Bristol fight back to edge past Exeter

The Prem

Bristol (8) 18

Tries: Mata, Oghre Con: Worsley Pens: Jordan, Worsley

Exeter (14) 14

Bristol Bears fought back to pip Exeter Chiefs 18-14 in a fiercely fought West Country derby at Ashton Gate.

A Tom Jordan penalty and Viliame Mata’s score put the Bears 8-0 up, but Henry Slade crossed and, after Jordan was shown a red card, Ben Hammersley’s try made it 14-8 to Exeter at the break.

Bears started the second half better and took back the lead moments after returning to full strength as Gabriel Oghre dotted down.

Exeter piled on the pressure, but saw a Harvey Skinner try overturned with 10 minutes left before Sam Worsley kicked a last-gasp penalty to seal Bristol’s second Prem win of the season.

The sides shared 24 tries in their two meetings last season, and piled up 90 points the last time they met at Ashton Gate.

England prop Ellis Genge’s return gave the Bears some relief from relentless early season injury woes, and he forced the penalty for Jordan to boot the Bears ahead within 90 seconds.

The visitors boasted almost 90% territory in the opening 20 minutes but ferocious home defence kept them pointless, with Slade also missing a makeable penalty.

By contrast, the Bears were clinical with their sparse attacking possession as the game burst into life after a slow-burning first 26 minutes.

Exeter’s defence lost its shape as the ball was worked quickly to the right and Mata stepped away from two challenges to run in.

But Chiefs hit back immediately, as breaks from Skinner and Will Goodrick-Clarke pulled Bears out of shape, and Slade finished off a two-on-one.

Rob Baxter’s side then hit the front two minutes after Jordan was shown a red card for putting a shoulder into Ross Vintcent’s head.

Bears survived the rest of Jordan’s red card without further damage and began to put Exeter’s defence under sustained pressure.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Steve Varney did well to hold up Oscar Lennon over the line, but the visitors had no answer to a powerful driving maul as Oghre peeled off to dot down.

Just moments after wrestling back the lead, Bristol were a man down again as Max Pepper saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on.

Genge then walked gingerly off the pitch, 64 minutes into his return, as Bears were forced to defend their line under almost incessant pressure before the game’s turning point in the 71st minute.

Bristol looked to be staring down the barrel when Skinner forced his way over for a score, with Fitz Harding shown a yellow card as the hosts coughed up a succession of penalties.

Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:

“Talk about real fight from this group, real Bears character.

“We talked at half-time about what we needed to do in the next 10 minutes [after Tom Jordan’s red card] and the boys executed it so well.

“That is probably one of the highlights of my time here. I’m so proud of the boys.

“It wasn’t pretty, we missed opportunities, but the guts were unbelievable.

“The forwards can see the issues with the backs and they said to the backs ‘don’t worry we’ll give you the platform’ and they certainly did that.”

Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

“I’m less annoyed with the end than I am the 15 minutes after half-time.

“We zombie-walked our way into going behind. The period when we should take control of the game, we come out after half-time we should be energised and Bristol are down to 14 men.

“But they take the game by the scruff of the neck and we just kept giving away penalties until Bristol pretty much walk it over the try line.

Bristol: Elizalde, Carrington, Bates, van Rensburg, Ravouvou, Jordan, Marmion; Genge, Oghre, Kloska, Rubiolo, Batley, Grondona, Harding (c), Mata.

Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Chawatama, Dun, Owen, Lennon, Worsley, Pepper.

Red card: Jordan (32).

Sin-bin: Pepper (60).

Exeter: John, Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Hammersley, Brown-Bampoe, Skinner, Varney; Goodrick-Clarke, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (c), Zambonin, Roots, Fisilau, Vintcent.

Replacements: Heaven, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tuima, Pearson, James, Chapman, Lilley.