Defence coach Mouneimne becomes the latest casualty at Bristol

Defence coach Omar Mouneimne has paid the price for this season’s downturn at Bristol, the assistant exiting the Gallagher Premiership club on Friday. Pat Lam’s tenth-place team have won just eight of their 23 league games in 2021/22, conceding 676 points and 92 tries with one game remaining. Only Bath and Worcester have a worse defensive record this term. In sharp contrast, a year ago in their 22-game regular season, the table-topping Bears conceded just 379 points and 42 tries.

A Bristol statement read: “Omar Mouneimne has left Bristol Bears by mutual consent, the club can confirm. The defence coach spent two years at Ashton Gate having arrived in July 2020, helping the Bears to a maiden Challenge Cup title and a first-place finish in the Gallagher Premiership in 2021.”

Chairman Chris Booy said: “Omar has added real value with his contribution to the team and he leaves for the next chapter in his career with the organisation's support. Omar is a respected member of our coaching set-up. It’s now the right time for him to take on a new challenge and he departs with our best wishes.”

Mouneimne added: “I’m proud to have been able to play my role in the Bristol journey and there have been many highlights along the way, including major silverware and conceding the second-fewest points and tries last season.

“I’d like to thank the players and staff for my time in the West Country and for making me and my family so welcome. I’m excited about what lies ahead and I’m relishing the next challenge that awaits.”

Confirmation of the departure of Mouneimne from Bristol came 16 days after it was alleged by the Daily Telegraph on May 11 that the defence coach was confronted by the club’s senior players as the prime suspect of a Twitter ‘burner’ account criticising the director of rugby Lam. It was reported that Mouneimne strenuously denied any involvement after a now removed account called GrindRugby posted a number of comments that seemed to suggest internal knowledge of Bristol’s training methods.

GrindRugby tweeted: “Take a look at the defensive stats for last season - top of the league! Pat wants 5 mins of d training a week to focus on attack - absolute bs!” Another post added: “But all Pat wants to do is train attack!! And not even at pace or with enthusiasm. He’s killing everyone in the squad.”

These posts were called out by ex-England second row Dave Attwood, who remarked how it was an “oddly specific criticism” and added, “Are you watching us train by any chance?”

Bristol’s deflating season was compounded by a salary cap error where they neglected to release some players before automatic contract extensions kicked in. Attwood, John Afoa, Antoine Frisch, Alapati Leiua and Nathan Hughes have since agreed to deals elsewhere while CEO Mark Tainton is also leaving.