlequins. How did we manage to let slip a 28 point lead on the brink of halftime and end up losing 36-43 after extra time. For the neutral (and Quins fans) possibly one of the greatest Premiership games of all time, but for Bears fans nothing but heartbreak being so close to our first Premiership final. We talk selection, tactics and game management as we review this epic game. There's also a p...
Jun 21, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 78
The regular season is over and we've finished top of the pile without playing a game this weekend. Our round 22 fixture against London Irish was cancelled and the four points received guaranteed a top finish for Pat and the boys. We discuss how the cancellation might affect preparations for next week, especially after witnessing the bruising encounter between Exeter and Sale at Sandy Park. Who will Pat pick and what type of threat do Quins offer. We discuss the semi-final matchup with our friend...
Jun 14, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Despite recording only our third win at Welford Road in the league, the 26-23 victory will be remembered as much for what happened on the sideline as the events on the pitch. In the show we give our reactions to the performance and Pat Lam's intervention in stoppage time as John Afoa eventually returned to the pitch as a replacement tight head and won the game for Bristol. Was Pat right? Was Steve Borthwick wrong? We also get the inside track on London Irish with Jerry Browne, Chair of the Londo...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 76
In this week's show we analyse Bristol's 22-12 defeat away at Sale Sharks. After a scoreless first half, Sale made the most of Semi Radradra's yellow card to score two crucial tries and close the gap to us in the table. Sale played well and defended ferociously to put us off our game, but did the lack of a plan B to deal with their rush defence ultimately cost us the game. We look forward to the next game away at Leicester Tigers in what has now become a crucial match if we are to finish top of ...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 75
In this week's show we are joined by Lewis from the Shark Tank podcast as we look ahead to the game at the AJ Bell Stadium. Will Pat send his strongest team or will we see some rotation as we head into the final three games of the regular season. After the narrow loss at home to Sale this year and the trouncing a weaker Bears team took end the end of last season, do we have a score to settle? Also in this edition we discuss the news that the top eight teams in the Premiership qualify for next se...
May 23, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 74
It was the moment we'd all been waiting for as Ashton Gate opened the turnstiles once more to fans after 435 days away. In what will go down as one of the most memorable games for many a year, Bristol Bears recorded a comfortable 39-7 win against Gloucester. The five-point win keeps Bristol top of the pile but, as well as the returning fans, this bizarre match will be remembered not so much for the five tries Bristol scored but the seven they didn't score! A combination of small handling errors ...
May 18, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 73
In this week's show discuss Bristol's record league win against our old foes at the Rec. Despite gifting Bath a 15 point lead in the opening 30 minutes, the Bears came strong to record another bonus-point win to stay eight points clear at the top of the table. We discuss the tactics, performances and that Kyle Sinckler interview. We also look ahead to the visit of Gloucester on Monday 17 May as we welcome fans back into Ashton Gate. We talk to Ed Price form the Cherry Jam Podcast to get the lowd...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 72
In this episode we talk about the prospects of a Bristol Bears win away at Bath. We get the inside track on our local rivals from our friends at Bath Bytes (Twitter account) and the Bath Rugby Plug (podcast) who give us their insight on how Bath have improved since the last time they played us - the 48-3 Bristol win back in January. We pick our likely starting XV and look at how important this fixture is as we enter the final five rounds of the league season. With confirmation that 3,000 fans wi...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 71
In this week's episode we review the 20-12 defeat at home against Exeter. Fair play to the Chiefs who got their tactics spot on to take a narrow win at Ashton Gate. We ask how much can we learn from this encounter and do the Bears have what it takes to beat Exeter in the playoffs. We talk team selection, tactics and player performances. We discuss the two-week break before the next game away at Bath. How will Pat Lam use the break to prepare the Bears for this local derby. And speculate on how m...
Apr 26, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 70
In this week's show we review the 34-17 win away at Newcastle Falcons. After a shaky first 20 minutes the Bears came roaring back scoring five tries and playing some of their best rugby for several weeks. It was another five-point haul to maintain our 12 point lead at the top of the table. We look forward to Friday's top-of-the-table clash with Exeter Chiefs with the help of Robert Kitson, chief rugby correspondent for The Guardian. He talks about the strengths of both teams as well as giving hi...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 69
In this week's show we take the opportunity of a game-free weekend to take a position-by-position review of the Bristol Bears squad and give our thoughts on where Pat needs to strengthen ahead of next season. We preview the next game away at Newcastle with some help from our friend at the Folk on Falcons podcast. How many changes will we see from the Bordeaux game and will Pat have even more players to choose from? There's also our thoughts on the 21/22 Season Card renewal prices and how much va...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 68
In this week's show we discuss the disappointing 36-17 defeat at the hands of Bordeaux and our exit from this season's Champions Cup. We came up against a good Bordeaux team for sure, but we ask - did we do ourselves justice in France? We also debate the performance of the referee and TMO. Some questionable decision making but was this the main reason for our downfall? We take a look at the tactics and player performances from the game to figure out what went wrong for the Bears. With a free wee...
Apr 05, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 67
It was another dramatic late finish for the Bears to score two tries in the final five minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A cracking game of rugby and we discuss the performances, tactics and other talking points from the 35-33 win at Ashton gate. A win that sees us extend our lead at the top of the table to 12 points. yes that's TWELVE points! We are also joined be Veronique from The French Rugby Connections Podcast for our preview of the Champions Cup game in Bordeaux. We get t...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 66
In this week's show we reflect on Bristol's late comeback to beat Northampton Saints 21-28 at the Gardens to pick up another five-point win. It didn't look like it was going to be our day but with two tries in the last six minutes Bristol keep top spot in the league with a healthy seven-point lead over Exeter. We discuss the game, the tactics and the individual performances that stood out for us. Later in the show we talk to Will and Michael Wood from 'A Harlequins Podcast' for their views on ne...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 65
In this week's show we talk about the 37-20 bonus-point win over Wasps at Ashton Gate. We finally get the win over Wasps that means Pat Lam's Bears have now beaten every team in the Premiership since winning promotion three season ago. As usual we talk about the player performances, tactics and some of the funny things that caught our eye. To preview our visit to Franklin's Gardens we are joined by Tom Vickers from the Northampton Chronicle & Echo to find out how Northampton Saints are perfo...
Mar 15, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 64
In this week's show we discuss the narrow 24-23 win at Sixways against Worcester Warriors. It was a man-of-the-match performance from Siva Naulago who scored a sizzling hat trick to really cement his place in the starting XV. We review the team selections, tactics, player performances and talk about some of the gamesmanship we witnessed from Worcester players. All said we finish round 12 of the season with a healthy six-point lead at the top of the table. Lookins ahead to the next game against b...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 63
In this week's show we talk about the hard-fought 17-3 victory over Leicester at Ashton Gate. Once again a far from convincing performance from Bristol, but they found a way to win. We review the team selections, tactics and player performances. We also give a big thumbs up to Max Lahiff who took on the summariser's role for BT Sport. Eighty minutes of pure Lahiff wit and humour. We also look forward to our next league game away at Worcester Warriors. With the lengthy list of players unavailable...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 62
In this week's show we try to make sense of the crazy 34-34 draw away at London Irish. Bristol up by 31-13 at the break and seemingly in control with a try-scoring bonus point in the bag. But a terrible second half and some tactical substitutions that appeared to backfire meant the Bears were lucky to end up with a draw. We discuss the players that shone in the game and those that had an off day. But with a squad starting to wear thin with injuries and international call ups, was this three poin...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 61
In this week's show we review the 18-17 Bristol victory away at Gloucester. We got the win in the end but it was a mis-firing performance by the Bears at Kingsholm not helped by gifting two interception tries. Was it the weather? Was it the absence of certain key players, or was it just one of those days? We look ahead to the next game away at London Irish at their new home - the Brentford Community Stadium. We interview the chair of the London Irish Supporters Club to find out about their seaso...
Feb 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 60
In this week's show we reflect on the 20-13 defeat at home to Sale Sharks. The team from 'up north' brought their A game to Ashton Gate and stifled our attack. We ask what can we learn from this loss and its impact on our season. There's a preview of our next game away at local rivals Gloucester. Not just another Premiership game, we are also looking to retain the Rifles Cup that's awarded to the winners of the league matches between Bristol and Gloucester. With our friends from Kingsholm having...
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 59
In this week's show we reflect on Bristol's biggest win against local rivals Bath in the 246th playing of this Westcountry derby. The boys discuss the many highs of this dominant performance and the players that stood out. There's plenty of talking points from this memorable game that Bristol fans will relish for years to come. We also look ahead to the forthcoming game against Sale Sharks at Ashton Gate. We talk to Lewis Hughes from the Shark Tank podcast to get the lowdown on our opponents, th...
Jan 31, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 58
In this week's edition we discuss the cancellation of the pool fixtures in the Champions Cup and ask what this may mean for the Bears future in the competition. We get the inside track from the Fezcast podcast on Tom Whiteley the Saracens scrum half who will join us for 2021/22 season. We also ask if Sarries fans are confident that Ben Earl and Max Malins will return at the end of their loan period. We talk about the squads for the Six Nations and congratulate Bristol's Sheedy, Earl, Malins and ...
Jan 24, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 57
In this episode we discuss Bristol's dominant performance to beat Exeter Chiefs 20-7 at Sandy Park. The win against the reigning English and European Champions sees Bristol Bears go four points clear at the top of the Gallagher Premiership. We talk double yellow cards, dodgy groundings and a certain comment picked up on the TV. All this plus the player performances on a memorable day for Bristol fans. We also look ahead to next week's scheduled game against Connacht at Ashton Gate. We once again...
Jan 10, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 56
In this week's show we reflect on the Bears' 29-17 win over Newcastle Falcons at Ashton Gate. With six front row players unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions it was a great result to win against the undefeated Falcons and bag a four-try bonus point. We also look ahead to the big westcountry derby next week against Exeter Falcons. With players returning from injury and mandated rest periods, Pat will have a growing list of talent to choose from for the trip to Sandy Park. We speak to a couple ...
Jan 03, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 55
In this week's show we review Bristol Bears 27-19 win away against Harlequins. Once again it needed a marked improvement in the second half to claim the five points and our first league win at The Stoop in nearly 20 years. We look forward to the home game against Newcastle on New Year’s Day with a little help from our friends at the Folk on Falcons podcast. How do Newcastle play, who to look out for and why they’ve made a good start to the season. We also talk about the 2,000 tickets we might ha...
Dec 27, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 54
In this show we talk about Bristol's 27-18 win away at Connacht in the Champions Cup. After a dull, error-strewn first 40 minutes the Bears stepped up a gear to bag a bonus-point win against Pat Lam's former employers. We discuss what this win means for our European campaign on a weekend where several games were forfeited by teams unable to play due to COVID-19 infections. We also look ahead to the Boxing Day fixture at The Stoop and talk to Quins fans about their form, the players to watch out ...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 53
In this week's show we take a look at the 38-51 home defeat against Clermont in the opening round of the Champions Cup. After a 12-year wait, Bristol Bears are once again playing in Europe's elite club competition. We talk about what went wrong at the Gate: were the Bears under par or were Clermont just too strong? In an interview with the people behind the Craggy Rugby Podcast we get an inside view on next week's cup opponents, Connacht. We get the lowdown on their form, the players to watch ou...
Dec 13, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 52
