NEALE HARVEY talks to Bristol's new lock star Dave Attwood about his return home
Persuaded by the lure of Ashton Gate and Pat Lam's vision of turning Bristol into a European powerhouse, Dave Attwood is re-energised after his stint at Toulon and thrilled to be back where it all began after a ten-year absence.
Along with Nathan Hughes, Attwood, 32, is a powerful addition to Bristol's forward pack as they aim to build on last season's ninth-place finish and stake a claim for Champions Cup rugby. Injury blighted the penultimate year of Attwood's eight-season stint at Bath, wrecking his World Cup chances with England into the bargain. However, a productive loan spell at Toulon in 2018 helped clarify his desire to return to the club where he started his career. Former England, Gloucester and Bath enforcer Attwood told The Rugby Paper: “My time in France was great for me as a player and I played my best rugby ever there. I'd been with Bath for seven years and felt that was where I'd still be, but that spell at Toulon encouraged me to move to Bristol when my contract was up.
“I'd seen how a new environment could be a real positive influence, which made the decision to come here a lot easier and, hopefully, that will be reflected on the pitch.
“This club is on a good, sound footing and hopefully this year we'll be challenging around the top six. If we get the right results, we may be looking at the play-offs spots as well. That's certainly the ambition and there's a lot of belief we're capable of competing at the top.
“As a lad following Bristol, big derby games were sometimes played at Ashton Gate so it always felt like a special place growing up and it was exciting when news came through a few years ago that it would become their home ground because it's an amazing facility.
“I made the decision to leave after the club was relegated in 2009 and it ended up being a very good decision, but I was born in Bristol, grew up in Bristol, supported the club and then played for them, so to come full circle and play at Ashton Gate is an exciting prospect.”
Attwood is relishing the new leadership of director of rugby Lam and is eager to be part of Bristol's exciting brand of rugby.
“Pat is very clear about what he wants and how he thinks it can be done,” Attwood says. “On top of that, he's got real support and clarity from the board, owner and everyone. He's fully empowered to do all the things he wants and he's a strong character with a good vision, so you've seen the style of rugby and the support the team had last year.”
Ironically, Bristol will host Bath on the opening night of the Premiership season and the contrast between the two clubs in their summer activity could hardly be more marked.
Attwood said: “You couldn't write the script and I had 15-20 texts from Bath blokes when the announcement came out! But it's a great one for the club and a magnificent showpiece to set the season off, in front of what will most likely be a capacity crowd.
“It will also be an interesting one in terms of the different styles, not necessarily in rugby terms but in terms of our squads. Bristol have only really brought me and Nathan Hughes in and there's a lot of consistency here, whereas there's a direct contrast at Bath.
”That spell at Toulon encouraged me to move to Bristol when my Bath contract was up”
“Players, coaches and medical staff have been in and out there and there's been an awful lot of change, so it will be fascinating to see how all that's reflected.”
Meanwhile, responding to revelations by former Wasps lock Kearnan Myall that he had been taken to the brink of suicide due to rocketing pressures associated with the game, Attwood believes top players can help to tackle mental health issues themselves through far more engagement with the media and local communities.
He said: “There's no easy solution but I think normalising and talking about it is a huge step.
“We need to get a bit more understanding and be cleverer around how we conduct ourselves in the media – how we engage with it and don't always treat it like an enemy.
“You can dissipate a lot of stress by engaging on that front and there's a huge amount to be said about what we do as rugby players that isn't just about the results.
“It's not just about how many lineouts we've won, metres made, kicks at goal or pass percentages, it's also about what you are as a player because you are an ambassador for the sport and give inspiration to people, not just children but adults who follow the game.”
Attwood added: “One of the great things about Bristol as far as I'm concerned is the club is very keen to develop people as well as rugby players and their big vision is to inspire the community.
“That's really exciting from a player's point of view because if you can buy into that, then your job isn't just about your numbers on the field, it's suddenly about visibility and inspiring people through coaching at schools and getting out into the community.
“That can do a huge amount for your mental health because you feel like you've got value across the board.
“It's not just about game day, it's actually what you do as a person and the kind of person you are. It's an area of the game that really needs to grow.”
