... even (or perhaps especially) when they’re down, as they cruised to a 28-8 victory. That’s not to say that it was easy, few teams have the away points record of Bristol, while the fact that we’d only scored a few more tries than Leeds this season didn’t exactly inspire confidence. However, an ability to take chances when the opportunity arose, Hewat’s kicking ability and Catty’s consistently steadying influence allowed the Exiles to make the kind of convincing comeback that we all hoped and prayed they would.  

Due to a combination of missed trains and an unfortunate malfunction in the clothing department in the 3Gs I arrived barely in time for the start of play. But with notepads and a couple of biros in hand, I was firmly seated by the time that Ed Barnes took the opening kick and delivered the ball into waiting Irish arms, giving us territory up to the halfway line from the outset. A quickly taken free kick later and Ojo attempted a dash up the wing, but his grubber was a little too lengthy even for his considerable reach, and the ball went dead.

The next phases of play saw Bristol pushing up in the offensive, but the Irish defence held strong and a turnover just before our line stopped what could have been a disastrous moment in the early game. The next five or ten minutes saw Bristol in possession although our lines continued to hold and were eventually rewarded by frustration from the opposition resulting in a penalty for wheeling the scrum that Peter Hewat took with precision and skill, making the score 3-0.

Bristol responded by pressing forward immediately, and although the defence was there, Irish came in at the side of the ruck in the 19th minute to give Ed Barnes a shot at the goal. It must have been a challenging position for the 27 year-old fly half to boot from, but he nevertheless sank the ball and levelled the scores.

Despite Bristol’s possession and attack in the first quarter of the game, it has to be said that apart from a few moments they never seemed particularly threatening. An error from Barnes saw Irish collect a ball that missed touch, combining excellent support with the unrivalled pace of Ojo to carve through to Bristol’s 22. Mackie flicked a ball up into his hands and crossed the line virtually unopposed, setting the first try of the game. Hewat made the conversion, putting Irish seven points ahead at 10-3 in the 24th minute.

Ojo’s speed continued to cause problems for the visitors, who were continually pressed in their own territory by a buoyant Irish team, with good play from Catt and Kennedy figuring in the attack. Bristol were eventually penalised, and a Hewat-kicked penalty made the score 13-3 for the Exiles. Although there were a few surges and some decisions against them, as well as a missed penalty from Hewat, the visitors never managed to put the ball past the line and the first 40 minutes ended with Irish firmly in the lead.

When the halves were switched and the teams returned to the field, Bristol’s woes continued to increase after Hobson received a yellow card for clearly obstructing Hodgson and halting what could have been a rewarding attack for Irish. This time Hewat kicked it through the posts, and the lead increased by another three points to 16-3. With Bris down to 14 men, Hewat managed to snag the ball and slot it over the line, subsequently converting his own try to increase the Irish lead to 20 points at 23-3.

Catt was shortly replaced by Hickey in a series of substitutions, while Hewat once again proved his worth by setting Mapusua up for a try in the 65th minute. The conversion was missed, but at this point it seemed that victory was certain. Ten minutes later however, one of the more unusual moments of the match occurred when referee Dave Pearson had to be substituted for the fourth official John Dennison.

With victory all but impossible, Bristol proceeded to give their most spirited performance of the game. A series of pushes resulted in Tom Arscott edging the ball over the Irish lines, while a missed conversion set the final score at 28-8. This was a gratifyingly resurgent display from an Irish team that had seemed lacklustre of late, setting hopes high for Saturday’s clash with Perpignan at the MadStad and making transcribing shorthand notes on the train back all but impossible, thanks to the post-match in the 3Gs. Come on you Irish!

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