Bristol Bears 35-29 Benetton Treviso – Bristol cling to victory as Harry Thacker stars in nine-try classic
Yesterday at 12:19 PM
Bristol Bears held on to victory by the skin of their teeth, as Benetton Treviso proved to be challenging opponents in the third round of the Investec Champions Cup. A late Benetton match-winning try from Rhyno Smith was cancelled out due to obstruction, with Bristol breathing a sigh of relief in this hard fought nine-try classic.
Benetton fly half Tomoz Albornoz missed four crucial conversions, and a disallowed try from former Bristol Bears scrum half Andy Uren would have secured the win for the visitors at Ashton Gate. Bristol hooker Harry Thacker was named Player of the Match, as he continues his push for a long awaited call up to the England squad.
The must-win mentality of both sides was witnessed from the get go, as both Bristol and Benetton threw caution to the wind in this entertaining clash at Ashton Gate. It took eight minutes for Bristol to break the deadlock, with hooker Harry Thacker starting the move with an exquisite line-out overthrow, to find wing Noah Heward on the charge. Powerful bursts from Kalaveti Ravouvou and Max Lahiff further dented Benetton’s defense, before centre Jimmy Williams was played in under the posts from 5m out.
Benetton rallied back with an immediate fire, and the Ashton Gate faithful soon realised they had a game on their hands. There were excellent hands from Benetton as they shipped the ball across the width of the pitch. A long miss pass to Rhyno Smith, coupled with a failed interception attempt from Bristol wing Jack Bates, allowed the man with arguably the best name in rugby to collect the ball and scored out wide. Tomoz Albornoz missed the following conversion as he struck the uprights.
The end-to-end action continued as Bristol returned fire for a 17th minute score. Thacker broke the Benetton line, and offloaded the ball to his supporting scrum half, yet the ball was too low to the deck. Kieran Marmion improvised on the fly with some neat football skills, with a left foot volley over Benetton’s in-goal area. The halfback dived on the ball for the try, to delight the Ashton Gate faithful in this dual-purpose football stadium. More sharp work from the feet as Byrne once again converted off the tee.
Benetton would add two further tries before half-time, with back row Manuel Zuliani and wing Matt Gallagher taking the Italians into the break with a four point lead. Azzurri centres Tommasso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex interlinked in the build up to Zuliani’s try, before Benetton’s blistering back-three all combined for Gallagher’s score on the stroke of half-time.
There were plenty of boos ringing around Ashton Gate with two dubious looking passes, with cries for back-to-back forward passes sending the Bristol Bears faithful into a frenzy. Some sarcastic jeers followed as Albornoz missed the following conversion from the touchline, as the sides departed at the break.
HALF TIME: BRISTOL BEARS 14 – 17 BENETTON TREVISO
Bristol fired out the blocks early in the second half, with the Bears over to re-take the lead after just four minutes. A rolling maul set a strong foundation on the front foot, before tight-head prop Max Lahiff peeled off the pack to drive over the line. Another conversion from Byrne extended the advantage.
Bristol hooker Harry Thacker would get his long awaited try, after a brilliant performance from the front row. Full plaudits were awarded to Bristol captain Fitz Harding, as he shrugged off two tacklers and extecuted a nice out the back off load to Thacker. The Bears had their tails up, as Marmion grabbed his brace six minutes later. The scrum half was unleashed along the blindside touchline following a line-out maul. Byrne nailed the kick from the corner, for a flawless effort off the tee.
Benetton kept their heads up, despite the score-line racing away from them. Brex was tackled inches from the try-line, with replacement hooker Bautista Bernansconi muscling his way over on the 64th minute. A lenghty TMO review confirmed that the ball was in fact dotted down, despite protests from the home supporters.
Tommasso Menoncello would keep this momentum building, as the Italian centre scored a stunning solo try from the Bristol 10m, capped off with a sublime diving finish. With just 10 minutes remaining, Albornoz’ missed conversion hindered Benetton’s hopes of a dramatic comeback.
However, Benetton’s fire did not die out, as Rhyno Smith capped off a stunning move along the back line for a 76th minute Treviso try. The supporters held their breath following another TMO review, as the referee’s blast on the whistle confirmed a narrow escape for Bristol, thanks to an obstructive runner.
BRISTOL BEARS: 35
Tries: 5 (Williams 8′, Marmion 17′, 59′, Lahiff 44′, Thacker 53′)
Conversions: 5 (Byrne 8′, 17′, 44′, 53′, 59′)
Penalties: 0
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 1 (Grondona 37′)
Red Cards: 0
15. Benjamin Elizalde 14. Jack Bates 13. Kalaveti Ravouvou 12. James Williams 11. Noah Heward 10. Harry Byrne 9. Kieran Marmion 1. Yann Thomas 2. Harry Thacker 3. Max Lahiff 4. Joe Owen 5. Joe Batley 6. Santiago Grondona 7. Fitz Harding (C) 8. Villiame Mata
16. Gabriel Oghre 17. Ellis Genge 18. Jimmy Halliwell 19. Steele Barker 20. Steven Luatua 21. Harry Randall 22. Benhard Janse van Rensburg 23. Rich Lane
BENETTON TREVISO
Tries: 6 (Smith 13′, 76′, Zuliani 23′, Gallagher 40′, Bernasconi 64′, Menoncello 69′)
Conversions: 2 (Albornoz 23′, 64′)
Penalties: 0
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
15. Rhyno Smith 14. Matt Gallagher 13. Tommaso Menoncello 12. Ignacio Brex 11. Onisi Katave 10. Tomas Albornoz 9. Andy Uren 1 Thomas Gallo 2. Siua Maile 3. Giosue Zilocchi 4. Niccolo Cannone 5. Federico Ruzza 6. Michele Lamaro 8. Lorenzo Cannone 7. Manuel Zuliani
16. Bautista Bernasconi 17. Simone Ferrari 18. Enzo Avaca 19. Eli Snyman 20. Riccardo Favretto 21. Alessandro Izekor 22. Alessandro Garbisi 23. Leonardo Marin
Still to come: Bristol Bears Player Ratings and Talking Points from Pat Lam
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