Bristol Bears v Bath: Winners and losers as ‘underrated’ captain misses out on player of the match award while superstar wings suffer ‘calamitous’ incidents
Bristol v Bath: Winners and losers as 'underrated' captain misses out of player of the match award while superstar wings suffer 'calamitous' incidents
Bristol Bears have given themselves the slightest chance of making the PREM play-offs after a brilliant 21-19 victory over local rivals Bath at Ashton Gate on Friday evening.
Here are our winners and losers from the match:
Winners
Sam Underhill: Deployed at eight rather than his traditional spot on the flank, he was utterly devastating in the tackle. England prospect Benhard Janse van Rensburg felt the full force of Underhill’s granite shoulders early into the first half, before the Bath flanker left a who’s who of dented bodies in his wake.
Ben Spencer: The orchestrator of all Bath’s first-half brilliance. In the absence of Finn Russell, he took it upon himself to command the attacking fleet, doing so with expert precision and unmatched leadership. His variety of passing gave Bath great dynamism when they threatened the Bears’ line, but it was his insistence on booting the ball behind the wingers which really kept the defence on edge. His moment of the day – a terrific dart from the ruck to set up Guy Pepper’s try.
Fitz Harding: Arguably one of the most underrated players in the league, the Bristol captain was utterly fearless in defence, completing a superb 19 tackles and making a vital turnover when Bath were piling on the pressure on the Bears’ line. In attack, he was just as effective, scoring his side’s first try and carrying the ball a match-leading 13 times. He should have been awarded the player of the match award.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg: Eyebrows were raised when he was recently included in the England squad, but on Friday, he proved that he more than matched the excluded Bath duo of Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh. Despite a slow start from the South African-born centre – being dropped by Underhill on his first carry and throwing a couple of nowhere passes – he grew into the game, tackling well and threatening the line with each carry. With a quarter of the game left, he broke the line superbly, but then failed to protect it on the floor, leaving his performance very much in the mixed bag category. But it was his final 10 minutes that would set him apart. First, making a vital turnover on Ojomoh as Bath were threatening their line, before moments later breaking the line once again to give Bristol a meaningful attack. His performance was impressive, but he will need to tighten up if he’s to make it in international rugby.
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Losers
Louis Rees-Zammit: It must be stated that he did not have a bad game. He was incredibly solid each time he received the ball and caused havoc within the wide channels. The reason he’s down as a loser? He fumbled the try that could have secured Bristol a bonus point and moved them closer to a play-off spot. Receiving the ball in space, he chipped the ball ahead in trademark fashion, beating the Bath defenders just as the ball beat Josh Bayliss in the in-goal area. The Welsh speedster failed to ground the ball, however, allowing it to spill out of his grasp, giving the visitors the goal-line dropout. Although they had yet to score their third try at that moment in time, he will likely look back with regret.
Henry Arundell: Bar one calamitous incident, he was another player who had a perfectly fine game. The Bath winger’s indiscretion was a yellow card and a penalty try for flying through the air and knocking the ball forward as he attempted to stop the floating ball from reaching Rees-Zammit on the wing. It was silly and reckless, as he could easily have allowed LRZ to collect before taking him down in the tackle instead.
Ciaran Donoghue: It was never going to be easy following in the footsteps of the magnificent Russell, but the 23-year-old looked lost and out of his depth amongst a team filled with superstars. His first impact on the game – a kick to nowhere that bounced over the dead-ball line – set the tone for what would quickly become a numbing experience for the talented young playmaker. His next act was to get bagged by the defence on the counterattack after performing a fake kick. And finally, before fading into 15-man obscurity, he needlessly passed the ball forward to give Bristol the scrum after what had previously been an important attack. He’ll recover, but his lack of control on proceedings showed bare during this derby, which will need correcting if he’s to wear the 10 shirt for such a high-profile match again.
James Dun: Another player who simply did not appear to be at the races. The Bath-born lock appeared to lack focus, fumbling the ball in important areas on at least two occasions. It’s not the worst performance anyone’s ever had, but compared to his fired-up teammates, he stuck out like a sore thumb.