By Duncan Wood
November 5 2002

If fit and selected to play on Sunday, Garath Archer will reach a notable appearance milestone. It's inconceivable that he'd be left out on grounds of form and there is no news regarding injury so it should happen!

Garaths next appearance, which will presumably be against his former club Newcastle on Sunday, will be his 100th in a Bristol 1st team shirt. If he plays on Sunday, it will be fitting that he reaches the landmark in a game featuring the two clubs he has represented with distinction.

His Bristol career comprises 67 league appearances, 11 European, 7 in the National knock out cup competition, and 14 other. He has scored 13 tries.

His club debut was away to Leicester on April 29th 1995 in a day when Leicester clinched the title if my memory serves me correctly. Although he signed earlier in the season, he had to wait until the final game to make his first appearance because of the old system where a transferred player had to sit on the sidelines for a certain amount of time.

He played the following season and helped us avoid relegation with a crucial win over Saracens before returning to Newcastle. I remember him saying at the time, that with Newcastle suddenly becoming a force in the professional game, he couldn't turn down the chance to play top class rugby in his native region. He rejoined Bristol in the 1999-2000 season.

The only other current player with more appearances is Craig Short on 138.

Garath becomes the 164th player to achieve this, and although I'm not entirely sure is probably the only player not to have played at least one game for the United.

Thanks to Neil Williams for the figures.