From Gallagher Premiership Rugby survival to becoming champions of England – that’s the course set out forBristol Bears over the next few years, insists Callum Sheedy.

The Bears were promoted from the Championship in 2018 and are just one win away from securing their top flight status for another season after beating reigning champions Saracens.

But with 11 points separating Bristol from bottom side Newcastle Falcons, compared to a six-point gap to sixth-placed Northampton Saints, Pat Lam’s side are now looking up rather than down.

And having hailed the impact Pat Lam has had on the Bears since taking over following their relegation in 2016/17, Sheedy revealed that the best is still yet to come from the West Country outfit.

“We want to nail down a place in the Champions Cup, then we want to get to the semi-finals, then we want to win the Gallagher Premiership,” said Sheedy.

“Pat is not shying away from the fact that we want to be the champions of England in three, four years’ time. We’re very driven, we set high standards.

“We set high targets and we’re fully focused on chasing them. Pat is just great, he’s all about family, culture, leadership and making you a better person.

“He always says, ‘If you come to me and you’re five out of ten and you leave 5.5 out of ten and you’re a better person I’ve done my job’, he just wants to make you a better rugby player.

“We haven’t put a lid on how high we can go, the sky is the limit, with Pat and the staff and a few new signings next year, if we can finish this season on a high we can really push next year.

“I’ve heard on social media and in the press, Bristol should be safe from relegation, but with three games to go we’ll be looking to get 15 points definitely and push into next season.”

Sheedy has battled it out with Ireland international Ian Madigan for the fly-half berth during this campaign, with both players playing a key role in Bristol’s impressive Premiership return.

And 23-year-old Sheedy, who has made 18 league appearances this season for the club, has relished the chance to test himself against his more experienced teammate on the pitch.

“Mads is brilliant, he’s actually one of my best mates at the club, so off the pitch we’re really good mates but on the pitch we’re really competitive, we both want to be No.10,” he said.

“When Mads is starting it’s obviously disappointing, but I’ll do my best to make sure he’s fully ready for the weekend, or if I’m starting he’s disappointed but he’s got my back.

“It’s just great to learn little things from him throughout the week, his preparation before, during and after a game, any tips I can take from him is massive, he’s a huge help and inspires me.”

Bristol face Leicester Tigers and Newcastle in their final three games – but despite not being safe just yet, Sheedy revealed the ‘R’ word has never been mentioned by the players.

“I’ll be honest, we haven’t mentioned relegation once in our team meetings, the word has not come up at all, our vision at the start of the season was top six,” Sheedy added.

“Top six is our goal and everyone has bought into it. We’re four points off top six now, 15 points to play for in thefinal few games and we’ll be going hard for that.

“Leicester have had a pretty difficult season, but they come off a good win last week against Newcastle so they’re on the up – we’re under no illusions it’s a tough place to go.

“Newcastle are also a really good side and their league position probably doesn’t reflect how good they actually are, so travelling to the other end of the country to play Newcastle will be tricky.”

  • Sheedy was speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session at Cheddar Valley RFC after their U10s side won a nationwide competition launched by Gallagher, a passionate community insurance broker and proud title partner of Premiership Rugby. Cheddar Valley won by describing how their team embodies the spirit of rugby, both on and off the pitch, and helps grow the game locally.