Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
After just a year’s hiatus Bristol are headed back to the English Premiership. A stunning 50-19 defeated suffered by Ealing at Castle Park on Saturday combined with Bristol’s win over Nottingham on Friday sealed the inevitable.
With the old play-off format scrapped this season the Championship title was all that was required to earn promotion and Bristol have now achieved that with two games to spare. Having lost only one league fixture it might have come earlier were it not for the exception performance of Trailfinders, whose loss to Doncaster is only the fourth notch against them.
Bristol coach Pat Lam will now be able to concentrate his efforts on recruitment for next season though much has already been completed with 17 new signings already confirmed. Most notable are two former All Blacks in prop John Afoa and fullback Charles Piutau who will join back row Steven Luatua at the club.
Several players have already left the club including Georgia lock Giorgi Nemsadze and former England wing Tom Varndell. Long-time club stalwart David Lemi, the Samoan wing, will depart at season’s end.
Two Americas players are also destined for pastures new. Argentine prop Gastón Cortes is set to move to an established Premiership club with both Leicester and Sale reportedly interested, while Thretton Palamo’s days with Bristol are certainly over though his next move is uncertain. The Eagles midfielder has been sidelined for much of the season with a foot injury.
There will be at least one tenuous link to Canada next year in the form of Sam Jeffries. The 6’5″ (1.96m) flanker spent the 2014-15 season playing in the CDI Premier League with the UBC Thunderbirds. He has been a regular in the Bristol lineup this year and is signed through the 2019-20 season.
