'Bears don't lose to Bath', perfect 10s & shootout drama

Standing successful nan early-evening sunshine astatine Ashton Gate, arsenic nan Bristol fans revelled successful a first play-off decorativeness successful 4 years, head of rugby Pat Lam was successful defiant mood.

After allowing himself a fistful of seconds to dwell connected nan 52-26 triumph complete Harlequins that secured nan Bears' play-off place, Lam's attentions swiftly turned to Friday nighttime and nan semi-final showdown pinch section rivals Bath astatine The Rec.

"Bath person only mislaid 4 games this twelvemonth - who person they mislaid to?" he rhetorically asked BBC Radio 5 Live, knowing afloat good his broadside person done nan double complete nan runaway convention leaders.

"So we cognize really to do it, and that's what we'll do. We cognize really to hit them. We person done it successful truthful galore different ways - rain, barren weather, home, away.

"When we came backmost up [into nan Premiership successful 2018], nan supporters made it really clear we don't suffer to Bath, and we person won 11 retired of 14 since.

"We cognize really to do it and it's astir getting it each correct connected Friday."

Owner Steve Lansdown's money has helped to tempt a big of superstars to Ashton Gate since their promotion successful 2018, but Lam insists Bristol are nary longer among nan league's large spenders, arsenic nan nine trim its cloth during and aft Covid.

"As acold arsenic walk goes, we walk eighth [out of nan 10 Premiership teams]," Lam explained.

"Ourselves and Bath are nan only 2 teams to beryllium successful nan apical 4 each season, yet Bath person spent astir £3m much connected their squad than we have.

"It reminds maine of Connacht erstwhile we won nan Pro12. So to get to this shape I americium truthful pleased and proud of nan players.

"Bath successful six days' clip - I conscionable person to do nan gameplan, I don't person to do immoderate information aliases talking. The section boys - Ellis Genge, Yann Thomas - they will return control."

Premiership Rugby sources opportunity Lam's figures are a small exaggerated, pinch nan spread alternatively little than £2m. Either way, nan communicative has been set.

Bring it on.

In nan end, nan apical 4 ended nan last time of nan regular play arsenic it started, pinch Leicester, Sale and Bristol each doing capable to book their play-off places and subordinate Bath successful nan semi-finals.

But while Leicester, who beat Newcastle 42-20, and Bristol enjoyed regular location wins, Sale had to excavation deep against an Exeter broadside hopeless to rally aft a forgettable campaign.

Bath stay nan bookies prime for nan title, understandably truthful fixed their excellence each run and nan extent of their squad. But Leicester are constrictive favourites to subordinate them successful nan Twickenham showpiece, acknowledgment to nan location advantage they will bask against nan Sharks astatine an emotionally-charged Welford Road connected Saturday.

However, Sale's George Ford, who continued his ultimate individual form, was unperturbed pursuing nan tricky 30-26 triumph astatine Sandy Park.

"We knew they were overmuch improved nan past fewer weeks, and we were anticipating a crippled for illustration that," he told BBC 5 Live.

"It was for illustration a quarter-final for us, and finals rugby is ne'er easy anyway. There are parts of our crippled we will request to hole up for adjacent week, and we will do that."

While Bath against Bristol is arsenic tantalising a Premiership semi-final arsenic you could get, Leicester against Sale isn't acold behind.

Premiership Rugby revealed successful nan week that fly-halves are again nan league's highest-paid position, pinch nan playmakers earning an mean of much than £230,000 a season.

It's not difficult to spot why. On show complete semi-final play will beryllium 3 of nan world's best: Finn Russell for Bath, Handre Pollard for Leicester and Ford for Sale - who are each successful awesome shape - while Bristol's AJ MacGinty is besides a people enactment and won nan man-of-the-match grant against Harlequins.

On a caller Rugby Union Weekly podcast we discussed nan question: if you could prime immoderate of those fly-halves successful your broadside to triumph a Premiership final, who would you choose? All 3 co-hosts picked personification different.

Whichever nine ends up winning nan Premiership title connected 14 June is apt to beryllium a fewer much quid to nan large earners.

Arguably nan biggest communicative of nan play didn't return spot successful Britain aliases Ireland but successful Durban, South Africa, arsenic nan Sharks reached nan past 4 of nan United Rugby Championship by beating Munster 6-4 successful a punishment shootout pursuing a 24-24 draw.

Munster emptied nan vessel connected a daunting distant fixture, arsenic they ever look to do erstwhile nan stakes are high, but were edged retired aft nan Sharks superbly converted each six of their place-kicks.

But nan shootout was riddled pinch contention arsenic first Jack Crowley exchanged words pinch Jaden Hendrikse aft nan second opened nan scoring, earlier Hendrikse went down pinch cramp conscionable aft nailing his 2nd footwear to put nan Sharks 4-2 up.

The conveniently-timed wounded meant Crowley initially could not return his 2nd changeable astatine goal, contempt nan Irishman telling referee Mike Adamson he was prepared to footwear pinch nan prone Hendrikse a matter of metres away.

Whether Hendrikse was genuinely injured aliases not was fiercely debated post-match, but his wink towards Crowley - rugby's astir notable since Bloodgate - intends he will not get nan use of nan uncertainty successful galore quarters.

The Sharks will recreation to chap South African broadside Bulls successful nan past four, while Leinster big Glasgow successful a repetition of their Champions Cup quarter-final successful April, which Leinster won 52-0.

But pinch Leo Cullen's broadside still looking winded by their daze conclusion by Northampton successful nan aforesaid competition, and Glasgow bolstered by immoderate returning Lions, a akin scoreline is highly unlikely.

The stellar careers of Ben Youngs, Mike Brown and Dan Cole each rumble connected for different week astatine least, but it was goodbye to different awesome of nan English crippled this play arsenic Alex Goode near nan stage aft his 402nd and last quality for Saracens.

As discussed past week, seldom successful nan past has specified a high-calibre group of players each retired together, pinch Danny Care, Anthony Watson and Joe Marler besides calling it a time this season.

And it's not conscionable successful England. Munster's conclusion intends 2 totems of Irish rugby, Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony, person now retired, pinch some going down swinging successful Durban. Few men person ever fixed much to nan origin successful reddish aliases green.