My anodyne official match report is available here.  So a more subjective account might be useful.

From the outset Exeter carried out their gameplan to perfection.  It was simple but effective, based on an accurate kicking game to keep Bristol pinned back and a well organised chase that prevented Bristol from building anything from deep.  It was designed to negate Bristol's perceived strengths and succeeded admirably.  Steenson showed his class not merely as a place kicker but as an orchestrator of the back line.

In contrast, Bristol seemed disjointed and lacking in leadership.  We were very conservative in the first leg and seemed similarly constrained last night.  The conditions did not help, of course, but the numbers of basic errors in a high pressure game were very costly. Exeter made far fewer and capitalised on Bristol's.  I am sure that the players and coaches share the disappointment of the supporters, but questions do need to be asked.

Selection policy in our front five was very debatable.  Leaving aside the question of why Alex Clarke is not even near the match squad, the selection of backrowers in the second row seems very odd.  Especially as we then don't play a game that exploits the extra pace and mobility of those players.  The power in the scrum comes from the second row (speaking as a former second row player!) and the selection of relatively lightweight and inexperienced players in this role surely led to the relative frailty of our set piece play.  In the backs I am less critical, and am reluctant to single out individuals, but I remain unconvinced about both the captaincy and service of Jason Spice.  Additionally, our attacking play seems to be very rigid tactically.  Last night the only time a player in the backs played what was in front of him was when Jarvis got into space and fed Arscott for the try.  Even then he initially shaped to pass before realising the huge gap in front of him (and I don't think it was a dummy).  Last night driving home I caught a bit of Dave Egerton (who kept referring to Bristol as "us" and "we") who said that rugby players are like children who need firm boundaries but should be free to express themselves within those limits.  He also said that the Bristol players were athletes who lacked the skills to play properly in a pressure situation.  I find it hard to disagree.

What does the future hold?  In the short term, another season in the Championship, faced this time with a strong Worcester side.  In the longer term?  I'm sorry to say that we will continue to struggle.  Worcester have spent years building a side and an infrastructure and they have still been in the relegation mix throughout their Premiership time.  Exeter too have built a fine stadium that generates revenue away from match days.  Without this Bristol have battled away but lacked the resources to build a secure and stable club.  I've rehearsed these arguments too many times now.  We all know how we've failed to come to terms with professionalism and how we lost the ground.  Sadly, I think it is too much of a handicap to overcome.  I know our board doesn't agree with this assessment and are seemingly happy to fund Rovers via the Memorial Stadium Company, whilst we remain second class citizens in our own ground, but I don't.  Without a regular income stream and lacking the high levels of secure funding that some Bristolians are willing to give to other cities/villages we simply have too little money to build both a side and to increase our fan base.  Money is the big predictor of professional sporting success (just as we see in a more ‘mature' sport like football)  Only a very few select coaches or managers have the skills and drive to buck this trend.

This season has had its good points.  We've turned in some good performances.  But at the final hurdle we have come up well short of the mark and so this season must be regarded as an entertaining failure.  The question is: can we turn ourselves into an entertaining success?

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