By PAUL REES

Pat Lam hopes Thursday night’s clash between Bristol and South Africa before a record crowd at Ashton Gate sets a trend as clubs look for ways of balancing the books.
Other than the Lions, modern rugby tours have largely cut out the old midweek fixtures but Bristol showed there was still a demand for them as they defeated South Africa 26-18 in front of 26,387 fans.
“I hope fixtures between clubs and touring teams become the norm rather than the exception,” said Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby. “If the Premiership is permanently reduced to 11 clubs or 10, it will open up the ...