Leicester Tigers v Bristol: Five takeaways as Bears bring ‘armfuls of fizz’ while England hopefuls ‘put hand up’ for Test selection
Gabriel Ibitoye with an indent of Pat Lam
Following Bristol Bears’ 54-24 win over Leicester Tigers, here are our five key takeaways from a festive cracker at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
The top line
Christmas is seen as the season of giving, but my word did Bristol and Leicester offer up plenty of festive treats in a thoroughly pulsating affair.
After just 18 minutes, the teams had already crossed the whitewash five times (Bristol three, Leicester two), and that also included two braces for in-form England hopefuls Gabriel Oghre and Ollie Hassell-Collins, but the game didn’t let up from here.
Bristol notched a bonus point in the 29th-minute, and added two more for good measure before the end of the half – including a RIDICULOUS full-length try.
Things slowed down a touch in the second 40, with fatigue also kicking in, but the entertainment continued. Freddie Steward crossed for his side, but then Bristol hit back with two more of their own for good measure – including a SECOND full-length try.
The win now takes Bristol top of the table, albeit for potentially a couple of hours given the Bath result could knock them down, but whatever happens at Kingston Park this win feels like a statement from Pat Lam’s side.
Game in numbers
Stats always make for interesting reading, but today’s were seriously something. Bristol’s attack was exceptional throughout, and their stats were seriously impressive. Across the full 80 minutes, the Bears made 16 line breaks, with Kalaveti Ravouvou notching four, Gabriel Ibitoye making three and Rich Lane, Ellis Genge and Fitz Harding adding two apiece.
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Despite the focus being on their attack, they actually didn’t dominate the territory battle, with only 42% of the territory in the whole game. 47% of the game was also played in Bristol’s 22-metre area, which in itself tells a story of how Leicester could have had more.
Again, the focus was on their attacking exploits, but the second half showed their defence is just as good. Lam’s side made 184 tackles compared to Leicester’s 119, and they also posted 89% tackles success rate compared to Leicester’s 78%.
These just show what a complete performance it was from the Bears, who will now be the team to beat in the Premiership.
Bristol bring the fizz
If Bristol Bears were coming to your house for Christmas dinner, they would definitely bring armfuls of fizz, and that’s exactly what they did in the East Midlands tonight.
Even after falling behind to a Hassell-Collins score, Lam’s men just turned on the flair and played that manic game we all know they can, but yet something felt different this time around.
Yes, they have done this time and time again in the Premiership, but their rampant attack just looked ultra-improved today and it was almost undefendable at times. It just seemed every time they touched the ball, they would inevitably score.
Sam Worsley, deployed early following a serious knee injury to AJ MacGinty, seemingly upped the intensity and energy. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – who qualifies for England in 2026 – was yet again exceptional as he balanced his usual smash-and-bash with some deft offloads to Ravouvou – who himself was also in fine touch.
Up front, Oghre was utterly fantastic – even with his cheap yellow card – and has done his hopes of a return to Steve Borthwick’s squad the world of good. Again, though, he showed just how he can play both the typical front-row role and the ‘Bristol way’ in tandem. Genge and George Kloska were also brilliant around the park, and looked more like backs than front-rowers.
Bristol have been talked about as potential title-winners this year, but this victory over Leicester showed they should now probably be considered the favourites.
Leicester slipping?
If this game hadn’t come after their previous Premiership defeat to Sale Sharks, then it would be considered a blip, but these don’t happen two games in a row.
Yes, there was Champions Cup action between their outings in the league, but it’s still two heavy defeats in a row in the league just as they looked like getting ready to march on top spot.
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For large parts of the game, Leicester just looked comfortably second-best, as Bristol ran riot with ball-in-hand, and that will really worry Michael Cheika. They did up things in attack, and looked pretty tasty to their credit, but just as they did that they went away from the things they have done so well this year.
Leicester have built their season on being clinical and working hard to then take an opportunity to score, but today they looked to go wide first without necessarily earning the right to do so (old-school thought here, but it’s true).
The try bonus-point will be a huge positive for them, but overall just a bleak day for the Tigers.
England hopefuls shine
As always, there were plenty of Englishmen who put their hands up to be selected by Steve Borthwick.
For the hosts, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Freddie Steward were both outstanding in attack, and between them grabbed three of the Tigers’ tries (Hassell-Collins two, Steward one). Borthwick’s forgotten man, Hassell-Collins, has been in fine scoring touch this season and today was yet another sign of his true poacher touch.
Steward would have been pleased with his outing, as it likely puts him in pole position to retake the 15 shirt following George Furbank’s injury news earlier this week. Importantly, they both showed they were capable of playing in that new expansive style of attack, which will please Borthwick as he looks to reignite a stagnant England side.
Bristol had plenty of players too who would have caught the attention. Harry Randall was yet again at the heart of their expansive attack and provided consistent quick-ball for his side to then play off. Gabriel Ibitoye was again phenomenal around the park and was able to just find space where there seemed none.
This was yet another stellar showing this year from the winger, who should be right at the forefront of Borthwick’s mind. Front-rowers Ellis Genge and Gabriel Oghre showed new facets to their game and looked in lovely touch. Fly-half Sam Worsley certainly caught the eye when he came on and could be a possible option for the England A squad for their clash with Ireland A.