Gabriel Ibitoye grew up in London wanting to play Super Rugby in New Zealand. Exotic and exhilarating, it was the sort of rugby which lit a spark inside him.
The Bristol wing never made it that far south but the rugby he has ended up playing under Pat Lam – a former Auckland Blues coach himself – isn’t a million miles off the game that captivated him back then.
Bristol are the Premiership’s highwire circus act, married to a brand which is as riveting as it is risky, a thrill-a-minute antidote to the stereotype of sterile and conservative English kick-and-clap. This is Bears rugby, a game made for adrenaline junkies.
🐻 Gabs Ibitoye has been on 🔥 this season:
Metres – 439 (1st)
Offloads – 11 (1st)
Tries – 4 (joint 2nd)
Defenders beaten – 20 (3rd)
Line breaks – 9 (joint 3rd)🌹 Should he be in England’s Autumn Nations Series squad?
Powered by: @Oval_Insightspic.twitter.com/ut0XcpWXTT
— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) October 23, 2024
“It’s a lot of fun,” grins Ibitoye.
It suits him down to the ground. If there was a player of the season so far, Ibitoye would be it. Some of the rugby he is playing at the moment is breathtaking.
The eight-minute hat-trick against Exeter a fortnight ago featured an in-and-out move on Harvey Skinner which caused the Chiefs defender to physically dissolve in front of him.
Then last week there was a back-of-the-hand offload to Joe Jenkins in the build-up to Fitz Harding’s third try against Saracens which needed a double-take to confirm it had actually happened. It had the disguise and skill of a Shane Warne slider about it.
I’ve always tried to play with tempo and keep the ball alive. That was the start of my rugby journey and it’s been embedded into me now.
“I practise throwing and catching the ball in one hand all the time,” he said. “In that scenario, I was just looking for support players because I wasn’t completely free and I could see Joe Jenkins going from my left shoulder to my right shoulder so I knew where he’d be.
“I’ve always tried to play with tempo and keep the ball alive. That was the start of my rugby journey and it’s been embedded into me now.”
The numbers are eye-catching.
Ibitoye is in the top four this season in the Premiership this season in tries, line breaks, and defenders beaten. In metres made and offloads he is number one.
This isn’t some flash in the pan. Last season he topped the standings when it came to metres, offloads and defenders beaten.
“I don’t pay much attention to the numbers,” he said. “As long as I’m nailing my role and doing the bits on the field that I have to do to help the team perform and win, that’s what I care about.”
One man who does like his data is Steve Borthwick so Ibitoye’s impact cannot have escaped his notice. There was no seat on the plane to Girona this week for the England squad camp though for the uncapped wing.
Borthwick acknowledged Ibitoye has been playing “really well” but also pointed out wing is a “competitive arena” in the England squad.
“It would have been nice to be involved in that,” said the 26-year-old. “There’s a lot of competition for places in the squad and Steve’s selected his outside backs who are all very good but hopefully one day I can put my name in the hat for that.”
We played all over the place – Moscow, Georgia, Michigan, Lisbon… we had a tour to South Africa, we played in Germany. It was pretty cool.
Manny Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Tom Roebuck and Ollie Sleightholme are ahead of him in the England coach’s eyes.
Ibitoye is coming from a long way back. Part of the same England Under-20s Grand Slam-winning squad as Ben Earl and Alex Mitchell, his decision to turn his back on England rugby in 2020 midway through his contract at Harlequins to cross the Channel raised eyebrows.
Not half as much though as when he swapped Montpellier for Israeli side Tel Aviv Heat.
He never actually moved out to Israel, commuting from Surrey for games, but it was a peculiar diversion.
“That was mainly about taking the pressure off and getting back to playing rugby and enjoying it,” he said.
“We only actually played one home game. We played all over the place – Moscow, Georgia, Michigan, Lisbon… we had a tour to South Africa, we played in Germany. It was pretty cool.”
It was not, however, anyone’s idea of stretching himself. The concern for Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby, when Ibitoye’s agent called to offer his services was whether he wanted to do so.
“We organised a meeting to have a chat and talked about how we do things here, the way we play,” said Lam.
“More importantly, I wanted to find out what his dream was and what he wanted to do. He told me he holds that dream to be the best he can be and to play for England. That’s all I needed – that he had a desire to improve and play at the highest level.
Pat knew I had some stuff to work on, he knew my journey to the Bears wasn’t a conventional one and hadn’t been easy.
“I said: ‘I’ll run the programme and the game. I just need you to be coachable.’ And it’s been brilliant.”
If Lam was sold on Ibitoye, then the feeling was mutual.
“It was a belief I felt Pat had in me,” said Ibitoye. “I knew I was in a good place with a coach that trusted me and my skillset and wanted to get the best out of me that hadn’t necessarily been seen on a field for the two years before that.
“He knew I had some stuff to work on, he knew my journey to the Bears wasn’t a conventional one and hadn’t been easy. But my aim was to get back up to speed in a professional environment and try to excel in this environment.”
Two years on, he is doing just that. There are still doubters when it comes to aspects of his game and at 5ft 9ins he will never be as aerially dominant as a Freeman or a Roebuck but Lam feels it is best to focus on what he can do rather than what he can’t.
“I think you’ve got to appreciate and admire what he brings to the game because not many people can do that,” said Lam.
“I think his understanding of the game is really good and he has that x-factor on top.
“I look at players like Semi Radradra, Charles Piutau, guys who biologically have some things that other people don’t have and he’s really bringing that to the fore now which is pleasing.
“The consistency of what he’s done in the whole of 2024 has been superb.”
Of course it helps as a wing that he plays in a side wedded to width and adventure. The Bears have only kicked the ball 55 times in five league games this season which is pretty much half the amount of any other side.
It is rugby that entertains but is it rugby that can win trophies?
It would have been nice for me personally, the team and the league if we had the best of the best playing but that’s not to take away from the boys playing tomorrow.
“One hundred per cent,” said Ibitoye. “When Quins won the Premiership, you saw the way they played. It hadn’t been going great early in this season and they had a real distinctive change of game plan, crept into fourth, and then stuck to it even in the final.
“So it definitely can win trophies. You’ve just got to be accurate and back yourself and play smart.”
Northampton, the visitors to Ashton Gate on Friday night, are another example of an attack-minded Premiership-winning side, although it was arguably their defensive improvement, as much as their attacking venom, that turned them into champions last season.
They arrive under-strength with Freeman, Sleightholme, George Furbank and Fin Smith mothballed by England ahead of the autumn internationals which increases Bristol’s chances of winning but frustratingly deprives Ibitoye of the opportunity to prove a point against some of those ahead of him in the queue.
“It would have been nice for me personally, the team and the league if we had the best of the best playing but that’s not to take away from the boys playing tomorrow. They’re a class act as well. Their back three – Ramm, Seabrook and Hendy are very good outside backs,” he said.
“It’s cool to be playing against the defending champions. They’re obviously playing a very exciting brand of rugby as well so hopefully it will be a very entertaining game.”
That much, with the Bears, is guaranteed.
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