Rugby / Bristol Bears
Bears set up mouth-watering clash with Bath in Premiership semi-final
Bristol Bears never like to do it the easy way but where would the fun be in that?
The last match of the regular season was a game that Pat Lam’s men had to win to secure a spot in the Premiership semi-final and they did what was asked of them, beating Harlequins by 52 points to 26 to set up a mouth-watering clash against table-toppers Bath.
Bristol’s 16th try bonus point this season set a new Premiership record, with George Kloska, Joe Batley, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Bill Mata, Gabriel Ibitoye, Santiago Grondona and Benhard Janse van Rensburg all scoring tries at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon, with man-of-the-match AJ MacGinty slotting six conversions.
Bristol were ahead for the whole match, getting on the scoreboard after just 90 seconds thanks to Kloska’s try from close-range; but it was heart-in-mouth stuff for a period in the second half when Quins narrowed the gap to just five points.
The minds of many Bristol fans would have returned to 2021 when Harlequins came back from 28-0 down to beat Bristol after extra time and reach the Premiership final.
But we need not have worried and the Bears will be making the short trip to the Rec next Friday night. It won’t be easy but with Bristol, it never is.
Main photo: Bristol Bears
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