Bristol Bears chief explains novel approach to player recruitment: ‘We are a marketing agency that plays rugby’

Ilona Maher's short stint at Bristol proved impactful for the PWR as a whole (Getty)

“At Bristol Bears, we don’t call ourselves a rugby club. We are a marketing agency that plays rugby. Yes, our players have to be competent and able to deliver on the field, but if they are not bringing any value off the field, that genuinely factors into our recruitment conversations."

Tainton’s comments come with the Prem moving towards an expansion model having removed promotion and relegation, and amid fresh investment within English rugby.

Red Bull bought Newcastle last summer while James Dyson has recently purchased a 50 per cent stake in Bath, with the billionaire owners of AFC Bournemouth also expected to soon complete a takeover of Exeter Chiefs.

Bristol have been owned by Steve Lansdown since 2008, and Tainton suggested they are fully bought in to the Prem’s vision for the future.

Bristol recently took on Harlequins at Cardiff's Principality Stadium (Getty)

“It is very easy for us to sit here and use a lot of corporate buzzwords that don’t really mean anything,” he stressed. “You want someone to see a sport that is cool, inclusive, engaging, and high-octane.

“I’d argue we have done the hard bit – the product is superb. There are young, articulate men and women playing the game. We’ve got a great base to grow from. We now have to take some bold risks to get out of our comfort zone and do things that the sport hasn’t previously done."