Well if there was ever a game for the neutral supporter, that ladies and gentlemen was it. After an explosive opening with the Bears three tries to the good and taking a 21-point lead after only 13 minutes you would have believed the writing was on the wall for another famous Bristol victory at the Rec.
Unfortunately we, as so many times previously this season, were the architects of our own demise. All the hard work and total dominance of the opening 25 minutes was turned on its head, starting with the yellow card given to Harry Thacker and then, fatally from our perspective, by the red card given to the returning Siva Naulago.
Siva’s opening half hour showed us the Jekyll and Hyde character of his rugby persona. Firstly he produced a world-class finish in the corner for our third try when it looked almost impossible to score, only to be sent off 15 minutes later with yet another high tackle.
