Bristol complete derby double
Bristol ended a 13-year wait for a Premiership victory at Bath in a thumping and electrifying West Country derby.
Just over a decade ago, Bristol suffered a 45-8 away thrashing against their rivals. But, under the guidance of genial director of rugby Pat Lam, how times have changed.
This was a fourth successive league win, including an impressive one at high-flying Northampton, and has put them within a point of second-placed Sale and a home playoff semi-final.
The victory was also a second of the season over Bath after they thumped them 43-16 at Ashton Gate on the opening day of the Premiership campaign.
“It was a very big win,” said Lam. “Lifetime Bristol supporters have waited 14 years [13 and three months] to win here, and to do the double over Bath is a massive opportunity for them to celebrate.
“Every year, the squad is getting better, but we want to play at the highest level in the Champions Cup so we are pretty relentless that this is our goal this year.”
Bristol took the initiative almost from the start as a superb turnover from captain Steven Luatua set up wing Luke Morahan to power down the right wing. He offloaded to flanker Chris Vui for the Samoan giant to dive through the cover tackling, stretch out a long arm and dot the ball on the try-line.
Bath got a grip on the game with a 30-metre penalty from fly-half Rhys Priestland. But fly-half Callum Sheedy went on to find a gap outside Bath’s debutant Welsh scrum-half Rhys Webb and delivered an inchperfect cross-kick for wing Alapati
On the charge: Bristol’s Charles Piutau carries the attack to Bath at the Rec
Leiua to score in the left corner. Sheedy then converted from the touchline.
Bath managed to fight back and, when lock Joe Joyce was yellowcarded just before the half-hour, the home side camped on the Bristol line and looked odds-on to score. But the stubborn defensive routines drilled into the Bristol side by coach John Muldoon came to the fore until Bath conceded a penalty and the lines were cleared.
Priestland struck another three points when Bristol were caught offside 35 metres out and, after the turnaround, Bath put immense pressure on the visiting defence again for 10 minutes.
It was a close call for another yellow card against Bristol as referee Ian Tempest warned them for persistent infringing close to their line. Somehow they got away with it and replacement scrum-half Harry Randall found a gap and ran through to score from five metres for Sheedy to slot the extras easily.
Replacement Bath scrum-half Will Chudley replied in kind when Priestland carved open the Bristol defence to send his half-back partner scuttling to the posts from the 22. The conversion meant six points were separating the teams.
Bath sent wave after wave of attacks into the Bristol half but they could not break the opposition down again, meaning Lam left at the end of the game with a beaming smile over his face for a job well done.
Meanwhile, Cardiff-born Sheedy, who was in superb form, has played down any emergency call from Wales ahead of the Six Nations Championship clash with England on Saturday after a knee injury threat to Dan Biggar.
Sheedy said: “We will cross that bridge if it comes. My main focus is Bristol and, if I play well, then other honours will happen.”