Last season commenced with high expectations in some quarters.  This was due to the excellent final league position of 3^rd in the'06/'07 season.  Some warned that the pattern for sides over performing in one season was to struggle in the following, but these Cassandras were in a minority.  Sadly the pessimists were proved correct when Bristol were defeated in opening game to Leicester and lost 57% of the first 14 games; a marked contrast to the previous season when just 7% of the equivalent number were lost.  Admittedly some of these defeats were narrow, I think particularly of the Wasps matches, but previously these would have been turned into victories.

Predictably, Bristol failed to make it out of the group stage of the Heineken Cup, but he performance at home to Stade Francais was held by many to be a highlight of the season.  Personally I felt the losing performance in the return fixture in Paris was better.  However, the campaign took its toll with a number of significant injuries that had a marked effect on subsequent performances.  Specifically, I recall the abject performance against Worcester in January.  This was one of the worst displays by a Bristol side in my experience.  The lineout, a struggle all season, fell apart completely with Worcester, a side initially lacking confidence after failing to record a win, able to win ball at will.  Fortunately Bristol failed to plumb such depths again and were able to pull clear of the threat of relegation with the unfortunate Leeds unable to match the other sides in the league.  As an aside I felt that Newcastle were by far the worst team we played and I can only hope that they continue in this vein in the next.

The conclusion of the season was overshadowed by rumours about our playing location next season with the plans to redevelop the Memorial Ground into a new, but lumpenly uninspired, stadium.  Finally it was revealed, to some surprise, that Newport was the final decision.  After the initial disbelief that we would be playing in a different country, the effective reduction in ticket prices and the realisation that we would be playing at a proper rugby ground seemed to win over the majority of supporters.  So, oddly, the news that the redevelopment was to be ‘delayed' came as something of a disappointment.  As some will recall I have long been sceptical about the financial basis of the redevelopment plan and the so-called credit-crunch only served to exacerbate the problems.

Unfortunately, the plans of the club were supposedly predicated on reduced income from playing in Newport.  Consequently player recruitment involved those from lower levels of rugby, with the notable exception of Adrian Jarvis.  This is difficult to square with the approach to Barkley with a £230,000 a year contract, but never mind.  Our rivals have all strengthened their squads markedly with many making high profile signings despite the financial muscle of many French clubs.  We can only hope that the new recruits have the impact that our other League 1 captures have had.  The coming season also has the additional challenge of the introduction of the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs).  The variations used are the ones relating to corner flags, taking the ball into your own 22, pulling down the maul and the offside lines at the scrum but penalty kicks for the majority of offences will remain as before.  I think the one concerned with taking the ball into the 22 metre area is a positive development, but remain to be convinced about the rest.  Pulling down the maul could prove a good way of opening up the game, as does the 5 metre offside line at the scrum.  I am far less positive about the lineout.  I fear it will lead to even more forwards cluttering up the field.  Personally I feel that a stricter application of some of the existing laws would open up the game.  In particular the idea that the ball should actually be put in straight at the scrum, rather than to the feet of the Number 8!  This would ensure that the scrum became a proper contest for the ball and make sure that forwards had to be fully commited at the scrum rather than having the backrow barely in contact.  While we're at it, keeping both feet behind the touch line when throwing in to the lineout would serve to keep some players honest (how the Leicester hooker managed to get away with both feet at least a metre in play is beyond me).

In any event, I predict the coming season will prove a struggle for Bristol unless we can get off to a good start.  With the upstarts of B**h as our first opponents with a revitalised backline, I fear this is unlikely but hope we can pull through.  Perhaps our main hope is that the Heineken Cup will have a disruptive influence on some of our rivals and that Newcastle  perform as poorly as last season.

See you at the Mem!

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