BRISTOL BEARS
Director of RugbyPat Lam
Pat Lam is the director of rugby at Bristol Bears, the former Samoa captain who won Connacht’s only major title and built the most watchable attack in England.
Tenure record
as of 6 Jun 2026By competition
Premiership Rugby 18P · 11W · 0D · 7L
Premiership Rugby Cup 8P · 1W · 0D · 7L
Champions Cup 5P · 3W · 0D · 2L
Int. Friendly Games 1P · 0W · 0D · 1L
Pat Lam has overseen 32 completed Bristol Bears matches in our database since September 2025 — 15 won, 0 drawn, 17 lost. That is a 46.9% win rate, with 913 points scored and 965 conceded.
Records are computed from the WeTalkRugby match database and cover matches we hold data for within this tenure. They are not an official all-time record.
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Coaching career
- 2013-2017 Connacht Head Coach
- 2017- Bristol Bears Director of Rugby
Honours
- 2020 European Rugby Challenge Cup (Bristol Bears)
- 2016 Pro12 (Connacht)
- 2018 RFU Championship title and promotion (Bristol)
- 2007 Air New Zealand Cup (Auckland)
- 2005 NPC (Auckland)
Players under Pat Lam
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About Pat Lam
Pat Lam is Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears, at the club since June 2017 and elevated from head coach to Director of Rugby in May 2019.
Born in Auckland in September 1968, he was a number 8 for Auckland, North Harbour, the Crusaders, Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints. He won 25 Test caps for Samoa and captained them at the 1991 and 1995 World Cups.
Connacht
After coaching Scotland as an assistant at the 2003 World Cup, he led Auckland to two NPC titles and coached the Blues. His defining work came at Connacht from 2013 to 2017, where he delivered the province’s only major trophy — the 2016 Pro12 — and was named Coach of the Season.
Bristol
He won immediate promotion from the Championship in 2018 and the European Challenge Cup in 2020. Bristol under Lam play the highest-scoring rugby in England: attack-first, offload-heavy and relentlessly wide. The criticism is the flip side — defensive fragility and inconsistency in knockout matches — and after a heavy 2025–26 season his position has been publicly questioned, though the club confirmed him as Director of Rugby when naming the 2026–27 squad in August.
Style
An evangelical culture-builder as much as a coach, working to a stated mission of inspiring the community through rugby success.
Frequently asked
Who is the director of rugby of Bristol Bears?
Pat Lam is the director of rugby of Bristol Bears.
When did Pat Lam take charge?
Pat Lam took over at Bristol Bears in May 2019, around 7 years ago.
What is Pat Lam's record?
From 32 matches in our database: 15 wins, 0 draws and 17 defeats — a 46.9% win rate.
What nationality is Pat Lam?
Pat Lam is Samoan.
How old is Pat Lam?
Pat Lam is 57 years old.
What has Pat Lam won?
Honours include: European Rugby Challenge Cup (Bristol Bears) (2020), Pro12 (Connacht) (2016), RFU Championship title and promotion (Bristol) (2018), Air New Zealand Cup (Auckland) (2007), NPC (Auckland) (2005).
