Bristol is the Right Move for Ben

Recent Bristol Rugby signing, Ben Mosses, is "enjoying the atmosphere" of his new club and "can’t wait" to get stuck into the season.

Formerly of Bath, Ben recently completed a permanent switch to Bristol in the summer, after enjoying two seasons on loan at the club. The 21-year-old described how “ever since the beginning of my loan period I have loved Bristol and I was thrilled to sign the full-time contract.

Currently in week seven of pre-season, Ben spoke to Talking Rugby Union about his conversion from being on-loan, to a fully contracted player at Bristol, and how the club’s training is going before the start of the season.

“It’s been a very smooth transition for me. After two seasons on loan at the club I already knew the setup”, explained Ben.

“The club has a very professional structure, operating under a similar training method to Bath”, with newly appointed head coach, Andy Robinson, “leaving no minor detail missed. The coaching staff has really put us through ours paces, since the beginning of what is a very tough pre-season.

Ben wryly surmised the past seven weeks as “lots of running”; with head coach Robinson aiming to build the “fittest team in the Championship” relayed Moses.

“Throughout the club, from coaching staff to players, we all have the same goal in sight – to once again bring premiership rugby back to Bristol and the Memorial Ground”, having been absent from rugby’s top-flight since 2009.

Ben continued by describing the club’s pre-season training, which operates in three week blocks, where the squad is given a detailed breakdown of the structure of each day.

“A regular pre-season day can begin at 7.am, with an hour speed session and an hour’s fitness”, explained Ben.

“The squad then comes together between 9.am and 10.am for a meeting and brunch. This is usually followed by a rugby session, where we might work on skills, patterns or split between backs and forwards.

The day then ends with about an hour of weights in the gym, finishing around 12 o’clock.” Currently, this formula is repeated four days a week, with Wednesdays and weekends off.

As preparations begin to gather pace ahead of the pre-season schedule in August, the squad took part in a “gruelling” two-day fitness camp at Chepstow Army Barracks in South Wales. Ben added that “it was an extremely tough two days, where we were constantly put under a lot of strain. However, it was a great experience for me and the team, strengthening both our physical and mental toughness.

Bristol’s first pre-season friendly is an away fixture at Bath, which is, naturally, a “massive game personally for me”, with Ben returning to the Rec a fully contracted Bristol player.

However, despite the tie’s clear personal aspect, for Ben, “it’s all about the team. We want to try and play as many ‘big’ clubs as we can, so we are in the best form possible before the Championship begins.

Ben concluded that “already the team is beginning to unite together, focusing only on the one goal of promotion into the premiership”. It is this challenge that Ben is most looking forward to at the club.

Bristol’s campaign in the Greene King IPA Championship commences on the fifteenth of September, away against Cornish Pirates.