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Bears and Quins gear up for Big Day Out
Bristol Bears may be out of the Play-Off hunt, but their season is far from over and they will be hoping to put on a show at Big Day Out this weekend.
Already familiar with the iconic Principality Stadium, Welsh International Keira Bevan will be hoping that Bristol can bounce back from their 25-7 defeat to Sale Sharks when they host Harlequins.
Trips to big arenas for PWR teams are becoming more common, with The Showdown hosting Saracens and Sale Sharks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the same day, after Big Game hosted the reverse of this fixture at Allianz Stadium back in December.
With the pressure of making the post-season lifted from the Bears’ shoulders, and a bumper crowd expected at the Principality, the West Country outfit are looking to enjoy their day at their home away from home.
Bevan said: “Hopefully, days like this will become the norm in a few years' time, and it wouldn't need to be as big a display. But I think at the minute it's quality for us to be put on a big stage and show what we're about.
“We want to deliver a performance we know we're capable of as well and give the fans something really exciting to cheer about. I'm just really looking forward to it.
“It's a great stadium to play in, and I know a lot of the girls wouldn't have played in the Principality before either. So for them it's going to be a new experience.
“When we played the reverse fixture in Twickenham, I've never played there before so I was like, ‘wow this is big’. I think it's definitely exciting to play in an international stadium.”
Bristol’s opponents, Harlequins, are still in the middle of a battle for one of the two remaining Play-Off spots.
The south west Londoners are without a win since Round 9 and, with a bye in the final round of the campaign, five points is an absolute necessity for the visitors if they hope to make the postseason.
As a result, Bears Assistant Coach Tom Luke expects a stern challenge in Cardiff.
“There are a couple of people straight away you've got to reference and prepare for. Aoife Wafer in the back row and Ellie Kildunne at full-back are just two world-class performers.
“But then you put in more world-class performers like Claudia Pena, I think Sarah Parry's playing some really good stuff this year. There are threats all over the field.
“I think they look in a similar place to where we were before Christmas, where they're just struggling to link all those threats together. But we've just got to try and keep putting pressure on them and not give them that space to click and not give them that space to find their rhythm and find those individuals in space more often because they're pretty dangerous when they get the ball.”
The big day out will be emotional in more ways than one.
Black Fern superstar Ruahei Demant will play her final game for the Bears at the Principality as her short-term contract comes to an end.
Demant has been a key part of the Bears’ efforts this season in a tough period for the West Country outfit and has clearly left a mark in her short time at Bristol.
Luke said: “I can't speak highly enough of Rui. She's everything that you would hope a player of her calibre is when she comes in.
“The way she prepares herself, the way she gives everything to the team, the way she brings our culture forward. She's just outstanding. I can't really say enough good things about her.
Bevan continued: “Rui has been class for me, and I've been living with her the last couple of months, and I definitely think she's brought out the best in me as a player and as a person as well.
“Ru has just taken us from strength to strength since she's arrived. And yeah, she's just a great player and a person to be around.”
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