Bristol Bears v Northampton Saints: Five takeaways as hosts’ make most of ‘headstart’ in rampant win while Springbok-tied star shows why Steve Borthwick is ‘so desperate’ to have him
Bristol Bears ran riot against Northampton Saints, with Benhard Janse van Rensburg (left) and Kalaveti Ravouvou (right) the stars of the show
Following Bristol Bears’ 46-12 win over Northampton Saints at Ashton Gate, here are our five key takeaways from the PREM Rugby clash.
The top line
Bristol Bears ran riot at Ashton Gate to secure an emphatic 46-12 win over Northampton Saints.
The game began at a roaring pace, with Eduardo Todero being handed a 20-minute red card in the opening minute of the game. That absence proved costly for the Saints, as Kieran Marmion (2) and Tom Jordan crossed to give Bristol a 21-0 lead after 16 minutes.
That early bombardment set the tone for the rest of the half, with the Bears adding two more through Kalaveti Ravouvou and Aidan Boshoff, helping the hosts take a 35-0 lead into the sheds at half-time.
Northampton were facing a huge uphill climb if they stood any chance of making a dramatic comeback, but they began the half in good fashion as JJ van der Mescht and Tom Litchfield struck for two tries to give them a lifeline heading into the final quarter.
But, it proved only a momentary fightback, with Bristol closing the game out with a Sam Worsley penalty – the youngster’s seventh kick off the tee and Luka Ivanishvili crossing from close range.
Headstart
If there’s any team in the PREM you don’t want to give a man-advantage to, it’s Bristol, but that’s exactly what happened tonight.
Within the opening minute of the game, winger Eduardo Todero was handed his marching orders for a dangerous tackle on Sam Worsley, a 20-minute period which proved costly with Kieran Marmian grabbing a brace either side of a Tom Jordan score before red card replacement Rory Hutchinson.
All Blacks snub rejects Saracens and on his way to PREM Rugby strugglers – report
Bristol are almost the definition of a momentum team, and they were essentially given a head start in this contest today. Those tries just allowed Bristol to get their tails wagging and playing with that swagger, that pizzazz, that intent which makes them such a delight to watch and a danger to face.
That swagger saw the rout continue even with the game restored to 15 v 15, with Ravouvou and Boshoff adding their names to the scoreboard, while Harry Thacker also had an effort stricken off for a forward pass in the build-up.
Even their defence had a bit of extra confidence about it, too, with Ravouvou’s score coming directly from a Benhard Janse van Rensburg
That 20-minute red card ultimately proved Northampton’s downfall today.
Injuries strike
The tale of Bristol’s season has been injuries. At the time of writing, Steven Luatua, George Kloska, Max Pepper, Harry Randall, Rich Lane, Noah Heward, Joe Jenkins, Paddy Pearce, Kofi Cripps, Will Capon and AJ MacGinty are all currently sidelined, while Jordan and Louis Rees-Zammit have also spent time on the sidelines at various points. And now, they add two more names to that list.
Jordan was taken off for a head injury assessment early in the first half and did not return, with Boshoff seeing out the rest of the game in his place, while Jack Bates also picked up a knock in the opening stanza and was taken off.
Bristol’s squad was always small, and these injury issues have really tested their strength in depth, so adding two more players to that list will not sit well with Pat Lam. He now has to reach even further into the well.
What to make of Northampton
It’s tough to know what to make of Northampton after this one.
On the one hand, they lost heavily, but on the other, it was a rotated team filled with players who will benefit from this experience, and they also showed flashes of their class, particularly in the build-up to Tom Litchfield’s score.
But, on the whole, this defeat will sting, especially given the way they have gone thus far in the PREM. Northampton had a brilliant chance to not only return to the top of the PREM table tonight, but really lay down a marker of their title credentials with a win, but from minute one, they were just second best in almost every department.
The usually solid scrum found itself on the wrong end of the referee’s whistle in the first half, their usually delicious strike plays didn’t quite come off as planned, and they couldn’t quite hold onto those killer passes that they usually ice. It just felt a bit off tonight.
They still have some good experience with those fringe players, while getting minutes into the legs of Sam Graham and George Furbank will also prove incredibly beneficial moving into the Champions Cup block, too, but it will still hurt.
Test watch
As always, there were plenty of players who put their hand up for possible Test selection. Benhard Janse van Rensburg proved exactly why England head coach Steve Borthwick is so desperate to see him in the white jersey of England next year – amid reports he will become eligible despite previous World Rugby regulations blocking him from the side. He just added a touch of class to proceedings, be it in the carry, distribution or even in defence. Around him, Ireland international Kieran Marmion continued his solid run of form with a brace, while Kalaveti Ravouvou again impressed.
Fitz Harding continued to make his case for potential England selection, too, taking a leading role in Bristol’s defensive efforts, and youngster Sam Worsley also looked the business tonight. Crucially, he also bested his opposite number, Fin Smith.
George Furbank was a bright spark for the visitors, and him coming back to the pitch will certainly please Borthwick.