After a day of behind-the-scenes chaos as Premiership Rugby struggled to agree on protocol after Queen Elizabeth II’s momentous passing, Ashton Gate provided the perfect antidote to the fans’ Friday frustration by delivering a ripsnorter of a local derby that had BS3 rocking right up to the final whistle.
Opinions were understandably divided about whether the game should have gone ahead but an impeccably observed minute’s silence and a rollicking rendition of ‘God Save the King’ gave those of us present the perfect opportunity to pay our respects in a way that felt concrete and meaningful.
This was the sort of game that draws new fans in, and then keeps them coming, and how rugby union needs spectacles like this to grow support in a time of financial uncertainty.
