2013/14 University Rugby Review - Bristol 13 - Bath 3

Game management and pure grit from Bristol prevailed, on a night where conditions were the poorest encountered so far.

And on this night, Bristol dominated from minute 1 to minute 80. Another crucial victory which goes a long way towards consolidating their place in Premier South A.

For most of the first half, Bath struggled to get out of their own half. With both halfbacks, George Brown and Stephen Boatman, leading from the front with expert tactical play, Bristol dominated from the off. Kick after kick was sent up to the swirling Clifton wind, and time after time it resulted in possession and territory for the men in maroon. With wind and rain that would test any lineout, the front 8 delivered almost faultlessly, ensuring that no hard work was gone to waste.

This game was always going to be a low scoring one, but thankfully, when the opportunity to turn possession into points came, Boatman did not disappoint as he put Bristol 3-0 up. Bath soon clued up to the necessary kicking tactics, but with execution not as effective as Bristol’s two B’s. Marcus Webber marshalled the back 3 well, dealing with the aerial threats efficiently.

Towards the end of the half, it was one lineout too many for Bath, as Boatman’s inch-perfect kick found touch in the corner, and Sam Jeffries managed to disrupt the Bath line, leaving captain Henry Conchie to pounce on a loose ball to slide over for the first try of the evening – 8-0 Bristol.

Some rare Bath pressure in the Bristol half led to a penalty, leaving the half time score at 8-3.

The second half started with the similar intensity and intent from Bristol, as again they played a superior tactical and territorial game, spurred on by the dedicated home support. With conditions dictating much of the open play, Bristols back three execution proved superior to Baths.

However, Bath began to gain some momentum in the beginning of the half and Bristols steely defence was tested for the first time. Strong tackling with some of the best physicality of this season, saw Bristol stifle the best that Bath could give.

The platform was set for the Bristol pack to dominate the set piece and this continued with excellent scrummaging from a much improved forward performance. As knock-ons were plentiful, Bristol began to take control of the scrum, led by the tight scrummaging of dalton Tice and Ryan Furniss.

A crucial penalty was won in the Bath half with 20 mins to go. Stephen Boatman placed the kick perfectly deep into the Bath half, setting a Bristol lineout 5 metres out. The lineout was won by Max Cresswell and the Bristol pack exerted heavy pressure on the Bath line. After multiple phases the Bath defence held strong and the ball was sent to the backs, Boatman fired a high kick to be contested over the Bath line and Sam Higgins climbed majestically to claim the ball and score.

The conversion was missed and the score stood at 13-3 with plenty to play for. Bristol reclaimed the kick off and continued their superior physical and tactical game, shutting down any opportunity Bath had in the game.

A Man of the match performance from George Brown typified the Bristol attitude with strong carries and physicality at the breakdown. The final whistle blew and Bristol celebrated with the strong home support to an excellent home win.