We've got great spirit in the squad, says Bristol Rugby's Ben Glynn
BEN Glynn believes the defensive display that denied Ulster Ravens in the closing minutes of Bristol's British & Irish Cup win in Belfast epitomised the character within the squad.
And the young lock is confident that kind of spirit can serve Bristol well as they look to compete on two fronts for the remainder of the season.
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Bristol beat Ulster 14-8 at Deramore Park on Friday – but had to be alert in the closing stages to deny the Northern Irish province victory.
Glynn believes the spirit and willingness to work for one another is a trait that cannot be coached.
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"We have got an awesome bunch of boys and we just need to keep playing for each other," said the 21-year-old forward.
"I think that tight bond will pay dividends for us in the latter part of the season and we will come through strongly.
"It was awesome to see the way the boys all stuck together on the pitch towards the end of the game on Friday.
"When you are under the cosh like that, it really brings the spirit and the team-work to the fore – and you can't really coach that. That comes from wanting to play and win for your mates."
Bristol's victory in driving rain in Belfast on Friday was the ideal response to their tame 32-17 defeat to Cornish Pirates on New Year's Day.
The victory has taken them to within one point of guaranteeing their place in the British & Irish Cup quarter-finals, while a victory over Cardiff on Sunday would secure a home match in the last eight.
And Glynn believes the next target for Bristol – who face Leeds in a key Championship match on January 25 – is to build on their win in Belfast by achieving a degree of consistency.
"A good win like that, away from home, was exactly what we needed," said Glynn.
"Every game from now until the end of the season is effectively a must-win for us, because, if we want to keep fighting in both competitions, we have to keep winning games.
"Even if we only need a point this weekend, we want a win and a good performance for momentum going into Leeds, as well as to get a home quarter-final.
"We need to find some consistency from now until the end of the season. We can't afford to go off the boil if we want to achieve our goals at the end of the season. That consistency needs to come in matches but also in training."
The Leeds clash may loom large on the horizon for Bristol – but first they must take care of business against Cardiff at the Memorial Stadium this weekend.
Winger George Watkins, who scored Bristol's first try in Belfast, said they would not be losing sight of their immediate goals.
"We have Cardiff on Sunday and we can't take that game lightly – we'll go out and treat it like any other game," he said. "We'll have a week of grafting to get ready for that game, because we're desperate to win and we need to win.
"We've said we want to fight on both fronts this season and I think we've done that well and we've shown our intentions by winning all of our games in the B&I Cup."
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