| Bristol Bears (17) 31 |
| Tries: Genge 2, Bradbury, Morahan, Capon Cons: Sheedy, MacGinty 2 |
| Bathtub (16) 29 |
| Tries: Spencer, Dunn Cons: Francis 2 Pens: Francis 5 |
Ellis Genge scored two tries on his Bristol return to assist his facet to a late 31-29 win over rivals Bathtub.
Genge’s second-minute strive was cancelled out by Ben Spencer, and Magnus Bradbury stored the hosts shut as Bathtub’s Piers Francis kicked three penalties.
Luke Morahan gave the Bears a half-time lead, with Bathtub reserve hooker Niall Annett despatched off after a post-try melee.
Bathtub’s Tom Dunn was mauled over as they went in entrance however Genge scored his second earlier than Will Capon’s late winner.
Bathtub fly-half Francis noticed a last-second drop-goal try drift simply vast as new boss Johann van Graan started his tenure with a dropping bonus level.
England prop Genge sprinted in from 30 metres to have a good time his return to his hometown membership after a summer season transfer from Leicester earlier than Bathtub skipper Spencer bought a superb dummy to interrupt by means of after 14 minutes so as to add to Francis’ first penalty.
Bathtub, who misplaced flanker Chris Cloete to an ankle drawback early on, noticed England prop Beno Obano helped off with a nasty-looking harm having missed most of final season with a knee drawback.
Bristol responded to a second Francis penalty by Bradbury going over within the nook after 27 minutes, earlier than visiting centre Will Butt was sin-binned for holding up a Thirty fourth-minute Bristol break.
With no Tv Match Official on responsibility, Morahan controversially went over after good work by Charles Piutau to place Bristol again in entrance quickly after, though it appeared {that a} Bathtub participant had been held down by an opponent within the build-up.
Summer time-signing Annett, who was warming up off the sphere when the strive was scored, was despatched off and Bristol fly-half Callum Sheedy sin-binned as tempers flared between the 2 units of gamers earlier than a 3rd Francis penalty reduce the hole between the perimeters to some extent at half-time.
Nice work from Jaco Coetzee, which noticed Bathtub’s South African quantity eight get injured within the course of, arrange Dunn’s mauled strive 17 minutes after the break because the guests opened up a six-point lead earlier than a fourth Francis penalty prolonged the hole to 9.
Dave Attwood was held up over the road as Bathtub went near sealing victory, earlier than Bristol bought again into it as Genge powered in from 15 metres after a fast faucet penalty earlier than Francis kicked a fifth penalty to place Bathtub in entrance as soon as extra.
Within the ultimate moments former Sale fly-half AJ MacGinty – who was making his Bristol debut after a summer season transfer – kicked a late penalty deep into Bathtub territory, and from the ensuing lineout the hosts’ pack had been too robust as Capon was carried over the road to finish a memorable comeback victory.
Bristol Bears: Piutau; Morahan, O’Conor, Bedlow, Lane; Sheedy, Randall; Genge, Byrne, Sinckler, Joyce, Vui, Jeffries, Heenan (capt), Bradbury.
Replacements: Capon, Woolmore, Lahiff, Holmes, Lewis, Uren, MacGinty, Bates.
Bathtub: De Glanville; Hamer-Webb, Butt, Redpath, Gallagher; Francis, B Spencer (capt); Obano, Dunn, A Coetzee, Attwood, McNally, Bayliss, Cloete, J Coetzee.
Replacements: Annett, Boyce, Jonker, W Spencer, Richards, Schreuder, Bailey, De Carpentier.
Referee: Tom Foley.
