Gloucester v Bristol Bears: Five takeaways as ex-All Black the ‘Daddy Bear’ in dominant win while England clues offered
Bristol Bears overcame Gloucester in the PREM on Friday.
Following a 49-34 victory for Bristol Bears over Gloucester, here are our five takeaways from the Gallagher PREM clash at Kingsholm on Friday.
The top line: Bristol’s precision overcomes Gloucester’s pulse
Kingsholm delivered a 12-try thriller, but it was Bristol’s clinical edge that sealed a win over a spirited Gloucester side. Injuries shaped the contest before kick-off and during the game, with both teams fielding patched-up benches and losing key players mid-match.
Bristol really exposed Gloucester’s defensive fragility and showcased the Bears’ tactical clarity, not just through firepower, but more so through immense workrate, structure, tempo, and breakdown control, as the hosts struggled to defend around the 12 and 13 channels all evening.
At the heart of the Bears effort was the callow Sam Worsley, starting at fly-half in place of the suspended Tom Jordan, and the young Bear controlled the game with maturity beyond his years.
He scored a try, kicked seven conversions from seven, and managed Bristol’s tempo with clarity and immense confidence, considering his lack of experience. His distribution was crisp, his kicking game varied, mixing contestable box kicks with deep territory finders, and he showed composure under pressure, especially when Gloucester surged late.
Worsley’s support line for his try was textbook tracking the inside shoulder, accelerating through contact, and finishing with precision. With his goal-kicking flawless, and his ability to marshal Bristol’s shape in phase play kept Gloucester’s defence stretched, he delivered a performance that will set tongues wagging as he grabbed a worthy Player of the Match award.
Daddy Bear and the bruisers: Bristol’s back-row crush Gloucester
A key feature of this performance was the way that Bristol’s back-row bossed the Gloucester trio and made a huge impact in the result of this match. Steve Luatua for the first half, Bill Mata, and Fitz Harding were relentless, and with Gloucester missing both Lewis Ludlow and Jack Clement in addition to the now departed Ruan Ackermann, the imbalance was brutal.
For 40 minutes, ex-All Black Luatua was the Daddy Bear of the Bristol Bears; a towering presence, he didn’t just lead the Bears, he tucked Gloucester into their breakdown slumber and read them a bedtime story. He led with presence and precision, making 12 tackles, carrying for 38 metres, and winning a turnover.
His fold defence shut down Gloucester’s wide plays, and his offloading game kept Bristol’s tempo humming, a huge presence as he parented the youthful Bears pack but sadly, his race was run as a half time hammy niggle saw an early curtain to a star performance.
Mata, at eight, was the enforcer. He hit the gainline with venom, grabbing a typically direct try, making 10 carries, and forcing two breakdown penalties, and followed it up with a barnstorming run and offload to send Kalaveti Ravouvou over. His physicality gave Bristol front-foot ball and denied Gloucester any rhythm.
Harding, captaining the side, was the glue as he made 14 tackles, covered the backfield, and scored a try off a clever support line in the 27th minute. His leadership was visible, resetting shape, barking orders, and keeping Bristol’s line speed sharp, and it’s only a testimony to the strength of England’s back-row stocks that this outstanding flanker remains in the international wilderness.
Gloucester’s back-row of James Venter, Hugh Bokenham and Josh Basham were game but outgunned, despite a lovely try from the interchange between Basham and Venter for the skipper to score. Without Ludlow’s edge and Clement’s engine, they were reactive, not proactive and a key point of differentiation was Bristol’s trio controlled the breakdown, dominated the carry, and dictated the defensive tempo.
Injury toll and tactical patching: Gloucester v Bristol
This wonderful West Country derby was shaped by absences as much as action. Both Gloucester and Bristol arrived with key players unavailable, forcing tactical reshuffles and exposing depth. It wasn’t so much a case of triage; by the time the match concluded it was more like duct tape and hope on the brutal Kingsholm 4G surface..
Bristol missed Ellis Genge, AJ MacGinty and Gabriel Ibitoye, with Jake Woolmore starting at loosehead, Worsley at 10 and Max Pepper filling the wing slot. They lost Joe Batley and Luatua to hamstring issues during the match and the injury list just keeps getting worse for Pat Lam.
The benches reflected the injury toll; Gloucester leaned on academy names like Archie McArthur and Josiah Edwards-Giraud. Bristol opted for a six-two split, bringing on Benjamin Grondona and Joe Owen to reinforce the back-row.
Gloucester were without Lion nine, Tomos Williams, alongside stalwarts like Ludlow, Clement, Seb Atkinson and Josh Hathaway. That meant a back-row of Venter, Basham and Bokenham – game but green.
However, it’s always gloomiest before dawn, and Gloucester found a star off the bench in Edwards-Giraud, who demonstrated huge physicality and deft offloading in a really impressive showing. He combined wonderfully with Will Joseph as the centre lit up Kingsholm with a stunning try, slicing through Bristol’s defence off an outstanding offload from the replacement winger.
Gloucester’s shape shift: Missing Harris, kicking wide
Gloucester’s structural shift this season had been stark. And again, against Bristol, their defensive shape narrowed considerably, and the midfield fold was repeatedly exposed. The absence of Chris Harris, a man who has moved 40 miles down the M5 to Bath, at 13 proved pivotal. Harris, a master of folding from the edge into the seam, used to anchor Gloucester’s midfield defence with timing and physicality. Bristol exploited that gap, with three line breaks coming directly through the 12–13 channel by the 30-minute mark.
The Cherry and Whites defended with a tighter line, but without Harris’s ability to read and close the edge, they were vulnerable to wide switches and midfield inside balls. Bristol’s second try came from precisely that pattern, an inside ball off a wide decoy, to Fitz Harding, targeting the space Harris would usually patrol. Sure, they made 142 but missed 24 and conceded seven linebreaks.
Offensively, Gloucester’s kicking game shifted too. Last season, they kicked predominantly off 10, often straight, contestable and central. Tonight, they kicked 11 times in the first half. eight of those off nine, and six of those aimed diagonally to the wings. It was a clear tactical pivot: using Caolan Englefield’s tempo and disguise to stretch Bristol’s backfield and isolate their wingers. Ben Loader in particular, until he went off, dominated the clean takes in space, suggesting the tactic worked.
But it was more than just structural failings, it was about personnel. Without Harris, Gloucester’s defensive identity was compromised and his absence means they’ll take time to bed in their new personnel to an existing system. Their attacking tweaks showed ambition, but unless they solved the midfield fold, they remained exposed against sides with sharp edge runners.
EPS watch: Gloucester v Bristol offers England clues
With England’s Elite Player Squad (EPS) set to be named on Monday, tonight’s West Country derby gave selectors a final look at several contenders and a few outsiders.
Gabe Oghre was outstanding. The Bristol hooker hit 12/13 lineouts, made 11 tackles, and carried with his usual conviction, grabbing two short range tries. His breakdown work was sharp, and his defensive intellect was crucial in shutting down Gloucester’s midfield switches. For the Cherry and Whites, Will Joseph scored a superb try, spent the evening getting through the first contact for fun. His footwork and spatial awareness marked him as a genuine Test-level 13.
Afo Fasogbon continues to rise. The Gloucester tighthead scrummaged with authority, winning two penalties and anchoring the set-piece against seasoned opposition and his physicality and composure under pressure suggest he’s ready for the next step.
Charlie Atkinson showed flashes coming into the line from 15; his kicking game was composed, and he linked well with Loader and Edwards-Giraud. Joe Batley, versatile and industrious, covered lock and acting as a key defender on blindside with quiet efficiency. Both remain on the fringes but offer depth.
Harding was immense again; 14 tackles, 12 carries, two turnovers, a try and relentless energy. But England’s back-row depth is stacked. With Ben Earl, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Ted Hill, Tom Willis, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Chandler Cunningham-South all in the mix, Harding’s form may not be enough despite his consistency and leadership.