Bristol v Gloucester: Five takeaways as England hopefuls powers Bears’ ‘return to Harlem Globetrotter-esque form’ on ‘yet another’ tough night for visitors
England hopeful Fitz Harding (right) was a key part of Bristol's win over Gloucester.
Following Bristol Bears’ 53-12 win over Gloucester at Ashton Gate, here are our five key takeaways from the round 13 clash.
The top line
Bristol Bears secured a resounding victory over West Country rivals Gloucester to get their PREM play-off hopes back on track.
The bulk of the damage was done in the opening stanza, with Bristol in rampant touch. Kieran Marmion opened the scoring after just four minutes, with Kalaveti Ravouvou grabbing a brace either side of a George Barton try to make it 19-5 after just 17 minutes.
Two more scores followed in the final stages of the first-half, with Fitz Harding and a penalty try pushing their lead out to 33-5; however, Gloucester did have the last laugh through a Deian Gwynne score on the stroke of half-time.
But the one-way traffic continued in the second-half. Tom Jordan got the scoring back underway for Bristol after just four minutes in the second-half, with Gabriel Oghre adding his name to the scoresheet soon after with a rolling maul.
In the closing stages, Jordan added two penalties to not only rub salt in the wound but also give the Bears their biggest victory over Gloucester.
Ramifications
Bristol got exactly what they needed out of the game tonight, taking the maximum five league points. That pulls them back to within touching distance of the top four, sitting just two points behind fourth-placed Exeter Chiefs and three behind Leicester Tigers in third as well. But those two are still to play this weekend.
PREM Rugby round 13: Predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments
Gloucester, though, were unable to take any league points back to Kingsholm, which could come back to haunt them in the race for the Investec Champions Cup. This defeat keeps them six points behind Sale Sharks in seventh and just one point above Harlequins too.
Bristol are back
It’s been a weird few weeks for Bristol after what was a really strong start to the season all things considered. Three defeats in a row across both the PREM and Investec Champions Cup, averaging just 19 points per game and lacking that customary pizzazz that has served them so well.
But, tonight felt like a return to their Harlem Globetrotter-esque form, and at just the right time to considering they were falling behind the top four.
Their attack looked the business once again. It wasn’t an overly complicated shape, but it was all designed to target spaces in Gloucester’s defence. Bristol’s attacking running lines were all executed seamlessly, drawing in the Gloucester defence and causing them to bite, which was then exploited by either firing it flat to the crash runner or pulling it out the back.
That intent to both create and then run at doglegs in turn just allowed the likes of Ravouvou and Gabriel Ibitoye on the ball much more frequently than in recent outings, and they made it count with a combined 134 metres from 24 carries alongside three line breaks and 13 beaten defenders.
Joue joue is all well and good, but they also had some punch up front that would make even the staunchest of old-school coaches blush. Their shift from Champagne to Stout as soon as they entered the 22 was something to behold. It was like watching another team take to the field.
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Everything just pinched in a tad tighter, became more intense and, crucially, more frequent. They just kept on coming, with the next carrier lined up almost as soon as the ball touched the floor from the previous trudge, and it worked.
Be it from a try from close range, a snipe around the fringes after changing tack, or by flinging it wide with the defence drawn in, they managed to execute with brutal efficiency. That was also backed up in the set-piece, too, getting serious go-forward from the maul and eventually seeing one go over for a try.
This is a performance that will leave the rest of the top four sweating ahead of the run-in. This was a performance that marked Bristol’s return to form.
Where next?
Gloucester are doing it tough right now, and this was yet another grim night for the Cherry and Whites.
It was just ugly from the get-go. Five tries conceded in the first-half, three yellow cards, two more tries in the second-half, 35 missed tackles (which at one point was higher than Bristol’s completed tackle count), while posting just 40% possession and 35% territory too.
There were flashes, especially when they actually had 15 players on the field, but flashes are not enough to beat PREM play-off pushers.
It’s a defeat that probably serves as an embodiment of their season so far, too.
Their play-off hopes have long been a thing of the past, with a spot in next season’s Investec Champions Cup the only thing left to play for. But they need to start thinking more towards next season as well.
The arrival of Chris Boyd this week will surely speed things up, but it won’t be the be-all and end-all; it cannot just come from one man. Gloucester need to come back together and have a proper think about what they actually look like.
Is it back to the all-out attack from last season? Is it just ripping things up, starting from scratch and building on the basics? Whichever way they decide to go, it needs to be long-term thinking.
Test watch
It is mind-boggling that Fitz Harding has yet to get a crack at the England senior squad, but tonight was yet another reminder of his quality. The back-rower was a real driving force behind this win, fronting up on both sides of the ball and really leading from the front.
Gabriel Oghre was properly impressive all night in a try-scoring shift, which will surely prick the ears of Steve Borthwick considering the season-ending injury to Luke Cowan-Dickie. Crucially, this is one of a number of huge efforts in recent weeks, which will serve him really well looking towards July.
Fellow front-rowers Ellis Genge and Afo Fasogbon also enjoyed a good ding-dong, in keeping with the last time they met at Ashton Gate, while George Kloska also impressed in a proper all-court effort.
Tom Jordan‘s delicious flourishes in attack really helped push Bristol forward tonight, injecting serious pace and tempo into their attack and getting himself over for a score.
Bristol’s flying winger Kalaveti Ravouvou was once again running around like he was playing touch in the park, which is a delight to watch.