After the limp display away at London Irish it was heartening to see Pat Lam select a strong side on paper for the trip to Parma Zebre, including welcome returns for the pint-sized Jedi, Harry Randall, and the Tank on the Flank, Siva Naulago.
The hope was that a visit to the Italian city famed for its thinly sliced pork would inspire the Bears to avoid another ham-fisted performance akin to the one experienced the week before.
As it turned out, it wasn’t until the second half that Bristol finally emerged from the fog of ill-discipline and indecision to race to a comfortable six-try victory and yet again provide us fans with a glimpse of what is possible if we succeed in mastering the basics and playing to our strengths.
That said, it was a hard game to judge. There were times in the first half where the Bears yet again looked again like a team that had only just met and who were incapable of stringing together a period of error-free pressure. The penalty count rose, the lineout creaked and the ball was spilled.
Ironically it was the ex-Bear Tiff Eden who looked the most composed as he went about his business with an air of quiet confidence and no lack of skill. Zebre did exactly what you would expect from a home team - worked hard at the breakdown, looked to move the ball around and took the points on offer and to be honest were probably disappointed with only a six point lead at the break.
However, the likes of both Randall and Naulago had shown glimpses of the required pace and power but it was the introduction of the unheralded James Williams and the re-jigging of the back line when Semi went off early with a head injury that proved the catalyst for the bonus point victory, alongside some welcome tightening up from the pack.
Ultimately the Bears cantered home, continuing their perfect win rate in Europe and qualifying for the next round. Better teams may well have punished the first-half performance more severely, but you can only play what's in front of you and we know that we do have top quality players that can produce the goods against the best on any given day. We just need it to happen more often. Up the Bears!
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