Bristol Bears book semi-final against Bath after hammering Harlequins

Just a regal afternoon from Bristol Bears, one in which a monster crowd at Ashton Gate positively revelled. After the game, we were led to believe via a song that cider would be downed in the biggest rugby city in Britain.
Bristol will play away against Bath on Friday in the play-off semi-finals and the Recreation Ground is nowhere remotely big enough to accommodate those who would want to go. Such is the rivalry and the intensity for rugby in the West Country that a 50,000 capacity may not be enough either.
We all know that Bristol have their daft moments, that occasionally their defence lets them down and here again on Saturday they did throw the odd speculative pass and made the odd error simply through their joyous tendencies to attack with every ball that comes back.

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Daily Mail​

43 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Sione Tuipulotu's Lions partner Bundee Aki voices frustration after midfield duo fail to 'connect'

Bundee Aki admits his British and Irish Lions partnership with Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu simply 'has to get better' if it's to survive the rigours of an Australian tour. The muscular duo failed to sparkle in last Friday's opening defeat to Argentina in Dublin, and it remains to be seen if head coach Andy Farrell will try the midfield combination again. Tuipulotu was operating out of position at outside centre and his performance suffered as a result. While there were encouraging signs for the Lions in attack, key passes did not stick on numerous occasions, and Farrell later lamented an error-strewn performance by his team in their first match of the campaign. Aki confessed that it was 'frustrating' he did not 'connect well' with his fellow centre. 'We all know how Sione is as a player, he's class' said New Zealand-born Ireland star Aki, who scored the Lions' opening try in the first half. 'The frustrating thing for me was I wasn't able to connect well with him. He's an unbelievable player and there's no excuse, we've got to get better as a partnership going forward.' Aki believes that individual combinations can only improve as the tour of Australia gathers pace. 'He (Tuipulotu) speaks out loud, which is what we need, him being himself and I just feed off him and he feeds off me,' said Aki. 'The more we grow as a partnership, the better it is for the group.' It's thought that Farrell might prefer to consider Tuipulotu and Aki as either-or options at 12, rather than as a double act. Tuipulotu and Aki regularly play as inside centres, while Huw Jones, Garry Ringrose and Elliot Daly are all more used to wearing the 13 jersey. Australia-born Tuipulotu has an established partnership with Jones for Glasgow Warriors and Scotland, while Aki and Ringrose know each other well from Irish sides. Aki said: 'Whoever it is, Garry, Huw, Elliot, as a unit we've got to make sure we gel together and get that cohesiveness fairly quick because we need to be better.' The Lions were greeted by supporters on their arrival at Perth Airport today, where England sensation Henry Pollock had the duty of carrying BIL the lion teddy as the squad's youngest player. But the squad touched down with a warning from two of Pollock's England team-mates ringing in their ears. Tom Curry and Fin Smith were both less than impressed after the defeat by Argentina, with Curry admitting the loss served as a major wake-up call. 'We need to take responsibility for our performances,' he said. 'We can't score points if we're giving the ball away easily. We must have tough conversations. Smith, one of 14 Lions debutants against the Pumas, said he was 'gutted' and 'pretty deflated'. 'There is a lot to get better at,' he said. 'The main thing is how quickly we can respond and stop feeling sorry for ourselves.' The Lions' first game Down Under is against the Western Force on Saturday.

BBC News

4 hours ago

• BBC News

Derbys on top against Glos as Morley takes six-fer

Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day one)Gloucestershire: Bancroft 58, Bracey 47; Morley 6-55, Thomson 2-20Derbyshire 116-2: Lloyd 35, Jewell 32, Came 29*; Bailey 1-9Glos (0 pts), Derbys (3 pts)Match scorecard Jack Morley claimed career-best figures of 6-55 as Derbyshire dominated the opening day of their County Championship match against Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, around the wicket from the Ashley Down Road End, the 23-year-old left-arm spinner sent down 18.2 overs, sparking a collapse that took the home side from 68 for no wicket to 187 all out after winning the Bancroft top-scored with 58, while James Bracey contributed 47, and there were two wickets each for Zak Chappell and Alex Thomson. By the close of a day in which six overs were lost to rain, Derbyshire had replied with 116-2, Harry Came unbeaten on play began, players, officials and staff from both clubs stood in line to observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect for Gloucestershire president and former fast bowler David 'Syd' Lawrence, who died at the age of 61 following a long battle with motor neurone 50 minutes play followed before rain forced an early lunch, taken at 12:30 BST. By the break, Gloucestershire openers Bancroft and Joe Phillips, the latter making his first appearance of the season, had put 35 runs on the board in 12.2 resumed at 13:25 and there was little sign of the carnage ahead as Bancroft and Phillips extended their partnership comfortably before Phillips, on 27, drove Morley in the air to mid-on where Ben Aitchison took a good tumbling was 82-2 when Ollie Price was bowled on the back foot by a delivery from Morley that hurried through, and 86-3 when Miles Hammond advanced down the pitch to the same bowler only to miscue a catch to Aitchison at went to a solid 114-ball half-century, with eight fours, but fell with the total on 102, caught behind trying to pull a short ball from plight worsened when Graeme van Buuren went lbw to Thomson and Ben Charlesworth followed for a duck, caught at second slip attempting to drive 114-6, Gloucestershire's innings looked in tatters. But Bracey and Zaman Akhter stopped the rot with a seventh-wicket stand that was worth 37 by tea, Akhter playing positively before the break, reverse sweeping Thomson for four and off-driving another boundary in the same England Lions all-rounder continued in the same vein after the interval, timing a sweet straight four off the opening delivery of the session, sent down by Chappell, and quickly following up with a boundary through the had begun his innings with two edged fours wide of second slip off Chappell. But under clearing skies and early evening sunshine, he also found his touch as the stand reached 64 before Akhter was bowled by Morley for Test off-spinner Todd Murphy, making his Gloucestershire debut, could score only one before being caught at deep square pulling a ball from Chappell, Aitchison pouching a fourth catch. Ajeet Singh Dale was bowled by a ball from Morley that straightened, and when Bracey, having run out of partners, holed out to long-on, Gloucestershire had lost all ten wickets for 119 runs in the space of 36 were left with 28 overs to face before stumps. Openers David Lloyd and Caleb Jewell took the score to 49 in the 11th over before Jewell, who had just pulled a six off Akhter, fell to the same bowler, edging a back-foot shot to second slip and departing for 32 off 39 brought on as early as the eighth over, was unable to pose the problems caused by Morley from the same end, but 19-year-old seamer Archie Bailey struck with his eighth ball on seasonal debut as Lloyd, having moved untroubled to 35, cut a catch to and Wayne Madsen saw out the remaining overs as Derbyshire reached the close trailing by only 71 Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay

The Sun

4 hours ago

• The Sun

Gemma Owen's ex Jacques O'Neill posts snap from hospital bed amid ‘setback' three years after Love Island stint

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