It took a trip across the border and an opponent with other things on their mind but Bristol stopped the rot with a bonus-point victory that keeps their playoff hopes alive. Their performance did not quite live up to all the pyrotechnics that adorned their Big Day Out at the Principality Stadium and as they tend to, they made things difficult for themselves but six tries and a win over a second-string Bath side was enough to satisfy their supporters.
Indeed, 51,095 fans – plenty from Bath too – showed up to watch a West Country derby that was keenly fought if lacking in quality. Bristol survived an early bout of stage fright, a Premiership record-equalling four yellow cards and withstood a second-half comeback to seal the win with late tries from Will Capon and Bill Mata.
For Bath – who were already guaranteed top spot – it is a first defeat in 11 in all competitions but Johan van Graan will be mightily pleased with how his callow charges acquitted themselves. There will be supporters disappointed that they did not get to see Bath’s first-string side in action and on this evidence it is hard to think Bristol could have lived with it, but Van Graan has earned the right to rotate his team.
The Premiership has plenty of its own problems but this trip to Cardiff brought into sharp relief those of their neighbours. Shortly before kick-off at the home of Welsh rugby, the Ospreys and the Scarlets released a statement defending why they have not yet joined Cardiff and the Dragons in signing up to the new professional agreement.
Bristol have put their back into marketing this fixture – they have already booked to come back next year – but it is saying something that the Bears were able to attract a crowd not far off double that of Wales’s Judgment Day a few weeks ago. To emphasise the point, the Premiership on Saturday officially announced its long-term £200m renewed deal with TNT Sports. You suspect the broadcasters would have preferred Bath to have picked their first team, to have unleashed their two British & Irish Lions in Finn Russell and Will Stuart but that is just another reminder that the Premiership is far from perfect. Indeed, whether they do heavily rotate again in their remaining two matches will go some way to determining who joins them in the playoffs.
It is unlikely Pat Lam cares too much about that. Bristol’s corporate arm may hope that whoever they play next year will bring their A-listers but the Bears had lost their past three Premiership matches before this and desperately needed to arrest that slide to move into third place and maintain hopes of reaching the playoffs. “Besides Bath, finals rugby has come early, all of us our playing finals rugby every week,” said Lam. “It’s a shootout now with us and Sale on Friday. If we get the win there, we’re still going to have to go to the last week but it’s a massive game.”
Bath, meanwhile, have a European Challenge Cup final back here in Cardiff to prepare for before the Premiership playoffs and understandably made 13 changes from the side who defeated Edinburgh in the semi-final last weekend. “We’ll keep doing what’s best for us,” said van Graan. “Some missed opportunities, absolutely no excuses, no regrets from our side. I’m really proud of the 23-man effort.”
They began well enough, weathering an early Bristol storm to score the first try through the 22-year-old fly-half Ciaran Donoghue. There was an element of fortune to the score – Donoghue’s kick was charged down but fell to Joe Cokanasiga who ran hard and straight before offloading to Bath’s No 10, who showed an impressive turn of pace to finish.
Bristol had already been reduced to 14 men with Max Lahiff sent to the sin bin amid mounting Bath pressure and, from the kick-off, it was soon 13 – Benhard Janse van Rensburg shown a yellow card for taking out the visiting captain, Ewan Richards, in the air. The Bears were finally on the board on 27 minutes, however, when Gabriel Ibitoye wriggled over from close range and soon after Janse van Rensburg’s return, he straightened and flung the ball to Rich Lane for try No 2.
Saracens feeling Goode in Newcastle demolition
Saracens kept alive their hopes of claiming a playoff spot and celebrated Alex Goode’s 400th appearance for the club by crushing bottom-placed Newcastle 75-28 at the Allianz Stadium. Newcastle stunned Saracens back in November with a 17-12 win at Kingston Park but a fully loaded Saracens, with their three newly selected Lions in the starting lineup, exacted full revenge.
However, that surprise defeat to the Falcons could still prove costly as the London club may still have to beat both Bath and Northampton in their remaining fixtures to guarantee a playoff spot. Sarries' head coach, Joe Shaw, said: “All we can do now is control our own performances. We got what we wanted from today but we will need to reset and put in a performance away at Northampton next week."
Saracens ran in 11 tries, with Juan Martín González scoring a hat-trick, Ben Earl adding two and Theo Dan, Ivan van Zyl, Maro Itoje, Charlie Bracken, Tom Willis and Jamie George scoring the others. Fergus Burke kicked seven conversion and Louie Johnson three.
Sam Stuart scored two tries for Newcastle with Freddie Lockwood and Ben Stevenson also on the scoresheet to earn a bonus point. Brett Connon converted all four tries.
Newcastle's interim director of rugby, Steve Diamond, said his side’s mauling showed how much investment was needed at the club. He said: “The difference between the two clubs today was enormous and it showed we need investment in all structures. We’ve got a hard-working set of lads but we were well beaten in all areas and the final deficit is embarrassing. We managed to get a try bonus point which was our aim at half-time but that was the only positive." PA Media
Bristol added another on the stroke of half-time – Gabriel Oghre finishing off at the back of a driving maul and Fitz Harding brought up the bonus point five minutes into the second half but Bath stirred themselves. The excellent Richards got on the scoresheet with a lovely dummy and a nervousness befell Bristol when Joe Batley and Mata were sent to the sin-bin in quick succession. As it was, Bath’s greenhorns could not quite take advantage and late breakaway scores from Capon and Mata put the gloss on Bristol’s victory.
