Bears Beyond The Gate

It's only Pete and Lee this week down at the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom supping a couple of cheeky beers, as Miles calls in sick at the last minute.

However, they still manage to fill the time, with help from listener posts, discussing the Bears Women victory against Loughborough Lightening in particular and how their season is hotting up more generally, as well as intertwining their thoughts with other subjects as wide ranging as Super League netball and the importance of not doing well in GCSE mock exams.

Realising that time is moving on, they also discuss the positive feedback received as a result of last week's Dave Attwood interview and agree that both 'Bristanbul' and more controversially, dry robes, are now discussion topics that have finally been put to bed although they do worry about the gentrification of East Street, Bedminster. They also 'talk about' news of a signing and a contract extension coming out of the club this week.

Finally they dip their toe into the more general rugby podcasting arena with a low key discussion of England vs Scotland loosely based around Gengey's travails before calling it a day as the timer approached the hour mark.

Enjoy!

In this week's BUMPER episode we hear from Dave Attwood about:

• His life since retirement...
• His time at the Bears and what it was like working under Pat...
• THAT semi final defeat and why it all went wrong...
• What he thinks about Bristol's season so far AND how we are not 'a million miles away from clicking' and finally...
• His answers to some incredibly searching short sharp questions, including one that is on every fan's lips i.e what might be considered appropriate attire at rugby matches...

We then chat about some of the really interesting points that he raises and then discuss our thoughts on the season so far with help from listener questions, finally signing off to most people's relief with some shout outs and reminders of upcoming events.

On that note here are the details of the Open Day at South Bristol Girls Rugby that is mentioned at the end of the episode:

• 6.30pm on Friday 23rd February
• At Bristol Barbarians  RFC in Whitchurch
• Food, Drink and Rugby available!

South Bristol Girls run U12, U14 and U16 teams (Yrs 7-11) with training evert Thursday between 6 and 8pm. Get in touch via southbristolgirlsrugby@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram

In the first ever Bears Beyond The Gate 'docu-pod' we hear from Kiera, Kaye and Sophie about the work of the Bears Together Supporters Advisory Committee (SAC)  an initiative  that was announced at the start of the season as a way of the club being able to gather more direct feedback from fans about off-field matters. They talk about who they, and other members of SAC are, how the first meeting went and their aims of for the future. They are there to represent US so if you have any comments or suggestions for them please complete the Google Form below by clicking the link. Enjoy!

Bears Together Feedback form

And if you want to see what they all look like then click below!

Bears Together webpage on the Offie

As the Premiership takes a mid season break for the Six Nations, we review the monumental banger at Ashton Gate as Bristol maintain their seven-game home town winning streak against Bath. Basically it was just a mental game of rugby. Multiple line breaks, gorgeous offloads and 14 tries AND virtually no box kicks or scrums. It was rugby played the way it should be!

As well as hearing from both sets of fans before and after the game thanks to our brand new audio recording device and Miles wearing a huge pair of headphones, we also read out a record-breaking 21 short, sharp summaries, the quality of which are university level, with a selection of game related limericks, acoustic poems and even haikus.

We also discuss a few other things such as our plan to get people in the Atyeo for every game but relatively quickly because we want to keep the pod under an hour ( we failed..).

Finally, many thanks to all listeners who voted for us in this year's Sports Podcast Awards. We have no idea whether we'll get on the podium but if we do it'll be a victory for hardworking, dedicated and often long suffering clubs fans all round the country.

Cheers!

In this week's episode we welcome work experience fella Reg to deputise for Lee who is still in witness protection after his new year Bristol Post article - or is he just taking the Christmas Tree down?

We discuss the poor result and performance against Connacht which essentially saw us dumped out of both European Cups in one go and debate what this means in terms of goals and targets for the rest of the season and beyond. Is change needed and if so, what should it look like?

That said there is of course a huge game on Saturday, as Ashton Gate prepares for an inundation of dry robes with the visit of Bath Rugby and their Tesla driving Cockapoo owners. Is this the most must-win game ever in the history of must-winability.? We talk to Bath fan Tom Dabinett and actually feel quite positive as he reminds us that they haven't won there for ages.

We also review the successful Bears Woman's victory over Quins at Shaftesbuty Park with help from listener Kate McCoy and finally make one last shameful appeal for support in the Sports Podcast Awards with voting due to close this Sunday 28th January. If you haven't done already click the link below to give Bristol Bears the only remaining chance of silverware this season.

Multiple email accounts could and should be used!

VOTE HERE!

Vote for us at the Sports Podcast Awards 2024 and help us bring home some silverware for the Bears! Click on the link below...

https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-rugby-podcast/

And in other news, the Bears lose to a decent Bulls outfit who out-muscle them in the scrum and generally look a bit better all round. Hear our thoughts and then those of Alan and William from Connacht's 'The Craggy Rugby Podcast' as they help us preview the final pool game from gorgeous Galway. The audio clip also includes Joe Joyce's post match interview after their loss to Lyon. How we miss those dulcet tones!

All this and more with Pete, Lee and Miles and a few pints of real ale recorded exclusively at the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom.

In this week's show we prepare, bake and scoff large amounts of humble pie after the surprise Bears' victory away at Sale Sharks. How can we be so bad and so good all in one week? We get the views of regular social media followers and also hear from yet another roving reporter who saw the game live, as well as throwing in our thoughts and opinions for good measure.

The last time a South African side game to the Gate a whole nation was disappointed but this time we welcome the Bulls in the next round of the Champions Cup. We are joined by fan A-P Cronje who not only gives us the lowdown about one of South Africa's premier club sides but also throws in a bit geography and history to boot. You can't say you don't learn stuff on this pod.

Finally, we have a quick chat about the work the Bears Women need to do to as they enter the second half of their season and finish off by mentioning that we have been nominated in the best rugby pod category for the 2024 Sports Podcast Awards. Seeing as we are up against national behemoths like The Rugby Pod and Maul or Nothing we could really do with your votes as well as those of extended families, distant relatives and anyone else you happen to know.

If you haven't done so already please click on the link below and help us push for amateur pod glory!

Vote here!

Thanks and Up the Bears!

Crocodile Dundee returns to chew the Christmas cud with a somewhat unstructured ramble thought the festive period culminating in a long discussion about the impacts of last Friday's hugely disappointing defeat against Exeter 2.0 in front of sell-out crowd. Despite leading 14-12 at the break the Bears were bageled in the second half at the hands of a young, hungry and well drilled outfit leaving many fans wondering were we go from here. You'll have to put in a big oral shift to find out what we think!

In other news we have been shortlisted in the 'Best Rugby Podcast' category in the 2024 Sports Podcast Awards. There will be more information in the next pod but if you can't wait until then, click the link below to find out more and cast your vote:

Vote for your favourite rugby fan podcast here and tell all your friends too

In this week's episode we relish the record breaking 51-26 victory over Gloucester and the retention of the Rifles Cup. After five losses on the bounce this was as a cathartic an experience as you are likely to get and the relief flowing around the Gate on the final whistle was palpable. We read and hear the thoughts of our listeners and then briefly discuss what this means for our chances against Lyon and Bordeaux as we head for a brief diversion to the group stage of the Champions Cup before diving back into the Premiership again either side of Christmas. It wasn't all bad for the good people of Gloucester though as their women's team (so good they named it twice) despatched the Bears' women with a clinical 12-0 victory at a very cold Shaftesbury Park on Friday night. The Bears had plenty of possession in the second half but just couldn't make it count against a resolute and extremely well drilled opponent. That said there was plenty of 'learnings' to be had as they continue on their campaign to make it into the top four at the end of the season. All this and more with Pete, Miles and Lee and a couple of cheeky craft ales at the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom.

We slip to a fifth defeat in a row at the Stone X but battle hard for a cheeky try bonus point which was the least we deserved. We may have scored a couple of worldies but we also shipped seven and if Owen Farrell had put his boots on the right way round it could have been a lot worse. We review the game with help from a few listeners and the Chair of the Supporters Club and then look forward to the Rifles Cup on Saturday which really, really, really is now a must, must, must win game. We also hear from Ed from the Cherry Jam pod who gives us his take on Gloucester’s similarly disappointing start to the seasons but also provides us some insight into their Women’s team who take on ours on Friday night. On that note we also review the Bears Women’s’ visit to Sandy Park this afternoon with help from yet another freelance roving fan reporter. We have tentacles everywhere! So strap in and listen to Lee, Miles and Pete as we climb on board the Bristol Bears rollercoaster yet again for a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby banter!

Running order:

0:00

Intro banter

4:00

Listener tweets and roving reporter feedback from the Stone X

13:25

Our in-depth analysis!

32:47

Chat with Ed Price from the Cherry Jam pod

45:54

Our thoughts on the line-up for the Rifles Cup

56:47

Intro to the Bears Womens’ Game vs Exeter

59:33

Second roving reporter feedback from Sandy Park

1:01:13

Our thoughts on the game

1:08:19

Final thoughts on Bears abroad!

In this week's episode - our 150th - we chew over the agonising last ditch defeat at the Rec with help from our listeners and reflect on how we really need to start getting on the right side of 'fine margins' otherwise the season is going to slip away. That said, there were plenty of positives to take from the game and we pray that they might be somehow converted into points, cheeky or otherwise, at the Stone X stadium on Saturday. On that note we hear from Jez Denton from Saracens' Fezcast pod and spend a lively few minutes picking our team before broadly predicting a defeat. On a happier note we also review the Bristol Bears' Womens' victory over Sale Sharks Women and note what a fantastically family-esque atmosphere it was. With Miles and Pete and various kids in attendance you really do hear it from the horses' mouths.
All this and more with Pete, Miles and Lee recording live from the Bristol Bear Factory Tap Room with a couple of pints of Milk Stout and a little bit of background noise from time to time.

0:00 Introduction and chit chat

4:30 Listener thoughts on the Bath game

9:57 Our thoughts on the Bath game

33:28 Jez from Fezcast

43:48 Our thoughts on the Saracens game

59:00 Review of the Bristol Bears Womens' game

1:07:09 Final thoughts

WARNING - THERE IS THE SOUND OF RAIN FALLING AT VARIOUS POINTS DURING THIS RECORDING BUT WE WERE TRYING SOMETHING NEW SO BE PATIENT WITH US!

😩

So, our unerring ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory 
continues with a second frustrating result in a week down at Sandy Park. To be fair it was a gritty performance at the place where both Sarries and Sale have recently been humbled and a hat trick of cross field kick tries for Rich Lane was a delight to behold but ultimately, we came away with a big fat zero.

With only ten teams in the league can we really afford to be this profligate and why is that we continue to end up on the wrong side of the line when fine margins come into play. It happened last season and it’s starting to happen again.

We discuss the game with the help from another roving fan reporter and then look forward to Sale’s visit on Saturday and ask is this our first must win of the season. We also mention the fantastic performances of the Bears Women for the Red Roses down under in the XV tournament and for once don’t even ‘allude’ to Miles’ Instagramming development.

Join Pete, Lee and Miles for a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby banter.

So, the brief winning run is over thanks to a last gasp penalty for Quins at the death on Saturday. It was family day at the Gate but unfortunately the Bears were unable to keep all the kids happy with a mixed display that included some very good but also some frustratingly sloppy bad. Ultimately we were the architects of our own downfall and our decision making under pressure and sometimes not under pressure came back to haunt us.

We look back at the game with help from our listeners again and discus the extent to which this was simply a blip after a bright start or rather something more terminal. A new look Exeter Chiefs away at Sandy park are up next and given that they have now scored a combined total of 108 points at home against both of last season's Premiership finalists, how worried should we be? We hear from Dave Flak from the Tribe Talking fan pod and offer our own predictions.

Finally, we round up any other relevant talking points including the Bears Women, a charity match at Dings and competition from a new fan pod on the block!

All this and more with Pete, Lee and Miles and a cheeky beer or two.

Timings:

00:00: Intro chat chat

03:20: Listeners' thoughts

07:48: Our analysis of the game

28: 14: Dave Flak from Tribe Talking

38: 37: Our thoughts on the Exeter game

47: 20: Final round up of other Bears related stuff

It's the first time in three years that we have won away at Franklin’s Gardens although after going 18-9 down early in the second half it was great to see the boys ‘dig’ themselves out of a hole and ‘sow the seeds’ of a victory with a penalty and a converted try before the break ultimately making Miles ‘soil’ his pants at the death by efficiently managing the game out in the second half.
We revel in this bonus point 33-27 victory and continue our strategy of involving our listeners in the pod by hearing from two roving fan reporters who sent us outside broadcasts from the game. This result leaves us second in the table with 9 points but we’re not getting too carried away as its early days and we still remember what happened last season after our good start. 
We also preview the visit of the fancy dan boys from SW London with help from our good friends at the Harlequins podcast and finish off by discussing some of the issues raised by Steve Lansdown in his Q&A last week as well as revealing the result of the annual BBTG paddle board derby and find out who has their hands on  Kingsbridge Cup. Pete is joined by Lee and Miles for a cheeky beer and a bit of rugby banter.

Well, the waiting was over and after an extended pre-season the Premiership finally returned to Ashton Gate with the visit of Leicester Tigers. With both teams missing international players, it was an opportunity for new signings and squad players to impress, and impress they did, albeit mainly for Bristol. At 25-0 up and cruising some of us were wondering whether we were going to get that magical 80-minute performance in game day one. However, the second half was more of a battle but ultimately it was a very satisfactory win. We chat about the game and those players who made a good impression and introduce a new feature – contributions from some of our listeners -  including the brief thoughts of our mate Binnsy.

Next up is Saints away so we discuss how we think that one will go and what team we think we’ll be sending up to the East Midlands and we hear briefly from another friend of the pod – Northampton Echo’s Sports writer, Tom Vickers, as he gives us the lowdown on their game at Sale this afternoon and how they might set up against us next Saturday. 

Finally, we round up any other Bears-related news that we feel is worthy of discussion including the return of fireworks in front of the Dolman and our ongoing obsession with photographing people wearing robes at rugby…

In this week's episode we round up the Premiership Cup/pre-season campaign and reflect on the shellacking meted out to poor Cambridge who were universally challenged all over the park. It was great to see a tsunami of tries but we ultimately finished second in our group and therefore miss out on two more games and a chance of silverware later on in the season . Should we be disappointed that we didn't manage to progress or should we just be grateful for the various 'hit-outs' that it afforded us as we build to the start of the Premiership?

On that note we preview the start of the League campaign against Leicester with a chat with our friends from the Rolling Maul pod and then ponder what sort of team we may put out and how likely we are to survive in the eye of the Tigers. We try to be optimistic but recognise its going to be a challenging night under the lights.

Finally, the European shirt was 'launched' last week - quite literally - as the photo shoot appeared to take place inside of a huge balloon. We hear the thoughts of our resident fashion expert Miles, and wonder whether it was just a bit of marketing hot air or something more artistically fundamental.

All this and more for your regular dose of Bears banter with Pete, Lee and Miles.

In this term’s opener we reveal some earth shattering news from the summer break but pull ourselves together and cast an eye over the pre-season so far.

After welcoming the Baa Baas to Ashton Gate with a gift of 50 plus points, shipping even more down at Sandy Park with a team requiring parental permission to play, and then getting ‘edged out’ by Ealing Trailfinders the week after, we celebrate our own bit of edging with our thoughts on the last gasp victory over Northampton Saints at the weekend. Ultimately we all agree that it’ll probably be the first 20 minutes against Tigers that will really tell us how the season is likely to pan out despite an imminent visit up north to Donny and a home game against the mighty Cambridge in the Prem Cup to come.

In other news, Southville’s very own answer to Gok Wan, Miles, (yes, I said Gok Wan) provides a granular review of the new kit/night wear and we finish off with a discussion about the positive moves afoot from the club to create more links with fans.

The sound is a little bit screechy at times but we’re trialling a new sound recorder and editing process so be patient. It’s just good to be back talking rugby and supping beer.

Up the Bears!

In our final  episode of the season we discuss the bonus-point victory against Gloucester which wasn't quite enough to gain a Champions Cup place next year.

In this bumper edition we look back at our highlights of the past year and chat about the impact some of our departing players have had on the club and the fans. We give our thoughts on the player of the year and who has improved the most.

We then go through the retained list and give our thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of next season squad.

All this and more in this final show for 22/23 with TC, Lee, Miles and Pete.

Feelings run high in BBTG Towers as the Bears fall to a 22-21 defeat away at Exeter despite playing with an extra man for 60 minutes. A high penalty count and some costly errors mean the Bears lose another winnable game and face a last-day battle for a Champions Cup place for next term.

Hear our thoughts on the game, tactics and levels of commitment as Bristol came up just short yet again this season.

We also look ahead to Gloucester's visit to the Gate on Coronation Day, discuss the Women's semi-final defeat to Exeter in the Allianz Cup and give our thoughts on the news that Iona Lloyd and Sam Jeffries are to depart at the end of the season.

All this and more with Miles, Lee, Pete and TC.