Rayer is proud despite Bristol defeat

The Blues made the trip to Ashton Gate knowing full well they would need lady luck on their side to overturn the 29 point deficit Bristol had going in to the second leg.

Despite conceding six tries against Bristol, the Blues put in a tremendous performance and the score-line could’ve been much tighter if they had taken their opportunities.

Rayer said: “The boys were magnificent again. In the cold light of day, we’ve made a minimum of three chances and left 20 points out there.

“We had a try in the first minute we butchered and then a couple of searing line breaks that we didn’t finish off and that’s the story of the game.”

“I’m not saying we would have won the game – don’t get me wrong, it would have been nice to have won the game, as we absolutely pulverised them in that second half.

“Obviously it was good defence, but poor finishing from us, let’s be honest.”

Looking back at the two legs, you can’t take anything away from Bedford as they put in a huge performance in both games, and they certainly have a lot more to look forward to if they manage to keep hold of their current squad.

The Blues have looked a solid unit pretty much all season and it was without a doubt that they would secure the play-offs after securing some spectacular results both home and away.

Rayer added: “That sums us up in a nutshell, we’ve played some great rugby with some great ball in hand and some great stuff from the backs.

“I’m quite excited about what we’re putting together and we’ve kept the core of the side together

“Hopefully we’ve added some new and exciting talent for next season with one or two other quality players still to come as well.”