Bears Beyond The Gate

In this week's show we try and put on a brave face as we discuss the 52-24 defeat away at Harlequins. It was just like last season's semi-final. Bristol scored with ease in the first period and were then blown away by Quins in the second half.

We ask what went wrong and how much scope does Pat have to fix things in the short-term. At least the women's team shone a light this weekend with an impressive victory at Harlequins and sit top of the table with five wins from five.

There's also Pete's Premiership Preview as we look forward to the next match with our friends from the Folk on Falcons podcast. We speculate on the selection choices to be made for the game at Newcastle.

We also lament the passing of the programme with 7 out of 13 clubs halting production of paper publications this year. We ask listeners what they think - time to go fully digital or keep the printed programme going.

All this and more on the show with Tony, Lee and Pete.

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Bath time for the Bears and we pulled the plug on our local rivals once again. With over 23,000 in Ashton Gate, Bristol got the season up and running with a 25-20 win against them from down the road.

We talk about the faltering first half and the Bears comeback in the second period to claim our first league win. We look at the players, the performance and the tactics as well as the Steven 'splash' as Captain Lautua went over for our first try.

We speak to our friends at The Harlequins Podcast about the next game away at the Stoop on Friday night. Hear our thoughts on team selection and our score predictions.

On the show we also talk to young Toby Fletcher about his Bearathon challenge to raise money for St Peter's Hospice.  Find out what Toby's season long challenge is and why he's pleased the Bears tightened up their defence after the Wasps game! More details on the challenge on Twitter @tberathon.

All this and much more on this week's show with Lee, Miles Pete and Tony.

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In this week's show we try and pick the bones out of the 44-8 defeat away at Wasps in round two of this season's Gallagher Premiership. Another lacklustre performance where for the second week running we've failed to score a single point in the second half of the game.

Have we become too predictable? Do we have a plan B to cope with a defensive squeeze on our running game? We discuss selections, tactics and indivudal performances. 

We look ahead to the next game at home to Bath on Friday night with our friend from BathBytes. Two west country teams both looking for a win to kick start our season. Has this now become a 'must win' match for Bristol Bears?

There's also a special interview with Sam Burrows from Bristol Beer Factory - the new ale suppliers at Ashton Gate. Hear how the deal came about, the beers you can get inside the stadium and a top tip to avoid the half-time queues.

All this and more on the show with Tony, Lee, Miles and Pete.

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This week we talk about the disappointing 9-26 defeat to Saracens in the opening game of the 2021/22 season. With just over 19,000 at the Gate, we were left feeling flat as the Bears failed to score a try for the first time in 58 games. We talk about the performances, tactics and new rules from Friday night and ask where did it go wrong.

There's also our thoughts on Pat's new five-year deal and the presentation and Q&A session he held for supporters last week.

We talk with Bears fan, Matt Price, about a mammoth cycle ride to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease research. We look ahead to the Wasps away game with our friends at The Wasps Report and give our thoughts on Bristol Bears Women's start to the season after a sensational 115-0 win this weekend.

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

You can find out more about the charity bike ride mentioned in the podcast at www.tourdeprem.com

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To kick off season three of the podcast we have the BBC's rugby correspondent, Chris Jones, who talks about the Bears, who he fancies for the top four, rule changes, new tournaments and there's even a bit of Strictly Come Dancing!

We look ahead to the season opener against Saracens at the Gate with our friends from the Fezcast podcast. Hear our views on the starting XV and score predictions for Friday night.

There's also our thoughts on the new home, away and European kits for Bristol Bears. Find out if we'll be investing in some new stash this autumn.

All this and more on the 80th episode of Bears Beyond The Gate

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In the final episode of BBTG's season two we take a look back at the 2020/21 season and pick out the memorable games, those magic moments off the pitch and give our thoughts on the players of the season. 

From those early games when we had a big 'unavailable' list through to the record-breaking home and away wins against Bath and finally the heartbreak of the semi-final defeat. Take a trip down memory lane with us for what has been a sensational year for Bristol Bears as we finished top of the league but narrowly missed out on Premiership glory.

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

Thank you to all our listeners from across the world. We will be back with season three of BBTG in September. Have a great summer and see you next season. Come on Bris!

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In this week's show emotions are still a bit raw as we discuss the semi final defeat at home against Harlequins. How did we manage to let slip a 28 point lead on the brink of halftime and end up losing 36-43 after extra time.

For the neutral (and Quins fans) possibly one of the greatest Premiership games of all time, but for Bears fans nothing but heartbreak being so close to our first Premiership final.

We talk selection, tactics and game management as we review this epic game. There's also a pet hate that raised its head again on Saturday, featuring in our 'Gets My Goat' section.

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

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The regular season is over and we've finished top of the pile without playing a game this weekend. Our round 22 fixture against London Irish was cancelled and the four points received guaranteed a top finish for Pat and the boys.

We discuss how the cancellation might affect preparations for next week, especially after witnessing the bruising encounter between Exeter and Sale at Sandy Park. Who will Pat pick and what type of threat do Quins offer. We discuss the semi-final matchup with our friends from the Harlequins Podcast.

We also round up with our thoughts on the recently announced retained list and comment on Saracens 60-0 demolition of Ealing in the first leg of the Championship playoff final.

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

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Despite recording only our third win at Welford Road in the league, the 26-23 victory will be remembered as much for what happened on the sideline as the events on the pitch.

In the show we give our reactions to the performance and Pat Lam's intervention in stoppage time as John Afoa eventually returned to the pitch as a replacement tight head and won the game for Bristol. Was Pat right? Was Steve Borthwick wrong? 

We also get the inside track on London Irish with Jerry Browne, Chair of the London Irish Supporters Club. Jerry gives his thoughts on Irish's season, prospects for the upcoming game against Bristol and we hear all about the new stadium in Brentford.

We also have Sinckler's Lions call up, Tom Kessell's departure and ask why is it taking so long to sell the 6,000 plus tickets for the final league game? All this and more on this week's show, the first to be recorded with the four of us together in one room since March 2020!

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In this week's show we analyse Bristol's 22-12 defeat away at Sale Sharks. After a scoreless first half, Sale made the most of Semi Radradra's yellow card to score two crucial tries and close the gap to us in the table.

Sale played well and defended ferociously to put us off our game, but did the lack of a plan B to deal with their rush defence ultimately cost us the game.

We look forward to the next game away at Leicester Tigers in what has now become a crucial match if we are to finish top of the league. We get an insight into our opponents with BBC Radio Leicester rugby commentator, Chris Egerton.

There's also crashing IT systems, a new signing and a contract extension to discuss.

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