Its game day.
The race for the playoffs is on. Bristol Bears return to Gallagher Premiership action after two weekends off when Newcastle Falcons come to Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears are the form team in the Premiership having won their last four league games to climb the table up to fifth in the standings heading into Round 15, having dismissed Gloucester 33-24 at Kingsholm last time out.
In contrast, despite Newcastle bringing in Steve Diamond to lead the club, the Falcons remain winless and locked to the bottom of the table. Fortunately for them, there is no risk of relegation this season but they can play the role of the spoilers for those chasing a top four finish.
The game kicks off at 3pm on Sunday.
Follow all the build-up, team news, live play-by-play match updates, reaction, stats, analysis and highlights from Ashton Gate with regular updates below...
Key Events
Reaction from Newcastle Falcons boss Steve Diamond
Diamond said:
“I thought we had taken a couple of steps forward over the last month, but that was certainly a step back. It gives us a line in the sand.
“We never touched the ball for the first 15 minutes and they were 21 points up. We didn’t get off the bus at all. It was not a positive vibe.
“All we can do is take them back home and get them ready for Sale next week.
“I said when I came back in that we would have three or four games and I would be making decisions, and that is what we will do.
“It’s a tough world out there and we are obviously not up to it in certain areas, which was evident today.
“It is 15 (Premiership) games without a win so it is very difficult to have any positivity in the building when you keep losing every week.
“We have been close in the last couple of weeks and today it looked like a completely different team. Bristol were outstanding today – they would probably have put 25-30 points on anybody in the league – and it is a tough learning day.”
MATCH REPORT: Bristol Bears annihilate Newcastle Falcons with record Premiership win to move into the play-offs
Steve Diamond’s description of Bristol Bears as the ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ of rugby in midweek proved to be on point as he watched Pat Lam’s side run in 13 tries against his Newcastle Falcons outfit in a record 85-14 win on Sunday.
Bristol’s fifth successive win in the Premiership sees the club move into the play-off places into fourth with just three rounds of the regular season remaining after Harlequins were beaten 37-14 up at Sale Sharks to slip down to fifth. Playing in the late Spring sunshine the Bears, with the handbrake well and truly off, were in the mood to attack from everywhere from the very start and had an attacking bonus point wrapped up inside 15 minutes, becoming the second-quickest side in the history of the Premiership to do so.
It was total rugby from Bristol with Siva Naulago opening the scoring after 86 seconds and that set the tone for a one-way parade of Bears scorers with James Dun, Max Malins, Magnus Bradbury, James Williams, Ellis Genge and Benhard Janse van Rensburg all crossing before half time, with the scoreboard ticking at better than a point a minute to go in 47-7 up. Newcastle had just an interception try from Adam Radwan, who is due to switch to rugby sevens this summer ahead of the Olympics, to show for their long trip from the North East.
The second half was much the same story as, despite Lam bringing off the majority of his star players early on, the hosts ran in another six tries with Virimi Vakatawa recording a brace and Harry Randall, Kieran Marmion, Jake Heenan and Janse van Rensburg touching down in a complete humiliation of the winless bottom of the league visitors who got a second interception try, this time for Brett Connon.
Bristol’s Premiership run-in is not straightforward – Leicester away, Saracens at home and Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop – but they are a team high on confidence and could take some stopping in terms of clinching a top-four place.
More from Pat Lam
Lam said:
"We were ready to play this game last week and we've been waiting and I said everyone outside this room is going to be talking to this game being a banana skin, going to be talking about Newcastle, how tough they are - and I know they are - but we need to put it into our game.
"Physicality is going to come, they brought physicality but our physicality within the Bears way got the job done.
On getting into the top four
"The table means nothing until the last round, until the last round's finished. That's when the table actually counts."
Reaction from Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam
Lam said:
I'm really pleased for the whole squad because that looks like the way we're training and that's not clarity and stuff, that's the tempo we've been training at, the genuine competition,
When we have the starting team versus the other 15 and guys coming in and when I look at the video, you can't tell which is the stronger team because everyone's pushing hard, everyone knows and understands their roles, everyone's playing for the team.
"I constantly say to the boys that when it looks easy out there, and for some people I think that was easy, it's not, it's hard work because you've got to be in the right place.
Match action
What's happening elsewhere
Sale Sharks are 37-24 up against Harlequins with five minutes remaining at the Salford Stadium.
FULL TIME - Bristol Bears 85 Newcastle Falcons 14
Bristol cement their reputation as the form team in the Gallagher Premiership with a demolition job of Newcastle Falcons.
85-14
TRY - Bristol Bears - 85-14
Virimi Vakatawa is over for his second of the game after taking an over the top basketball style pass from the unplayable Benhard Janse van Rensburg
The South African can't add the extras but has been out of this world today.
85-14
TRY - Bristol Bears - 80-14
This is an utter humilation of Newcastle Falcons.
Rapid young lock Joe Owen takes off on a stunning 60m run to get deep into the Newcastle 22.
The ball is kep alive and worked wide to Virimi Vakatawa who breaks a tackle and dive over in the corner.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg casually adds the difficult right touchline conversion kick with James Williams coming off having taken a knock.
80-14
TRY - Bristol Bears - - 73-14
Benhard Janse van Rensburg crosses for the Bears' 11th try of the match.
There are lots of shaking heads up in the press box from the BBC Radio Newcastle commentators.
James Williams adds the extras.
73-14
TRY - Bristol Bears - 66-14
Replacement flanker Jake Heenan is over for try number 10 of the day.
Virimi Vakatawa tries a clever behind the back flick pass which rebounds off a Newcastle tackler and into the hands of Benhard Janse van Rensburg who passes inside to Heenan to gallop over.
James Williams misses his first conversion attempt of the game.
66-14
TRY - Newcastle Falcons - 61-14
Interception.
Brett Connon intercepts a flat pass from Max Malins and the Falcons fly-half shows great pace to run in from 55m out despite Benhard Janse van Rensburg never giving up the chase.
Connon adds the extras as well from wide out on the right.
61-14
That sums up Newcastle's day
The Falcons should have their second of the game after Brett Connon slips through a grubber kick for Adam Radwan to chase but the bounce of the ball takes it away from the flying winger who had the beating of Rich Lane for pace.
61-7
TRY - Bristol Bears - 61-7
The Bears finally do have try number nine.
The forwards go to work, first winning a penalty against the head at the scrum to be able to kick to the corner.
The lineout is well executed and the maul set. The drive comes on and then Will Capon breaks blind before drawing in the last defender and feeding Kieran Marmion to dot down.
James Williams adds the extras.
61-7
Try blown
Thr Bears should be over again after Gabriel Ibitoye, Siva Naulago and new man Virimi Vakatawa combine to cut open the Newcastle defence, with a wonderful no look pass from the French international in the middle of the attack, but the final pass to Kieran Marmion hits the deck with the tryline begging.
54-7
Pat Lam pulls off his stars
Key men Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Steven Luatua, Harry Randall and AJ MacGinty have all made way.
There are tougher tests to come.
54-7
NO TRY - Bristol Bears - 54-7
The Bears are going to have to wait for try number nine.
Josh Caulfield cleverly picks the ball up at a the base of a ruck and explodes through the middle unguarded.
The ball is shipped wide to Gabriel Ibitoye who scored in the corner but the officials decide Caulfield was possibly offside when he broke the line and scrub off the score.
54-7
