Gabriel Ibitoye magic snatches dramatic win for Bristol Bears as Exeter woes continue
A nine-minute hat-trick from Gabriel Ibitoye secured a dramatic 40-35 win for Bristol Bears over West Country rivals Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.
The Bears found themselves 32-12 down heading into the final quarter, but late tries from Ibitoye and Gabriel Oghre secured a third win from their opening four games in the Premiership; condemning Exeter to yet another loss in the process.
Exeter came out of the traps quickly and nearly notched the first score after six minutes. A powerful line break from Scott Sio brought the Wallabies prop within touching distance of the line, but a clever turnover kept them out. A few minutes later, however, Josh Hodge made their possession count as he slotted a three-pointer from the tee.
Their lead didn’t last long though, as Kieran Marmion scampered home for the visitors’ opening try. Deft hands down the left edge found Joe Batley in space, and he put the try on a plate for the scrum-half.
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Momentum quickly swung back to the Chiefs though. A yellow card to Josh Caulfield allowed Exeter to set up shop in the 22, and they made the numerical advantage count through breakthrough star Paul Brown-Bampoe. A well-worked move through the backline found the powerful winger out wide, and he bashed through Jake Woolmore to cross in the corner.
The Durham University graduate found himself at the heart of the action again, but this time for the wrong reasons. A well-weighted kick from Joe Hawkins found him in space on the wing with only Rich Lane in his way and Olly Woodburn in support too; however he went himself and was turned over.
Missing this golden opportunity came back to haunt them just moments after, as Bristol regained the lead with their second score of the afternoon. A well-worked strike move teleported the Bears deep into Exeter’s 22, and silky hands once again found lock Bailey in space on the wing, and he flopped over in the corner for the try.
Yet again, though, Exeter came back. A string of penalties marched Exeter into Bristol territory, but a costly knock-on from Sam Maunder handed the visitors an easy escape.
On the stroke of half-time, a moment of magic from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso handed the hosts the lead. A clever snipe from the base of the ruck caught Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Steven Luatua and Marmion off guard, and a powerful hand-off propelled him over the line.
Just like in the first half, Exeter dominated the opening exchanges of the second. Strong carries from Josh Iosefa-Scott, Jacques Vermeulen and Feyi-Waboso bashed through the Bristol line, earning Hodge a chance to extend their lead in the process; which he gleefully took.
For the first time in the game, the Bears had a period of sustained possession. Ibitoye and Lane threatened to break through the line with some electric feet, but a monstrous tackle from Rusi Tuima forced a knock-on and the play came to a halt.
The Bears gained possession once more, but they couldn’t get out of their own half as the Exeter defence stood tall. Huge hits from Ross Vintcent and Ethan Roots eventually took their toll, as Bristol coughed up the ball deep in their own 22. Once again, a spot of ill-discipline gifted Exeter meaningful possession, but staunch work from the visitors held Tuima up over the line just as he looked like crossing.
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They weren’t held out for long though, as they struck with a quick-fire double. The first came through Brown-Bampoe, who powered over for a sensational second score from 30 metres. Not to be outdone, Feyi-Waboso pinched a sloppy Bristol pass to canter over the whitewash to secure a crucial bonus point.
It quickly went south from here for the Chiefs as Dan Frost was sent to the sin-bin; which allowed Bristol to strike with three quick-fire tries to snatch the lead. The first came through Oghre, who powered through the Exeter line to score a brilliant solo effort from 40 metres.
The electric Ibitoye grabbed the following two, which were both sensational scores in their own right. The first came from a well-weighted kick from AJ MacGinty, and Ibitoye latched onto the ball to score. This was followed up with a fantastic solo effort from deep in his own half, as he beat three hapless Chiefs’ defenders to run in from 60.
Their lead didn’t last long though, as Hodge added another three-pointer to swing momentum back to the hosts with only four minutes left.
Bristol, again, proved hard to put down; and they crossed for their fourth in 10 minutes as Ibitoye completed his hat-trick. A cheeky snipe from Harry Randall created a two-on-one down the left wing, and he connected with his winger.
With the clock in the red, Exeter had one final through of the dice. A costly penalty deep in their 22 saw Exeter set up shop, but as had happened for much of the game, a crucial turnover sent Bristol back up the M5 with maximum points.
The teams
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Olly Woodburn, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Sam Maunder, 8 Ross Vintcent, 7 Richard Capstick, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Franco Molina, 4 Rusi Tuima, 3 Marcus Street, 2 Jack Yeandle, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Dan Frost, 17 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Jack Dunne, 20 Ethan Roots, 21 Greg Fisilau, 22 Tom Cairns, 23 Ben Hammersley
Bristol Bears: 15 Rich Lane, 14 Jack Bates, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Jake Woolmore, 8 Fitz Harding, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Joe Batley, 4 Josh Caulfield, 3 Max Lahiff, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 George Kloska, 19 James Dun, 20 Benjamin Grondona, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Sam Worsley, 23 Benjamin Elizalde
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys and Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: David Rose
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