Bears roar Promoted Bristol stun rivals to start new season in style
First the hype, then the raucous homecoming, as Bristol Bears delivered on their pledge to be Premiership contenders as they got off to a rousing start with a goose-bump, gutsy victory over a sloppy, errorprone Bath in front of a record crowd of 26,079.
When they were last promoted two years ago it took them until Boxing Day to record their first league win. The Bears are already in credit. Ashton Gate was rocked to its rafters. It was a splendid night. The Gallagher Premiership had the overture it wanted, a cracking, crackling experience. The thousands who rammed the concourses beforehand will be back if this is to be the standard of fare.
The win was not without its flaws, with a high penalty count and a wobbly scrum, but there was character and heart on display from first minute to last, Bristol surviving at the death as Bath threw crookedly into a potential matchsaving five-metre line-out. It was no more than the Bears deserved, after surviving being reduced to 14 men in the second half when Tusi Pisi was sent to the sin-bin.
Bristol know now that this is for real and that they are in the Premiership ball game. They showed that they have heart and soul as they put in a mighty defensive effort to deny Bath, with their formidable captain, flanker Steve Luatua, personifying the Bristol warrior spirit. Luatua was a huge figure and is sure to be one of the stand-out characters across this Premiership season.
“That was a hell of a shift from the boys,” said Luatua. “We covered each other’s backs.”
But there was more than mere pluck to Bristol’s game. There was invention and ambition too, from the energy of hooker Harry Thacker, to the potency out wide of Australian wing Luke Morahan, who took the man-of-the-match honours, irrepressible on the break, teeing up the clinching try from Alapati Leiua, eight minutes from time. No wonder they stood at the final whistle to applaud their heroes from the field.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys and of the crowd, too,” said head coach Pat Lam. “We had to dig deep as a team.”
They certainly did. Bath could have, should have translated their early superiority into something more substantial. But they fluffed their chances. There was one glaring howler from Tom Homer in the first half, when the full-back failed to touch down correctly. It was a real blooper. And it came back to haunt Bath. Profligacy costs.
“The points were there [for us] but we didn’t capitalise,” said Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder. “We let opportunities slip through our fingers.” Bath have been a team bedevilled by inconsistency and under-achievement for too long. It is 22 years since they were league champions, a startling lull for a club of its previous status. Those worries and doubts crept into their play. They ought to have scored but they did not. They ought to be better than they are but they are not, or certainly not on their slipshod firsthalf performances. Rhys Priestland also missed a couple of penalties.
The Bath forwards had the whip hand but Bristol scrambled and Bath panicked, turning over ball at critical junctures, getting isolated. The Bears were under the cosh yet Bath were not able to take advantage. Bristol were quite prepared to live off their wits, attacking from all parts of the field from the few opportunities they got. It was enough to present Ian Madigan with another shot and he duly delivered, enabling Bristol to go in at half-time with a 6-0 lead.
Bath had to be more clinical and when Priestland missed another penalty after Madigan had extended Bristol’s advantage, the tension ratcheted up. But class will out, and a powerful, jinking surge
from Zach Mercer in the 52nd minute did enough damage for Homer to get on the end of a scoring pass and touch down correctly for the first try, Priestland converting.
That score lifted Bath, but their failings were still there. They were camped on Bristol’s line, inducing a yellow card for Pisi and had claim on a penalty try for the deliberate knock-on, but could not capitalise, turning down kicks at goal. Priestland did finally hit the mark in the 62nd minute to nudge Bath ahead.
But Bath made a pig’s ear of bringing the ball out from the rear and were penalised for holding on, Madigan doing the honours, reclaiming the lead. There was more to come with a punchy run from Monahan, brushing off Francois Louw, creating a try for wing Leuia. Ashton Gate roared its approval, as well it might.