Leicester Tigers press in brief: five things we learned

Jordan Crane praised Bristol Bears' fighting spirit in battling back from 32-7 down to almost snatch a dramatic win against Wasps. 

"The way that the boys fought and got themselves back into the game and with a chance of winning – and to come away with two points shows how much we’ve grown and how strong the group is together," he said.

"Hopefully that will spring-board us into this week, taking that momentum into the week and going into Leicester back at home, it will help us going forward."

Physicality was the buzz word for both Pat Lam and Jordan Crane ahead of Saturday's clash with Leicester Tigers. 

“Leicester have got the history, they’ve got the reputation," said Lam. "When you look at them at this time of year, their whole game is based traditionally around physicality. So, that’s a great challenge for our boys."

Crane added: "Ultimately, it’s about us and what we bring – energy, the physicality, what we bring at home for our fans and if we get it right, we’ll be there or there abouts."

Lam called on his players to step up to the plate at Ashton Gate in front of another impressive home crowd.

"When we spoke about, it’s just about making sure that within the team, individuals have to make sure they do whatever it takes to step up," he said.

“It’s another good crowd expected, and we love being at home, but ultimately, we understand the challenge we face."

Leicester Tigers look set to welcome back a host of internationals this weekend, and Lam said his players are relishing the challenge of taking them on. 

“It’s what we want, we want to play the best teams with the best players," he said.

"That’s what rugby is about, you want to play at the highest level, it’s why you want to be in the Premiership."

Jordan Crane said Bristol Bears must deliver an 80-minute performance on Saturday. 

"There’s good competition for places out there and so every time you put that shirt on you’ve got to play for 80 minutes.

"The final part of the Wasps game was a positive and we need to carry that into Saturday. We know it's going to be a stern test, but we're prepared for that up for the challenge."