Bristol gave it everything but came up just short

Not quite enough
By Duncan Wood
June 8 2002

Ludovic Mercier tormented Bristol with his left boot and kicked Gloucester to victory in the Zurich Championship final. The Shoguns gave it everything and came so close to glory.

Gloucester took an early grip on the match and Bristol were denied any semblance of possession. Kicking with the breeze at his back, Ludovic Mercier landed a first minute penalty with the ball bouncing on the crossbar and over. He added another on 13 minutes as Bristol struggled to get into the game.

However, the Shoguns forwards were competing well and although the backs were being fairly well shackled, Felipe Contepomi was able to level the scores with 2 penalties of his own on 16 and 22 minutes.

Two yellow cards had a big effect on the game. Patrice Collazo was sinbinned for a high tackle on Pichot but Gloucester coped well with his absence. Then Phil Christophers followed him for tugging back a man when he didn't have the ball.

Bristol were just starting to get the upper hand but Christophers' absence left them a bit stretched. Gloucester camped in the Bristol 22 and worked the ball right and left looking for an opening. Bristol's tackling was secure until Henry Paul found Collazo with a miss pass and the prop moved it back inside for Jake Boer to crash over. Mercier's conversion made it 13-6.

Gloucester finished the first half well and Mercier added another penalty on the stroke of half time when Bristol were penalised at a ruck in the 22. The Shoguns looked relieved to see half time.

Bristol got a dream start to the second half. Agustin Pichot took a quick tap penalty 10 metres out and forced his way over despite the attentions of several defenders. 13-16. No scores followed for the next 20 minutes as the game ebbed and flowed.

Jamie Williams put a foot in touch as he sprinted clear to score and referee Roy Maybank incensed Bristol with a couple of strange decisions which led to Mercier kicking 2 penalties and extending the lead to 22-13.

As the game entered the last 10 minutes, Bristol dug deep into their reserves. How fitting it was that 'Clubman of the Year', Paul Johnstone, who has so often been an unsung hero, got his moment of glory. Johnstone burst clear from a lineout on the Gloucester 22. He sprinted away, handed off Tom Beim and dived over in the corner. Contepomi added a superb touchline conversion to reduce the game to 22-20.

Bristol immediately trangressed according to Maybank and Mercier added another penalty. The referee was rapidly becoming an unpopular figure with the Bristol fans who felt that the penalty count was mounting unfairly against them.

Contepomi reduced the gap to 25-23 with two minutes to go with a penalty of his own and Bristol threw everything at Gloucester. But, Maybank broke their hearts firstly by giving Mercier another easy penalty chance to make it 28-25 and then bringing the final Bristol attack to an end by penalising them for crossing when they looked dangerous in the Gloucester 22.

Overall, it's fair to say that Gloucester had the better overall season and therefore deserved the victory. However, on the day, it was desperately close and neither team merited finishing as losers.

It may not have been a classic but both sides put everything into it and the Bristol players can hold their heads up high - everyone played their parts. The Bristol supporters also did their best, matching the vocal Gloucester fans for volume.

It was a great effort and the game was decided by the width of a crossbar, a foot in touch and some key decisions.

It was a great West Country occasion and it was fitting that in Jubille week, Twickenham was turned red, white and blue.