Bristol Rugby

Bristol Rugby

Full name	Bristol Rugby Football Club
Union	Rugby Football Union
Founded	1888 (1888)
Location	Bristol, England
Ground(s)	Ashton Gate Stadium (Capacity: 16,600)
CEO	Steve Gorvett
Coach(es)	Andy Robinson & Sean Holley
Captain(s)	Dwayne Peel
League(s)	RFU Championship
2014–15	1st (lost the play-off final)
Team kit
Official website
www.bristolrugby.co.uk

Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently play in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup.

Notable players to have played for the club include Tom Richards, who played for both the British Isles and Australia, Sam Tucker, John Blake, John Pullin and Alan Morley. In the professional era several international stars have played for Bristol, including Argentina's Agustín Pichot and Felipe Contepomi, Jason Little, double World Cup winner with Australia, Springbok Henry Honiball and Gareth Llewellyn, who until 2007 was the most-capped player for Wales. In the 2014/15 season, former Wales & British and Irish Lions Internationals Ryan Jones, Dwayne Peel and Gavin Henson joined the club. The Club again failed to earn promotion to the Premiership for the 2015/16 season, Andy Robinson bolstered his squad for the new campaign signing Ex England winger Tom Varndell, Sale Sharks Hooker Marc Jones and Scrum Half Will Cliff.

History

Formation and early history

Bristol Football Club was formed in 1888 when the Carlton club merged with rival club Redland Park to create a united Bristol team. Westbury Park having refused to merge then folded and many of its players subsequently joined Bristol. The County Cricket Ground at Nevil Road was leased for home matches.

The first match was a heavy away defeat to Cardiff and although the first season was relatively successful the second was not with only three games won. The club went from strength to strength over the next few years under the captaincy of W. Tommy Thomson. It turned the corner and in 1891–92, now wearing the more familiar navy and white hooped shirts, the Bristol team won twenty games out of twenty four.

Over the ensuing seasons the fixture list went from strength to strength, consisting of most of the top English and Welsh sides. In 1900 J. W. Jarman became Bristol's first England cap. Two major touring sides played Bristol during this period. The first New Zealand All Blacks defeated the club 41 – 0 in 1905 and in 1909 a combined Bristol and Clifton RFC team, captained by Percy Down, lost to Australia 11 – 3.

World Wars

The club was beginning to bring on a new generation of players when the First World War halted all rugby. After the war a Bristol United side was formed to provide rugby for returning servicemen and this led to the rebirth of Bristol in 1919. The County Ground was no longer available for home games so the club rented a field at Radnor Road, Horfield although occasional matches were staged at the Bristol City and Bristol Rovers grounds. The Radnor Road seasons were good ones for the club and a new crop of stars appeared.

The Memorial Ground stadium was built on an area of land called Buffalo Bill's Field which was previously occupied by allotments in 1921. Bristol defeated Cardiff 19 – 3 in the opening match in front of a large crowd.

The fiftieth anniversary was celebrated in 1938 but the next few years saw a fall in performances and the final inter-war season was a poor one. During World War II a Bristol Supporters team kept rugby union going in the city. Thus Bristol had readily available players when peacetime rugby union resumed in 1945.

1950s

The playing record in the early fifties was mixed, but there was a huge improvement under the captaincy of first Bert MacDonald, and then Dick Hawkes. Records were broken in 1956–57 and even better was to follow in what has been called 'The Blake Era'.

Fly half John Blake became captain in 1957 and under his leadership the club developed an entertaining running style of rugby involving backs and forwards, which was years ahead of its time. The Bristol club set and broke new records for wins in a season and points scored and goal kicking forward Gordon Cripps rewrote the individual points scoring records.

1960s to 1980s

The 75th anniversary was celebrated in 1962–63 and floodlights were installed in the following season. Club form peaked in 1965–66 under Derek Neate's captaincy when 39 games were won, and again in 1971–72 under Tony Nicholls. This was the club's best ever season with a thousand points being scored for the first time and the team being crowned unofficial English and Anglo-Welsh champions.

Under Mike Rafter's captaincy, the club won the John Player Cup in 1983, defeating Leicester 28–22. During this period Alan Morley established a world record of 479 tries in senior rugby. The centenary season with Nigel Pomphrey as captain was celebrated in style with a game against the Barbarians and a narrow defeat in the cup final, but thereafter there was a gradual decline in playing standards. The team did not really adapt well to the demands of league rugby and the club's administrators struggled to cope with the professional set up.

1990s

In 1996, Bristol Rovers moved into the Memorial Stadium as tenants of Bristol Rugby, and soon stole ownership of the stadium through the Memorial Stadium Company.

1998–99 (Allied Dunbar Premership Two)
Relegation to Premiership Two in 1998 was not the worst of Bristol's problems. Only an eleventh hour rescue by Malcolm Pearce saved the club from potential oblivion. Bristol also lost control of the Memorial Stadium Company to Bristol Rovers and were tenants thereafter until their eventual departure from the stadium at the conclusion of the 2013–14 season. Bristol's first season outside the top flight brought with it a number of first-time visits to clubs. Bristol went on to win the Premiership Two title and promotion back to Premiership One, sealing the win with a 22–11 victory over Worcester.

2000s

Bristol playing Northampton during the 2007–08 Premiership.

The World Cup disrupted the early part of the 1999–2000 season, with a number of players missing the first few games. Under the captaincy of Dean Ryan the team finished sixth, just missing out on European Cup qualification. At the end of the season Dean Ryan took over as Head Coach from Bob Dwyer. After an opening day victory over newly promoted Rotherham, Bristol had a disappointing 2000–01 season finishing ninth. Off the field, Jack Rowell became managing director, and successful community initiatives saw the attendance figures rise.

The 2001–02 season brought a new name, Bristol Shoguns, following a five-year £2 million sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi Motors. The Shoguns finishing the season with the most bonus points in the Zurich Premiership, three players in the top try scorers chart, a place at Twickenham in the final of the Championship, and also a place in the Heineken Cup for the 2002–03 season. In the close season Head Coach Dean Ryan moved to Gloucester, Jack Rowell resigned as Director of Rugby whilst skipper Jason Little retired. Peter Thorburn took over as coach. League results were mixed, but there were more wins than defeats including a first ever league win away at Bath. At Christmas 2002 owner Malcolm Pearce announced that he would quit at the end of the season.^[1] Rumours circulated that Bristol could be sold to Firoz Kassam and play out of Oxford, and a merger with rivals Bath had been mooted.^[2] Neither event came to pass, but Bristol were relegated at the end of the season as off-field distractions took their toll.^[3]

Before the start of the 2003–04 season Martin Haag and a week later Richard Hill joined as first team coach and head coach respectively. While the board were raising money to stabilise the club Haag and Hill implemented a '3-year plan' to rebuild Bristol and put them back in the Premiership. They won National League One the following year and were promoted.

The club's deal with Mitsubishi expired in July 2005, and the club started 2005–06 in the Premiership as Bristol RFC. Bristol elected to play two 2006–07 games at Ashton Gate, home of football side Bristol City. The local derby against Bath and the game against Leicester were moved from the 11,750 capacity Memorial Stadium to Ashton Gate's 21,500 capacity to allow more fans the chance to watch the team. The precedent for this was established for a crucial relegation fixture against Bath in May 2003. Bristol finished third in the league, securing a Heineken Cup place for only the second time, and then reached the semi-finals of the play-offs, losing 26–14 at Leicester. Martin Haag was released as Bristol's forwards coach in June 2007^[4] and replaced by John Brain.^[5]

Bristol could not replicate the success of the previous season and ended the 2007–08 season in 9th place. They also failed to progress from their Heineken Cup group, despite a home win against Stade Français. The following season Bristol struggled, winning only two games, and were relegated from the premiership.^[6] Richard Hill stepped down as coach in February 2009, with two months and eight games of the season remaining.^[7] Paul Hull took over as Bristol's head coach.

2010s

Following a failed attempt to immediately return to the Premiership, losing to Exeter Chiefs in the final of the play-offs, a number of first team players quit the club and financial pressures caused significant worries at the club once more.^[8] With a more modest squad of players, Bristol struggled to find winning form in the 2010–11 season finishing eighth in the championship and failing to reach the playoff finals. In 2011, following a lack of success Paul Hull in mutual agreement with club left Bristol Rugby and was replaced by academy coach Liam Middleton.^[9] In Middleton's first full season in charge Bristol finished top of the championship table but failed to progress to the play-off finals, losing to Cornish Pirates in the semi-finals.^[10] From the 2008–09 season businessman Stephen Lansdown financed Bristol Rugby, this only became public knowledge when Lansdown formalised his ownership of the club in 2012.^[11]

2012–13 Season

In the 2012-13 season Bristol missed out on the play-off finals, finishing fifth in the championship. At the end of the 2012-13 season it was announced that former Ospreys head coach Sean Holley would join Bristol Rugby as the first team coach.^[12] Andy Robinson joined Bristol Rugby as director of rugby in March 2013,^[13] at first working with head coach Liam Middleton but following a poor run of results Middleton was sacked by the club following an internal review later in March 2013.^[14]

2013–14 Season

The 2013–14 season brought a return to form with Bristol Rugby finishing top of the championship table. However, Bristol failed to secure promotion to the premiership, losing both legs of the play-off finals to London Welsh. In the close season a number of players were signed to the club in expectation of promotion for the 2014–15 season, including Samoan Internationals Anthony Perenise Jack Lam & David Lemi, Welsh internationals Matthew Morgan, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones ^[15] and Dwayne Peel^[16] and Wing George Watkins return from Cardiff Blues mid season. Further signings for the 2014–15 season would feature Gareth Maule, Jack O'Connell, Darren Hudson & Gavin Henson.

2014–15 Season

Bristol Rugby moved from the Memorial Stadium to Ashton Gate Stadium, the home of Bristol City FC. Ashton Gate Stadium has a capacity of 21,497 and there are plans to extend the seating to 27,000. In the run-in to the end of season play-off's the club signed high profile players in Hooker Ross McMillan, Italian Centre Tommaso Benvenuti and Welsh international Gavin Henson. End of the season saw the departure of Forwards Coach Danny Wilson to Cardiff Blues. The Club again failed to earn promotion to the Premiership for the 2015/16 season losing by 1 point to Worcester Warriors in the Play-off Finals. At the end of the season Wales international fly half Nicky Robinson leaves the club to take up a fresh challenge in France with Oyonnax.

2015–16 Season

Much of the squad from the previous season remained with Andy Robinson bolstering his options for the new campaign by signing Ex England winger Tom Varndell, Sale Sharks Hooker Marc Jones and Scrum Half Will Cliff. October saw the return of Full Back Luke Arscott to Bristol Colours on loan from neighbors Bath Rugby. Following a successful 2015 Rugby World Cup with Japan, Ex-England Forward Steve Borthwick stepped down as coach and joined Bristol Rugby as forwards coach, only to depart 43 days later to reunite with New England head coach Eddie Jones. February 4th saw the announcement of New Zealander Mark Bakewell brought in to replace Borthwick. New recruits over the course of the season were South African Rayn Smid ,Will Homer (dual registration) from Bath Rugby and International Scrum Half Martin Roberts from Ospreys. The New year saw the announcement that Matthew Morgan to further his international chances was to be leaving the club at the end of the season and joining Danny Wilson at Cardiff Blues.

2016-17 Season

February 2016 saw the signing of Wales International scrum half Rhodri Williams from Scarlets for the 2016-17 season.

Summary of league positions

Summary of Bristol's league positions since league rugby was introduced in 1987.^[17]

Current standings

Current squad

2015-16 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Chris Brooker Hooker England Max Crumpton Hooker England Marc Jones Hooker Wales Ross McMillan Hooker England Gaston Cortes Prop Argentina Jamal Ford-Robinson Prop England Ellis Genge Prop England James Hall Prop England Jack O'Connell Prop Ireland Anthony Perenise Prop Samoa Kyle Traynor Prop Scotland Ian Evans Lock Wales Ben Glynn Lock England Mark Sorenson Lock New Zealand Glen Townson Lock England Nick Köster Flanker South Africa Jack Lam Flanker Samoa Josh Ovens Flanker England James Phillips Flanker England Olly Robinson Flanker England Mitch Eadie Number 8 Scotland Rayn Smid Number 8 South Africa

Player Position Union Will Cliff Scrum-half England Craig Hampson Scrum-half England Dwayne Peel Scrum-half Wales Martin Roberts Scrum-half Wales Adrian Jarvis Fly-half England Matthew Morgan Fly-half Wales Tommaso Benvenuti Centre Italy Gavin Henson Centre Wales Gareth Maule Centre Wales Ben Mosses Centre England Jack Tovey Centre England Charlie Amesbury Wing England Darren Hudson Wing Ireland David Lemi Wing Samoa George Watkins Wing England Tom Varndell Wing England Luke Arscott (loan) Fullback England Jack Wallace Fullback England

Academy squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union James Stephenson Hooker England John Hawkins Lock England Joe Joyce Lock England Andy Uren Scrum-half England Callum Sheedy Fly-half Wales Lucas Slowik Centre England Nick Carpenter Centre England Elias Caven Wing England Ryan Edwards Wing England Curtis Mathews Wing Wales Auguy Slowik Fullback England

Staff

Management

• Owner - Stephen Lansdown
• Chief Executive - Steve Gorvett
• Chairman - Chris Booy
• Financial Controller - Alec Bellamy
• Rugby Administrator - Sarah Gorvett
• Head of Communications - Tom Tainton
• Director of Rugby - Andy Robinson
• Team Manager – John Harrison

First Team Coaching

• Head Coach – Sean Holley
• Forwards Coach – Mark Bakewell
• Assistant Coaches - Mark Irish
• Backs & Skills Coach – Matthew Sherratt
• Senior Performance Analyst - Stuart Powell
• Performance Analyst - Kristian James
• Head of Performance – Mark Bennett
• First Team Strength & Conditioning Coach – Tom Hargreaves

Academy

• Academy Manager – Mike Hall
• Academy Coach & Player Development Manager – Gary Townsend
• Academy Strength & Conditioning Coach – Johnny Harris-Wright

Club honours

• John Player Cup champions: 1983
• John Player/Pilkington Cup runners-up: 1973, 1984, 1988
• Allied Dunbar Premiership Two/National Division One champions (2 times): 1998–99, 2004–05
• Powergen Shield Champions: 2004
• British and Irish Cup Champions: 2011

Notable former players

For all Bristol players with a Wikipedia article see Category:Bristol Rugby players

References

External links

• Official site
• Bristol Rugby Independent Supporters' Trust
• Independent Bristol Rugby Online
• Bristol Combination
• Bristol Rugby Web Site Directory
• Bristol Rugby Flickr group