Pressure on Bristol in 'must win' game - Lam

Bristol have lost their past two Prem games and are seven points off the top four [Shutterstock] Bristol "have to win" against Gloucester on Friday if they have any hope of finishing in the Prem top four, says director of rugby Pat Lam. The Bears are fifth in the table and have fallen off the pace after losing their past two league matches, and are now seven points behind Exeter in fourth with six games to go. "We have to win if we have any hope of getting to that top four," Lam told BBC Radio Bristol.

"There's already a seven-point gap and everyone plays everyone but you can't afford to drop any more games. " After going into the eight-week Prem break at the end of January as the in-form team with five straight wins, Bristol have lost all three games since in the Prem and Champions Cup. A 33-19 defeat at Leicester was followed by a humbling 18-14 loss to Harlequins in their 'Big Day Out' showpiece match in Cardiff's Principality Stadium, before a thrashing away to Toulouse to exit the European cup.

Lam said the losses to Leicester and Harlequins were games they "could have" and "should have" won. "We've only got ourselves to blame for that," Lam said. "The season is like life - you get lots of ups and downs - it's how you adapt and grow from that.

"We know certainly the game against Gloucester on Friday night is a very important game for us. " Batley returns for Bristol against Gloucester Prem breaks 'tricky' for momentum - Skivington Northampton (52 points), Bath (51 points), Leicester (46 points) and the Chiefs (45 points) make up the top four in the table, with Bristol realistically the only team also in the running in fifth (38 points), with Saracens next but trailing another five points behind. Lam said the pressure was on his side more than most but that their fate was still in their own hands.