You will often hear pundits say qualifying eighth from the Premiership for the Heineken Champions Cup is something of a poisoned chalice, with the format of the draw meaning a giant of European or now South African rugby is heading your way in the pool stages. That might make qualification to the knockout rounds challenging but Pam Lam sees it differently.
His Bristol Bears side have been given a reprieve ahead of next season’s competition, with EPCR confirming today the West Country side will replace London Irish in the competition in 2023/24 as the next best-placed side, following the Exiles’ suspension from all competitions by the RFU.
READ MORE: EPCR confirm Bristol Bears' Heineken Champions Cup fate after London Irish suspension
Irish, who finished fifth in the league table last season, were suspended from all competitions by the Rugby Football Union on Tuesday after failing to prove they had the finances to complete the 2023/24 season with an American takeover never materialising and current owner Mick Crossan making it clear he is no longer willing to financially back the club with debts already reported to be in the region of £30m. On Wednesday the club filed for administration.
Now Lam, and his still star-studded squad with the likes of England’s Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler and Max Malins have been given a second chance to prove they belong at the top table of European rugby.
Discussing Champions Cup qualification last month before narrowly missing out by points difference to Bath on the last day of the regular season despite a win against Gloucester, Lam said: “Getting Champions Cup rugby is very important.
“We want to play with the best, even if we come in as the eighth team, the carrot of that is we are going to get a big club, a Leinster, or a La Rochelle, someone like that. That is who you want to play in the Champions Cup. You want to test yourself against the top teams, the better teams in Europe.”
While the Champions Cup represents a step up in quality to excite and bring the best out of seasoned internationals like the England trio, Steven Luatua and Chris Vui, Lam emphaised the importance of the competition for developing young talent as well, with clubs’ ability to bring through players from their academy more important than ever with the £5m baseline salary cap in the Premiership biting particularly hard at ambitious clubs like Bristol.
Lam said: “You only get better by playing the best.
“You only get better by playing the best teams, players getting exposed to that.
“When you have got young academy players, if I take Joe Jenkins for example, his experience of playing with Semi Radradra has brought him on so much, testing yourself against the best is the same.”
Centre Jenkins is one of two Bristol academy players selected as part of England's squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa this summer. He is joined in the squad by loosehead prop Jimmy Halliwell.
The tournament, hosted in the Cape Town region, returns for the first time in four years, and features the top 12 U20 rugby nations. England will be in Pool B with Ireland, Fiji and Australia.
READ MORE:
'We were all immediately impressed' - Released Bristol Bears prop signs with new club
