Player ratings: Resilient Bristol Bears score a trio of late tries to defeat Newcastle Falcons
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A late flurry of tries, including a stunning Kieran Marmion score, saw Bristol Bears defeat Newcastle Falcons 55-35 at Ashton Gate.
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The Bears raced into a 21-0 lead with tries for Gabriel Oghre, Noah Heward and Kalaveti Ravouvou but were pinned back to 21-14 at half time after efforts from Chick and Blamire on the stroke of the interval.
Ravouvou bagged his second score early in the second half but Max Clark and Ben Stevenson crossed the paint for the visitors, tightening the score to 31-28 going into the final quarter of the game.
However, after an Alex Hearle yellow card the Bears ran away with the game with scores for Viliame Mata, Deago Bailey and Marmion in the dying embers of the game.
BRISTOL BEARS:
15. Rich Lane – 8
The Bears full back had a very impressive afternoon, proving to be aerially solid and the launcher of numerous Bristol attacks. He was the catalyst for Ravouvou's second try, showing his footwork to break through the Newcastle defensive line untouched before connecting with the Fijian to send him over.
14. Noah Heward – 7
Heward put in a solid performance with a couple of opportunistic scores capping off a good afternoon.
13. Joe Jenkins – 6
Jenkins struggled to have a big impact on the game in large parts but made few mistakes either side of the ball. In the 48th minute he seemed sure to score but a brilliant cover tackle knocked the ball from his hands as he bared down on the try line.
12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – 8
The South African centre was as magnificent as ever, offering himself as a ball carrier or link man throughout the game – filling in at fly half after Byrne was taken off. His pass in the buildup to Bailey's try was out of this world.
11. Kalaveti Ravouvou – 8
It was a strong performance for Ravouvou who was named man of the match after a couple of tries. Playing out of position on the wing, the Fijian made brilliant carries, showed his pace whenever he had the opportunity and looked comfortable under the high ball. A comical error midway through the first half was the only flaw in Ravouvou's game as he knocked on a tap and go after calling a mark before being given a second opportunity… Only to fire the pass over the head of Byrne and out over the dead ball line, giving the Falcons a scrum five metres out.
10. Harry Byrne – 8
Byrne certainly impressed this afternoon and seems to have settled quickly into his new team. He kicked in behind Newcastle a lot in the first quarter of an hour, managing the game really well in stormy conditions. The Leinsterman left the field in the 73rd minute with cramp in his leg but looks likely to play a huge part in the remainder of Bristol's season.
9. Kieran Marmion – 9
Byrne's half back compatriot could be one of the most underrated players in the Premiership, putting in another fantastic performance this weekend. Marmion gave the Bears a quick tempo of play putting them onto the front foot for large spells of the game, creating a number of tries including Ravouvou's first where he attacked the blindside to put the Fijian in behind the Falcons defence. After 73 minutes of rugby, the scrum half still had the ability to make a long solo break to bag his try stepping Stevenson in the process. Marmion is some player.
1. Yann Thomas – 5
It was a challenging day for the Bristolian prop, a poor pass to Oghre butchered a two on one early in the game and after conceding a scrum penalty in the 46th minute, Thomas was soon replaced by Woolmore.
2. Gabriel Oghre – 8
Oghre is one of the true workhorses in the Bristol team, frequently offering himself as a ball carrier. He took his early driving maul try well and threw into the lineout accurately.
3. Max Lahiff – 6
Had a fairly quiet game before being replaced by Kloska early in the second half, performed well at scrum time, conceding no penalties against a powerful Brocklebank.
4. James Dun – 6
Dun had few highlight moments in this afternoon's game but performed admirably none the less, offering himself well on both sides of the ball.
5. Joe Owen – 6
Dun's partner in the row also did well to offer himself on both sides of the ball in addition to running the Bristol lineout which functioned fairly well. A knock on at the top of a lineout in the 56th minute diffused a lot of Bristol pressure for the visitors which was a slight flaw in his game as it allowed Newcastle back into the match.
6. Santiago Grondona – 7
The Argentine flanker consistently showed his line speed making tackle after tackle while he was on the pitch. A neck role in the first half allowed the Falcons easy access into the Bristol 22 and was one of the key factors in allowing them back into the game in the first half.
7. Fitz Harding (c) – 7
Harding was really solid throughout the game, carrying the ball really well. A classy step before an even classier offload in the 12th minute was definitely a highlight in the Bears skipper's game.
8. Viliame Mata – 9
Mata had a brilliant game and seemed to be everywhere on the pitch throughout the game. He recovered kicks, jackaled to turn the ball over, made unreal line breaks and sublime offloads finishing with a well deserved try in the 71st minute.
Replacements
16. Will Capon – 6
17. Jake Woolmore – 7
18. George Kloska – 6
19. Steven Luatua – 8
20. Jake Heenan – 6
21. Sam Wolstenholme – 6
22. Benjamin Elizalde – 7
23. Deago Bailey – 7
NEWCASTLE FALCONS:
15. Elliott Obatoyinbo – 7
It was a quiet game for Obatoyinbo but he managed the back field fairly well despite the aerial bombardment which Byrne was putting onto him.
14. Max Pepper – 7
The scrum half operating on the wing in the absence of Adam Radwan performed really well. He climbed highest to retain a box kick in the air after 24 minutes and was unlucky to have a try ruled out after a brilliant cover tackle by Ravouvou.
13. Alex Hearle – 5
Hearle will be disappointed with his performance today. He made the error which ked to Heward's try with a poor pass and was shown a yellow card in the 68th minute for a high shot on Janse van Rensburg, that said the outside centre did well to create Stevenson's first try showing a flash of quality.
12. Max Clark – 8
Clark showed a brilliant account of himself against a really challenging opposite man. He carried the ball when he was asked to and tackled well whilst also producing a couple of magical moments. The charge down on Byrne's exit to earn himself a try was very impressive and he followed it up with an unreal no look pass to Hearle in the buildup to Stevenson's first try.
11. Ben Stevenson – 8
The winger had a pleasing afternoon, putting in a phenomenal tackle on Mata just before halftime and scoring a brace of tries.
10. Brett Connon – 7
Connon did well to get his side going after going 21-0 down early in the match, stealing the ball from the Bears with a jackal in the final play of the first half. The fly half kicked five out of five conversions showing his class from the tee but will be annoyed to have knocked the ball on in the 16th minute, deep in the Bristol 22 despite very little pressure.
9. Sam Stuart – 6
Stuart struggled to have a significant impact in the game and was overshadowed by the class of Marmion, kicking the ball dead in the second minute meant that the Falcons struggled to start the match well. That said he controlled the way Newcastle played well for long stages of the game.
1. Adam Brocklebank – 6
It was a quiet game for the loosehead prop before being replaced, he scrummaged sufficiently against Lahiff.
2. Jamie Blamire – 8
Blamire played very well, throwing accurately into the lineout throughout the game. Like his opposite man, Blamire too scored from the back of a driving maul, bringing his side back into the game on the stroke of half time.
3. Murray McCallum – 6
McCallum let Lane through the Falcons defensive line cheaply in the buildup to the Ravouvou score which had a profound impact on the final outcome of the match. That said, McCallum scrummaged well, earning a scrum penalty in the 46th minute.
4. Sebastian de Chaves – 6
Similarly to the Bristol locks, de Chaves struggled to make a significant impact on the match but performed well, showing his physicality on both sides of the ball.
5. Kiran McDonald – 7
McDonald ensured that the Falcons lineout functioned really well today and carried the ball very well whenever the opportunity arose.
6. Philip van der Walt – 6
van der Walt did well to offer himself on both sides of the ball, making numerous tackles.
7. Freddie Lockwood – 6
It was a mixed game for Lockwood, earning a jackal turnover from Heward midway through the second half to allow Newcastle to exit their own 22 after a prolonged period of Bristol pressure. However, a knock on in the Bristol red zone in the 27th minute meant that the openside flanker also alleviated the pressure which Newcastle were applying to the hosts.
8. Callum Chick (c) – 8
The Newcastle captain led from the front in today's game making frequent dominant carries including a particularly impressive one in the 24th minute. After a long spell close to the Bristol line, Chick was the man to carry over, getting the ball rolling for his side as they worked their way back into the game.
Replacements
16. Ollie Fletcher – 6
17. Micky Rewcastle – 6
18. Luan de Bruin – 6
19. John Hawkins – 6
20. Ollie Leatherbarrow – 6
21. Joe Davis – 6
22. Kieran Wilkinson – 7
23. Oli Spencer – 5
BRISTOL BEARS: 55
TRIES: 8 (Oghre 5', Heward 7', 80', Ravouvou 18', 51', Mata 71', Marmion 74', Bailey 76')
PENALTIES: 1 (Byrne 59')
CONERSIONS: 6 (Byrne 6', 8', 19', 52', Janse van Rensburg 74', 80')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
NEWCASTLE FALCONS: 35
TRIES: 5 (Chick 30', Blamire 36', Clark 54', Stevenson 62', 79')
PENALTIES: 0
CONVERSIONS: 5 (Connon 31', 37', 55', 62', 80')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Hearle 68')
RED CARDS: 0
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