Pat Lam's Bears take on London Irish at Ashton Gate
After a poor start to the season leaving Bears floundering towards the bottom of the table, Lam's men will be looking to show what they're made of versus the midtable London Irish. Bears should be feeling fairly confident about this one as they are unbeaten in their last three games versus Les Kiss' side.
Earlier in the season, Bristol managed a 33-45 win against the London based side with Heenan, Fricker, Bates, O'Conor and Thacker's tries being enough to see off that of Stokes, Willemse, Rogerson, Hepetema and Rowe. Last season saw a 34-34 draw in February 2021, however, the Ashton Gate side seeled a playoff place with a 7-36 away win in October 2020 with tries from Radradra, Earl, Thacker and Capon as well as a penalty conversion from Malins.
About Bristol Bears
Following a disappointing relegation to the Greene King Championship in the 2016/17 season, Bristol Rugby shone in the following campaign, securing their return to rugby's top division at the first time of asking.
Rebranded as the Bristol Bears and playing at a refurbished Ashton Gate Stadium, the side endured an up-and-down first season back in the top flight, finishing ninth before a fantastic 3rd place finish in the delayed 2019/20 season before succumbing to Wasps in the play offs semi final. The Bears pushed on impressively under the stewardship of head coach Pat Lam, however, winning their first-ever European Challenge Cup at the tail end of the 2019/20 season.
The club continued this impressive form last season, winning 17 out of 22 matches and achieved their highest ever finish by being top of the table at the end of the normal season. However, the Bears' season ended in disappointment as they lost to eventual champions Harlequins at Ashton Gate in the semi-finals. Despite a successful campaign, Pat Lam's side will be hoping to go a step further in the 2021/22 season.
Find a full fixture list and follow updates on the club's official website.