The band is back together again as the boys chat over the gritty, but not particularly pretty new year win over Sale. 

It was a chilly night at the Gate and the fortress was certainly tested but thankfully the drawbridge was raised in the 72nd minute when Kela Ravouvou scored the deciding try.

Lying fourth at the mid point of the Prem season is probably better than we could  have hoped for but we now seemed to have settled into a nice rhytmn with a level of physicality that is delivering results.

Next up is a trip to the sunny High Veld and an appointment with the Vodacomm Bulls. There is a suspicion that the South Africans aren't massively keen on the Champions Cup so a victory in Pretoria would set things up nicely for the visit of Bordeaux Begles the following week. 

Lewis Rees-Zamit's contract extension is also discussed as is the suggestion that Moroni has the air of a Latino Henry Purdy.

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

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It's a rough and ready one-take Zoom episode on account of one pod member sweating profusely half way round the world, and with no music intro, but the lads talk over the 'stuttery' win against Newcastle Red Bulls and briefly reminisce on the glory of Big Game 17 in London.

They also discuss what this means for the visit of Sale next Friday and briefly look forward to the final European group games...

They finish with a bit of AOB including a plug for both the 'Fan to 5K' initiative and the Bristol Bears Live Community WhatsApp group:

@FansTo5K on all socials

https://chat.whatsapp.com/L5qH2xiEyMBJdqspokkvUG

Due to ongoing logistical challenges the next pod will be recorded on January 11th so HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone and thanks for your ongoing support...

Made by fans for fans 🐻🏉👊

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Just like the BBC, the pod is here to inform, educate and entertain so we were delighted to chat with Rob Graham from the Rosbifs Rugby pod about all things Pau.

He gives us an insight into this less fashionble club from the foot of the Pyrenees and predicts how they might shape up at Ashton Gate on Sunday.

We also hear from Mark and Cameron from the Bears Supporters Advisory Committee who give us an update on their successes so far (getting rid of air guitar and pre match smoke for starters) and outlines how supporters cna get in touch with them. The club will listen to feedbacka and these boys are on a mission to provide it.

So sit back, relax and listen to something slightly different to the norm.

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In this episode we review the game against Scarlets. It looked like we were cruising at 12-0 up with more points to come but the home side had other ideas and put in a proper shift to take us to the wire.

We discuss the reasons why this might have happened as well as hear the thoughts of some listeners. 

Equally as importantly the game marked the first BBTG road trip of the season so we also review activities that took place off the pitch and as well as on it. Suffice to say we tried to squeeze as much out of Llanelli as we could and had a thoroughly good time despite the weather, the lack of any discernable taxi infrastructure and a poor decision to go to the Red Cow.

We briefly look forward to the next game against Section Paloise or 'Pau' as they are also known (although we also hope to get more insight next week with a special 'edu-pod' on Wednesday) and finish off by making a spirited defence of the claim by some loyal listeners that we have sold our souls to the devil for the price of a bobble hat.

All this and more with Pete, Lee and Miles live from the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom.

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SORRY - for some unspecified reason the sound quality isn't as crisp us usual but there isn't much I can do about it 😭. 

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The lads jump on Zoom to speculate on the team for Saints this coming Saturday now that the Autumn International break is over. 

Which returning players will feature?

Have we succesfullly reduced our Guinness world record breaking injury list to more manageable levels?

Is the officiating team for the weekend more akin to watching a mash up of Last of the Summer Wine and Monarch of the Glen?

And will we win?

All this and not a lot more as we nearly come in under half an hour for the first time since eposide 1!

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It was a derby day to remember and although it didn't go our way for us, the effort was there. 

Pete, Lee and Miles ‘deep dive’ into the heated clash with them down the road, where the Bears battled hard, created big moments, but ultimately found that Bath were just that little bit better on the day.

🔥 Key Talking Points:

• Early impact & momentum:

From the off, the Bears looked fired up: a charge-down leading to a try inside a minute set the tone. That fast start put Bath on notice, yet despite that spark, the boys found themselves under pressure as the first half progressed, with Bath creeping into the ascendancy. Was the Ben Spencer “not looked at deliberate knock on” a turning point?

• Defence showing heart:

The Bears defended really well when they needed to. Two Bath tries were disallowed thanks to our pressure and scrambled defence and even if the final scoreboard didn’t ultimately reflect it, the character was there.

• Bench depth & injuries exposed

With many first-choice names missing, the squad felt the effects. The Bears’ bench couldn’t quite match Bath’s firepower and depth and the gap that showed. 
The hosts executed late and we paid for the small moments that went against us.

• Refereeing & derby tension

Derby matches bring emotion and this one was no exception. The officiating was under the microscope — scrums, scuffles, yellows, and debate. We consider whether the match officials were the right choice for this much-heated affair, whilst at the same time recognising that it can be a thankless task.

🤔 Looking ahead: can we build from this?

Yes, the result stings. But there is more to this performance than just the score. The Bears showed fight, structure and signs of promise. The focus now is to turn this into consistency.

🎖 Player of the Week:

Our pick: Matías Moroni — despite travel and squad changes, he produced several big plays and gave the Bears something to build on. Stay tuned for his full ratings in the episode.

🗣 Listener shout-outs:

Massive thanks to all the fans who weighed in but our top three contributions this week were:

• “Defence was incredible… Worsley more than held his own versus the overrated Russell.” — Morgan
• “Bears battled. Bath better.” — Huge Swede
• “You’ll get top 8. Fair Play’ - Tony Sarsby (a Bath fan)

Got views on the game? Send us your voice-notes or messages across our social media and you might feature int he pod.

✅ Final Word:

A valiant effort, full of heart, grit and individuality, but at the final whistle, Bath came out on top. If the Bears can keep the intensity shown here, tighten up when it matters, and improve depth, then this performance won’t feel like just a defeat but rather a stepping stone.

🐻 Follow us on Instagram @BearsBeyondTheGate, Twitter @bearsbeyondgate,  Facebook @Bears Beyond The Gate and now even TikTok too @bears.beyond.the2

💬 Share this episode with your fellow Bears fan — let’s keep the fan chat alive!

UP THE BEARS! 🐻

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This week we go over Friday night’s 7-try, 49-point dismantling of Gloucester under the lights and in front of the baying crowd at Kingsholm. We regained the Rifles Cup with another warrior-like performance of grit and graft but also sprinkled some fantastic handling and offloading. Despite our injury woes if felt a bit like the Bears Way in its full glory.

Not only did the frenetic nature of the game help last minute loanee and former fan favourite Toby Fricker shrug off his stag do hangover, but it also allowed Mattias Moroni to get over his jet lag having, flown into Bristol on the red eye earlier in the week. However, in young Sam Worsley we had a bone fide Academy player who definitely came of age delivering a high class performance and becoming the first Bristol player to kick seven conversions in a Prem rugby match. 

We went with Gloucester-supporting Lewis who was supposed to join us tonight but he has unsurprisingly cried off, but we do hear from his Dad Steve who was the Gloucester team doctor back in the day of Mike Teague and the like.

3 wins out of 4 is a pretty good return give the injuries but we have a final challenge down the road before the Autumn Internationals ‘literally’ kick in. Given that Bath lost to Tigers, are we heading towards an epic backlash or should we go with some extra confidence given that our recent performance history has been pretty good there? We hear from Bath fans, Tom Dabs and Matt Price who gives thir thoughts. Either way you can be sure that the likes of Gengey, Dunnie and Kloska will be ready for them.

All this and more with Pete, Miles and Lee in rugby union's only lock-in pod down at the Bristol Beer Factory Taproom.

Chapter markers are avaible again!

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Pete, Miles and Lee pick through the narrow win against the Chiefs as well as previewing the upcoming fixture against Gloucester with help from Ed Price from the Cherry Jam fan pod.

There is also the usual excellent contributions from listeners and a bonus section on Bennard Janse Van Rensburg's post match interivew with Clare Thomas.

Finally, we finsh off with a big, big Goat, an update on the work of the Supporters Advisory Committee and pay homage to the game's look-a-like cam effort.

Slight apologies for the length of the episode, but to make it more manageable chapter markers have been inserted to allow for 'structured' listening!

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