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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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In this week's episode we re-live a fantastic day down the Gate when the Bears secured their first play off berth in four years with a resounding 52-26 victory over Quins. The Bears Way was on display in its full roller-coaster splendour although to be fair they weathered a small storm in the second half and then powered to the finish line, much to the frenzied delight of the majority of the 20,000 fans in the stadium (minus the Quins supporters who, to be fair, seemed very gracious in defeat).

The prize? Another visit to one of our happier hunting grounds just down the road.

Banana skin? Target on their back? All the pressure on them? The cliches are rolling off our tongues but the bottom line is we have nothing to lose, have a pack that might just cause them a few things to think about and if we get front foot ball then we know we have the weapons to win the battle and propel us further east to the promised land of a first Premiership final.

Finally, we run through a bit of AOB which includes questions around the number of season ticket renewals, a debate on whether the the hoops on the home shorts are the in the correct order for middle aged men who drop food down their front, and then a quick sprint to the finish line with a run through of the end of season award winners from the ceremony that took place after the game on Saturday.

Running order:

0.00 - 6.20: Introduction

6.20 - 12.10: Post match soundbites

12.10 - 38.54 : Review of the game

38.54 - 45.13: Listener contributions

45.13 - 53.54: Bath preview

53.54 - end: AOB

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What a difference a week makes. After European disappointment last week the Bears bounced back with a late 29-28 win over Gloucester to win the Rifles Cup.

With Semi out for the rest of the season and many of our other stars unavailable the match day squad did the club proud to snatch a late win despite Sam Bedlow's red card. Hear our thoughts on the game and player performances.

We also talk to the Leicester fan's podcast about our next game away at Welford Road. After a Christmas ding-dong at the Gate and the controversial finish to the game at Leicester last season this could be a spicy encounter. Hear our thoughts on team selection and our result predictions.

We also talk about the club's open training session during the Easter holidays, Semi's knee operation and the departure of Antoine Frisch to Munster next season.

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

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In this week's show we talk about the fateful Friday night that saw Bristol dumped out of the Champions Cup by Sale. Hear our thoughts on the selections, tactics and player performances.
 
 We also preview the next home game against Gloucester with our friends from the Cherry Jam Podcast.
 
 Due to a technical glitch the last five minutes of this week's recording is unavailable. 

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It may not have been a showcase of fluent rugby but we are mighty happy with the 9-10 victory away at Sale in the Champions Cup first leg. Hear our thoughts on the game, player performances and Pat's tactic of going with a superstar heavy bench.

With the second leg at home on Good Friday we debate the Bears approach for the next clash with Sale. Same again or do we start our big names from the first minute. Hear our thoughts.

We also talk about the arrivals of Ibitoye, Williams, Davies, Mulhall and Charalambous for next season. Some astute signings by the club as we look to balance the books next year.

There's also our thoughts on season card prices and the club's decision to move the family section to the Lansdown Upper.  All this and more with Tony, Lee and Pete.

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Not a great week for the Bears with disappointing loss against Gloucester in the Premiership Cup quickly followed by a league defeat away at Northampton. Hear our thoughts on the player performances, tactics and where it all went wrong... again.

To make a bad week on the field worse, news broke of Bristolian Dave Attwood's departure at the end of the season to join Bath. Then the Daily Telegraph's  revelation that a contract mess up means six players who were due to leave the club have been given one year extensions, due to a missed deadline, leaving a reported £400k gap in our salary budget for next season.

We discuss the how the gap may be filled and what big names might be on their way out to balance the books. 

Plus our preview of the European game away at Sale with our friends from The Shark Tank podcast. 

All this and more on this week's show.

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In this week's show we review Bristol 61-19 win against Bath in the Premiership Rugby Cup and the narrow 27-23 defeat to Saracens in the 'Showdown' at White Hart Lane.

Hear our thoughts on both games and the player performances that stood out.

There's also our previews of the forthcoming games against Gloucester (cup) and we speak to Northampton journalist, Tom Vickers, about our trip Saints  (league). Plus more rumours about players arriving and leaving.

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Recorded right after the game the boys discuss the disappointing 29-38 loss to Saracens at Ashton Gate on Sunday. Having conceded 14 points in the first 3 minutes the boys showed a lot of heart to battle back into the game but ultimately fell short... again.

We discuss the individual performances and look at some of the key moments in the game.

There's also our preview of the forthcoming games against Bath and Saracens, a discussion on new signing Magnus Bradbury and our thoughts on Randall and Sinckler's performances for England against Ireland.

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Once again this season we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After a flying start at arch rivals Bath a red card, there yellows and some poor decision making see the Bears fall to a 29-27 defeat in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

We try to make sense of this crazy game and give our thoughts on individual performances.

We once again speak to Will at The Harlequins Podcast about the reigning champions visit to Ashton Gate next Sunday. He's confident that Quins will win and after Saturday's debacle lets hope Bristol bounce back and show us what they can do.

We also discuss the injury-cover arrival of another scrum half, plus a fullback and tight head prop. There's news of the Bears A game against the Navy and discuss the decision to reject Donny and Ealing's application to join the Premiership. Some mixed views in the studio on that one!

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

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This week we bask in the glory of the Bears bonus-point win against a strong Wasps team. We certainly didn't expect to see such a good performance after the horror show at Worcester the week before.

Hera out thoughts on the likes of Strong, Eden, Frisch and Adeolokun who all stepped up to the plate to guide the Bears to a memorable win. Hear our thoughts on the game, performances and tactics and if Tiff Eden had done enough to keep the 10 shirt for next week.

We also look ahead to the next game against a slowly improving Bath team with our friend Matt Price from @BathBytes. Hear our thoughts on Pat's likely selections and how this big westcountry derby will go.

There's also news about the U18s winning the national title, a close game for the women against Sarries and Harry Randall's first Six Nation start against Wales.

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

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In this week's show we discuss the 19-14 defeat to Worcester Warriors. Once again a lack of precision and too many turnovers left the Bears humbled at Sixways. To make matters even worse, new scrum half, Toby Venner, lasted all of a dozen minutes before the number 9 curse struck again.We pick through the bones of this disappointing performance and analyse what went wrong.

There's also a preview of next Friday's game against Wasps with friend of the podcast, Rob from The Wasps Report. We give our thoughts on our chances and what team changes Pat Lam may make.

There's speculation we are going to bring a Championship fly half to Ashton Gate next term along with the already announced arrival of AJ MacGinty. Find out who it is!

Also there's our take on the new pay-to-view option for non BT/ITV covered games and the return of 'Gets my Goat'.

All this and more with Tony, Lee and Pete.

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In this special bumper edition of BBTG we celebrate our 100th episode of the podcast.

The team hadn't read the script and instead of having a glorious victory to review, we try to make sense of the 32-49 home defeat against London Irish. How did we go from a halftime lead to conceding 39 unanswered points in half an hour! And then with 14 men we score three tries in the last five minutes. A crazy, crazy game.

Hear our thoughts on the match, the Naulago red card, Mr Ridley's refereeing along with our perspective on individual performances.

To celebrate our century of shows we talked to the King of Southmead. In a wide-ranging interview Joe tells us how the club has evolved since he joined, the night we won the Challenge Cup in France as well as his rugby ambitions. 

We also talk about Vui's new four-year deal, the departure of Groves and the arrival of student hooker Fred Davies next year. There's also our reflections on Randall's first Six Nations start for England, Sinckler's late try in Rome and Sheedy's cameo appearance for Wales against Ireland.

We finish off with our memories and high points from our 100 episodes. A longer pod than normal, but well worth a listen.

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Join Pete and Lee as they review the Friday night loss at Sale and how Saints' win against Sarries has provided us with a play off lifeline.

At least things are simple now. Win against Quins and we are in the play offs.

Lose and we probably won't be...

Up the Bears!

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In this week's show we give our thoughts on Bristol's entertaining 37-21 win against Newcastle Falcons at Ashton Gate. Tom Whiteley shone as a nine-and-a-half (scrum half and fly half) and Siva Naulago put in a eye-catching performance in his first start of the season after a long-term injury.

We also look ahead to the next game on Friday against London Irish and Pete has a cosy chat with our good friend Jerry Brown, Chair of the London Irish Supporters Association. Jerry tells us all about the teams recent form, a young number 7 to look out for and his thoughts on how the game will go.

With Uren and Morahan off with injuries at the weekend, we give our thoughts on who might come in and wether Tiff Eden did enough to keep the fly half jersey.

We also talk to the Bristol Bullsharks, a new team looking for players - it's rugby but not as we know it; we discuss Sinckler, Randall and Sheedy's opening weekend in the Six Nations; and comment on Harry Randall's new 'long-term' deal with the Bears.

All this and more with Tony, Lee and Pete.

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In this week's show we talk about the record-breaking European Champions Cup win away at Scarlets. the 52-21 scoreline is the most points Bristol have scored in the competition and the most tries in a match. 

We talk about the player performances, the tactics and the return of some star names. With all the results in we discuss our Round of 16 opponents, Sale Sharks, and give our thoughts on Bristol's chances to progress to the quarter finals.

We also talk about the new TV deal for free-to-air Premiership coverage, speculation about Nathan Hughe's next club  and more, with Tony, Lee, Miles and Pete.

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In this week's show we discuss Bristol Bears 28-17 win against Stade Francais Paris at Ashton Gate in the Champions Cup. Kicking off at the unusual time of 8pm on Saturday evening the Bristol faithful witnessed a free flowing open game with some cracking tries from the Bears. We talk tactics, team performance and pick out some individuals who shone for us.

Next week is the final pool game against Welsh foes, Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets. With qualification to the knockout stage guaranteed we ask what team will Pat take to Wales for this fixture. We talk team selections and give our score predictions.

We round up the show with our thoughts on which Bears' players may receive call ups for their respective Six Nations squads. We debate who may be leaving us for the international camps and what impact that will have on Bristol's chances of glory in the second half of the season.

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In this week's show we discuss the much improved 32-15 win against Sales Sharks at Ashton Gate. Sale have been a bit of a bogey team for us over the past few seasons, but a much improved Bears picked up the try-bonus-point win with the last play of the game.

Here our thoughts on the tactics, performance and which individuals shone for us. There's also the chant that never was and the mysterious reappearnce of a regal mitten!

We also look ahead to the game against State Francais next Saturday in the Champions Cup. Will Pat be tempted to shuffle the deck or stick with a winning squad - hear our thoughts.

All this and more with Tony, Pete and Miles.

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In this week's show we discuss the 19-13 defeat at Sandy Park where the Bears were resolute in defence but rather lacklustre in attack. Was the losing bonus point a just reward or were we lucky to come away with something. Hear our thoughts on the game plan, player performances and some of the moments that stood out for us.

We also look ahead to Sale's visit to Ashton Gate on Friday and ponder the team and tactics for this game. We talk with Jonathan Beardmore from the Eggchasers Podcast who gives us his thoughts on both Bristol and Sale's season so far, what's going wrong for both teams  and what to expect on Friday night.

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

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It was a real heartbreaker on Boxing Day as Leicester Tigers scored in the dying seconds to win 26-28 at the Gate. A wonderful game of rugby for the neutral and probably the best Bears' peformance of the season so far. 

Hear our thoughts on the game, tactics and player performances. There was also the return to Bristol of Ellis Genge, accompanied by a new chant from the stands. We give our thoughts on his performance and talk to his dad, Richard.

The next game is on New Year's Day away at Exeter. We discuss likely team selections and give our predictions on the score.

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

This episode was recorded online.

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In this show we start with the big news this week that Ellis Genge is returning home to Bristol next season. We talk about the 'Baby Rhino' heading back to BS3 and what this means for him and the squad for next year.

With the trip to Paris to play Stade Francais postponed at short notice we take a look at the team Pat selected and ponder on the future of this year's competition. 

We also look ahead to the big Boxing Day fixture against the unbeaten Leicester Tigers at Ashton Gate.  With a fixture that has more spice this year than a vindaloo, we talk to our friend at the Rolling Maul podcast (Leicester fan pod) about the Genge  transfer and accompanying promo video, last season's 'scrumgate' and the Boxing Day match up. It's a cracking listen.

There's also Under 18s discussions, the Women's team and transfer gossip about an incoming international hooker.

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

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In this week's podcast we discuss the cancellation of the home game against Scarlets, where we've been awarded a 28-0 - five point win - as our opponents were unable to field a team. Looks good on paper for the start of our Champions Cup campaign, but will this week off be a blessing in disguise or a setback for our European ambitions.

We also look ahead to the trip to Paris for the next European game against State Francais. We hear from our good friend Remi Calandra, a State Francais fan, about the team's performances this season, players to watch and how the game will go next week.

With over a third of the league season over, we also have a debate on what's happened to the Bears this season and give our predictions on how the rest of the league campaign will pan out. Can the Bears make the top four this term - hear our thoughts on likely league positions.

All this and more including the women's team regaining top spot in the league table.

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In this week's show we discuss Bristol's dissapointing 27-10 defeat away at Kingsholm. With possible our strongest match-day squad of the season, expectations were raised but not matched by the result.

We talk about the performances, tactics and ask when will the Bears start to click again?

There's also the start of our European Champions Cup campaign at home to Scarlets this weekend. But with the bulk of the Welsh team's squad not out of COVID-19 isolation until 24 hours before the game what's going to happen? 

Will we face a patched up Scarlets XV or will the game be forfeited to protect player welfare. Hear our thoughts on the show.

All this and more with Tony, Lee, Miles, Pete and our guest tree!

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We pick the bones out of the 20-36 home defeat to Northampton Saints. Despite quick starts in both halves, our scrum disintegrated during the game starving the Bears of possession and territory at crucial times. We talk team selection and tactics and who stood out on a night it went wrong for Bristol.

We also have our friend Ed from the Cherry Jam podcast to review the upcoming league game against Gloucester at Kingsholm. Will it be Gloucester or Bristol Bears with their hands on the Rifles Cup come Friday night.

There's also our thoughts on the women's win to keep them top of the league and breaking new ground with BBC coverage. Plus a proud moment for a Bear BaaBaa at Twickenham.

All this and more on this week's show, with Tony, Lee, Miles, Pete and Mr Tree!

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It's been a long time coming and it has divided opinion, but Saturday saw 51,000 spectators descend on Cardiff for the Big Day out at the World's premier rugby stadium. We review both the pre-match atmosphere, the game itself and what we can take forward to the tough away game at Sale. It is customary to mention Enya at this juncture but we need to put lazy puns aside and focus on the task ahead. 

Bears got the 5 points that they needed to keep themselves on play-off life support but how good was the victory really given it was a Bath second string and they needed two late tries to make the score board look respectable?

We also manage to slot in a couple of soundbites that actually got recorded in the mayhem and indulge ourselves in more Hambley-esque acrostic-ery with a tidy limerick for desert.

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

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In this week's show we talk about the disappointing 68-13 defeat at Sixways in the Premiership Cup. We take a look at the performance and ask how important is this cup competition and should we restructure it for next season.

We also chat to Graham McKechnie, Sports Editor at BBC Northampton, about the next league fixture at home to the Saints. Get Graham's take on Northampton's season so far and his thoughts on their prospects for the trip to Ashton Gate.

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

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In this week's show we discuss the 33-27 win for Bristol against Exeter Chiefs in our opening game of this season's Premiership Rugby Cup. A blend of experience and youth helped overcome our Devon rivals at Sandy Park.

We talk about the performance and some of the new names that pulled on a Bears' shirt for the first time. We also look ahead to the next cup tie away at Worcester.

The big news this week was the announcement that USA international fly half, AJ MacGinty, will join Bristol form the 2022-23 season, adding depth to our options at 10.  Hear our thoughts on AJ and if he will be a back-up to Sheedy or will take the starting spot. We also discuss the rumours around a couple of star props that have been linked with Bristol in the last week or so.

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

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In this week's show we celebrate back-to-back bonus-point wins after Bristol beat Worcester 27-5 at Ashton Gate. We give our thoughts on theme, tactics and player performances. Have we turned the tide this season or is it a false dawn?

We also look ahead to the start of the Premiership Rugby Cup campaign with a trip down the M5 to Sandy Park. We discuss how Pat will approach the competition - a chance to keep building momentum with the first team or a chance to bring through some of the fringe and academy players.

Where is Brizzley? Our furry friend has been missing from mascot duties for a while now. Is he safe? Did he pick up a knock in training? Or as he been quietly retired from the match-day experience. We want to know #whereisbrizzley

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

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After our rest week Lee, Miles, Pete and Tony are back to discuss the Bears 45-33 win away at London Irish. A gripping fixture saw Bristol score three unanswered tries in the first 20 minutes and then finish the half with three men in the sin bin.

In a gutsy performance, Bristol managed to take control in the second half to run out as winners. We talk tactics, performances and take a closer look at some of those yellow card moments.

We then turn our attention to the next game at home against Worcester. Giving us the inside track on the Warrior's season so far is Marcello Cossali-Francis, sports editor at the Worcestershire News. We discuss Pat Lam's selection options and give our score prediction for the game.

All this and more on this week's show,

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In this week's show we give our thoughts on the Bears latest league defeat, a 13-5 reversal away at Newcastle Falcons. A much changed team saw plenty of fresh faces against the Falcons but some of the old problems raised their heads again.

We also talk to the one and only Jerry Browne from the London Irish  Supporters Association about the forthcoming trip to Brentford to play the Exiles in their new stadium. 

All this and more on this week's show.

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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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You’re listening to Bears Beyond The Gate episode 196. Yes 196.

We’re three fans who love the club, the game and all things Bears.

Each episode we talk about the game that’s gone, the game that’s coming up and anything else that takes our fancy as long as it is vaguely Bears related. We try to be as balanced as possible but ultimately we are trying to reflect the views and opinions of paying punters from all ages, backgrounds and demographics. We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we do try to say it as we see it!

This week we mull over the third defeat in a row at Franklins Gardens and wonder whether ‘the best form of defence is attack’ strategy has now run its course and given that we have a play-off place hanging in the balance with only three games left, is there any way of tweaking the game plan to keep us in the top four?

The next time that we see the Bears will be The Big Day Out in Cardiff and sadly we imagine that Bath players and fans will be licking their lips in anticipation. It has to be a yet another must-win for us, but how exactly are we going to do that?

Finally, a new song, ‘Come on you Bristol Bears’, has been published by lifelong fan and charity fundraiser, Paul Hobbs. All download proceeds are being donated to the Foundation and you can find out more by clicking here.

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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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In this week's show we are joined by Lewis from the Shark Tank podcast as we look ahead to the game at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Will Pat send his strongest team or will we see some rotation as we head into the final three games of the regular season.  After the narrow loss at home to Sale this year and the trouncing a weaker Bears team took end the end of last season, do we have a score to settle?

Also in this edition we discuss the news that the top eight teams in the Premiership qualify for next seasons Champions Cup. Good to have extra teams in the competition, or devaluing the prestige of the tournament.

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It was the moment we'd all been waiting for as Ashton Gate opened the turnstiles once more to fans after 435 days away. In what will go down as one of the most memorable games for many a year, Bristol Bears recorded a comfortable 39-7 win against Gloucester.

The five-point win keeps Bristol top of the pile but, as well as the returning fans, this bizarre match will be remembered not so much for the five tries Bristol scored but the seven they didn't score! A combination of small handling errors and more TMO reviews than ever before kept the scoreline much lower than the scintillating rugby could have delivered.

We give our first-hand experiences of being back in the stadium and out thoughts on the match, tactics and player performances.

This Tuesday night special was recorded by Tony, Lee and Pete, as Miles is still 'missing in action'.

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In this week's show discuss Bristol's record league win against our old foes at the Rec. Despite gifting Bath a 15 point lead in the opening 30 minutes, the Bears came strong to record another bonus-point win to stay eight points clear at the top of the table. We discuss the tactics, performances and that Kyle Sinckler interview. 

We also look ahead to the visit of Gloucester on Monday 17 May as we welcome fans back into Ashton Gate. We talk to Ed Price form the Cherry Jam Podcast to get the lowdown on Gloucester and what we can expect from our rivals up the M5.

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

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In this episode we talk about the prospects of a Bristol Bears win away at Bath. We get the inside track on our local rivals from our friends at Bath Bytes (Twitter account) and the Bath Rugby Plug (podcast) who give us their insight on how Bath have improved since the last time they played us - the  48-3 Bristol win back in January.

We pick our likely starting XV and look at how important this fixture is as we enter the final five rounds of the league season.

With confirmation that 3,000 fans will be allowed in Ashton Gate for the Bristol v Gloucester game we talk about the potential perils of a Monday night game for all of us fans desperate to enjoy live sport again... with a beer or two.

All this and more on this week's show.

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In this week's episode we review the 20-12 defeat at home against Exeter. Fair play to the Chiefs who got their tactics spot on to take a narrow win at Ashton Gate. We ask how much can we learn from this encounter and do the Bears have what it takes to beat Exeter in the playoffs. We talk team selection, tactics and player performances.

We discuss the two-week break before the next game away at Bath. How will Pat Lam use the break to prepare the Bears for this local derby. And speculate on how many of the injured players might be back for the game at the wRECk.

With news that the home game against Gloucester has been put back to Monday 17 May to potentially allow fans into the game at the Gate, we give our thoughts on what it will be like to see 'live' rugby again.

All this and more on this week's show.

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Only a couple of hours after the end of the disappointing defeat against Tigers we knock out a pod.

It's raw and a bit unstructured and involves a long discussion about how many more fortress metaphors we can realistically use before just giving up and accepting that we're never going to win lots of home games in a row.

Supporting Bristol continues to be like riding a roller-coaster but today it felt like we were more at Peppa Pig World than Alton Towers.

Are play off hopes in the balance or can we bounce back? 

To be honest, we just don't know but talk about it anyway.

Plus shout outs to the Bristol Bears Lotto, Martin who we met in the concourse, and a new Simba Cam candidate...

All this and more with Pete, Miles and guest pundit, Stoner!

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In this week's show we review the 34-17 win away at Newcastle Falcons. After a shaky first 20 minutes the Bears came roaring back scoring five tries and playing some of their best rugby for several weeks. It was another five-point haul to maintain our 12 point lead at the top of the table.

We look forward to Friday's top-of-the-table clash with Exeter Chiefs with the help of Robert Kitson, chief rugby correspondent for The Guardian. He talks about the strengths of both teams as well as giving his thoughts on broader rugby issues such as ringfencing and the future of the league. 

There's also the speculation the round 19 fixtures may be postponed by a few days to allow clubs to get fans into stadiums. We ask what this would mean for Bristol if we can get bums on seats for the Rifles Cup clash against Gloucester.

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

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In this week's show we take the opportunity of a game-free weekend to take a position-by-position review of the Bristol Bears squad and give our thoughts on where Pat needs to strengthen ahead of next season.

We preview the next game away at Newcastle with some help from our friend at the Folk on Falcons podcast. How many changes will we see from the Bordeaux game and will Pat have even more players to choose from?

There's also our thoughts on the 21/22 Season Card renewal prices and how much value for money the offer. We also see the return of the Gets My Goat feature, but what has got under Pete's skin this week?

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

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In this week's show we discuss the disappointing 36-17 defeat at the hands of Bordeaux and our exit from this season's Champions Cup. We came up against a good Bordeaux team for sure, but we ask - did we do ourselves justice in France? We also debate the performance of the referee and TMO. Some questionable decision making but was this the main reason for our downfall?

We take a look at the tactics and player performances from the game to figure out what went wrong for the Bears. With a free week now, we discuss the need to regroup and prepare for the next league game away at Newcastle in a fortnight's time. 

We also have a very special message from the club to share and discuss the rumour that Gloucester's Mark Atkinson could be a target for Pat Lam. All this and more on this week's show.

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