Rugby / Bristol Bears
Bristol beat Bath in thrilling West Country derby
A miscued Finn Russell cross-field kick that Rich Lane gleefully gobbled finally put the game out of reach of Bath in a topsy-turvy West Country derby.
Nobody expected the ‘Lionel Messi of rugby’ to be the player granting Bristol the bragging rights but then nothing in Bear Country right now is ever expected.
If you want to know what Bristol beating Bath feels like, just look at the celebrations from Joe Batley and James Williams as they crossed the line to score tries in front of the Atyeo Stand on Saturday afternoon.
A capacity crowd at Ashton Gate watched the Bears win 57-44 in a match that saw 14 tries, four yellow cards and one streaker.
Not that the fans at BS3 noticed, but Steven Luatua also made history by becoming the first player in the Premiership to wear an on-pitch mic for the TNT Sports coverage.
James Williams celebrates after scoring his try in the highest scoring game of the Premiership this season – photo: JMP
Bristol Bears’ eight tries came from eight different players: try-scorers were Will Capon, Joe Batley, AJ MacGinty, Noah Heward, James Williams, Fitz Harding and Magnus Bradbury and Rich Lane, with MacGinty also slotting six conversions and one crucial penalty.
It’s now eight weeks until Premiership rugby returns to Ashton Gate and when this season recommences, Bristol will have a renewed spring in their step.
Main photo: JMP
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