Bristol went into the Six Nations break as one of the form teams in the Premiership with skipper Fitz Harding calling on his players to carry that momentum into the restart.
The Bears have won four of their last five league matches after losing five in a row, meaning the lay-off came at the wrong time in one sense with only Ellis Genge involved in the Six Nations.
The Bears went into the break on the back of a 57-44 victory over rivals Bath at a sell-out Ashton Gate. It did not advance them up the table but in eighth place they are only seven points behind Harlequins in second.
“We are not where we want to be but we are moving in the right direction,” said Harding, who is in his first season as captain. “This club has come from some dark places and we have a loyal fan base who appreciate that no one hurts more than us when we are not up to standard.
“Consistency is always a problem for a team that is learning all the time.
Some results have not gone our way but performances have been a step up from the last couple of seasons.
“We can keep on gathering momentum and there is belief in the squad that there is a lot we can achieve this season. Winning against Bath was a big moment for us.”
Harding was a surprise choice as captain to succeed the experienced former All Black back row Steven Luatua. The 24-year old Harding, who signed a contract extension at the same time, was earmarked by director of Pat Lam as representing the long-term future of the club.
“The captaincy has been good,” said Harding. “It has been challenging at times and I have learned something new every week. I am fortunate to be surrounded by strong leaders and have picked up a lot from them.
“It has been testing but we are now at the point where we can push on. We were disappointed to go out of Europe after losing in Connacht when so many parts of our game were below standard.
“We sat down on the Monday afterwards and said that it would not define our season. A team that is growing and not at its peak will have disappointing moments.
“We believe we can still finish in and around the top four. I think that the break has come at a good time for the team, although having just come back from injury I would have liked a few more matches.
“It is my fourth season at the club and it has been the most intense period I have experienced. It has been relentless and hats off to the lads and the staff who have fired themselves up week in week out. They have earned a rest.”
Bristol made history against Bath when Luatua became the first Premiership player to wear a microphone during a match.
“It helps grow the game,” said Harding, below. “I am all for anything that appeals to a wider audience. The more that fans can understand what what goes into a game, the greater the interest will be.
“Rugby is a very tactical game and you do not want to be giving calls away, but you would want to hear every word that comes out of Steven Luatua's mouth because he has such a wide knowledge of the game. Thebreaks in play are the most interesting because that is when players are able to give more detailed feedback on how they are seeing the game. Some things will work, some won't, and you will not find out until you try.”
