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Bristol are back in the big time. The west-country English club have been crowned champions of the Greene King IPA Championship and with it comes promotion to the Aviva Premiership for the 2016/17 season. It marks a major turn in fortunes for a club that has failed to achieve that goal since being relegated from the top flight in 2009.
Wednesday’s decider at Ashton Gate did not go exactly to plan for Andy Robinson’s side with Doncaster actually taking the victory by 34-32 in the final game of the season, but it was not nearly enough to overcome the 15 point deficit heading into the match from last week’s 28-13 Bristol win. While the end result will be disappointing for the Knights, who have Canadian locks Jon Phelan and Tyler Hotson on the roster, their runner-up honours are the club’s highest ever placing and a highly impressive achievement given they had only just been promoted to the Championship from National One in 2014.
The news will not be looked upon lightly by current Aviva Premiership clubs. Bristol has a passionate supporters base – demonstrated again by the record 16,084 in attendance on Wednesday – and is backed by the financial clout of prominent billionaire businessman Stephen Lansdown, also a majority owner of Bristol City Football Club. Robinson is a former England and Lions coach, and the team already boasts numerous internationals in a squad that has already signed Wales scrumhalf Rhodri Williams, Samoa flyhalf Tusi Pisi, and former England no8 Jordan Crane ahead of next season, with more names now sure to follow.
In a highly competitive season that saw London Irish relegated, next year’s Premiership looks to be even tougher, and rumours of a proposed ‘ring-fencing’ of the top division will again rise with Bristol’s ascension. A 14-team Premiership has been mooted – with London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie added – though Doncaster’s success adds another wrinkle to the discussion. In the meantime the festivities will last long into the night and on through the weekend in Bristol, with Argentina’s Gastón Cortes unlikely to be spared from the song and dance.
CURRENT BRISTOL INTERNATIONALS
Gastón Cortes (Argentina – 3 caps), Kyle Traynor (Scotland – 4 caps), Anthony Perenise (Samoa – 28 caps), Ian Evans (Wales – 33 caps), Jack Lam (Samoa – 19 caps), Martin Roberts (Wales – 3 caps), Gavin Henson (Wales – 33 caps), Matthew Morgan (Wales – 3 caps), Tommaso Benvenuti (Italy – 34 caps), David Lemi (Samoa – 42 caps), Tom Varndell (England – 4 caps)
