The role Rory McIlroy is playing in Bristol Bears stopping the Prem rot

Bristol are drawing on Rory McIlroy’s Augusta triumph as an unlikely source of inspiration as they try to arrest the decline which threatens their Premiership play-off ambitions.

The Bears have dropped to third and been sucked into the heart of the scrap for a semi-final place after successive defeats to Gloucester and Leicester.

Their run-in is arguably the toughest of all the contenders with a trip to champions Northampton tomorrow (Friday) night, followed by a showdown with leaders Bath at the Principality Stadium and then games at Sale and at home to Harlequins.

But director of rugby Pat Lam has been flagging up McIlroy’s resilience and convincing his squad that even after their stumble they still have it in them to come good in the end.

“We showed a couple of clips of Rory McIlroy and made the comparison of 18 rounds of the Premiership to 18 holes of golf,” said Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam.

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“We’ve had a few birdies, the odd eagle, a couple of pars and the last couple have been bogeys. Just like in golf, you get to play the next hole.

“Rory stuffed up the last hole and missed his putt but his caddie said to him that if someone had offered a play-off to win the Masters ahead of the tournament, they’d have taken it. That changed his mindset.

“It’s the same for us. I’m confident we’ve got another hole in us.”

Confidence is a key ingredient to Bristol’s all-action approach and it would only be natural for levels to have taken a hit – especially as they have leaked 14 tries in two games.