Bristol Bears thrash Gloucester 53-12 at Ashton Gate

Bristol Bears Thrash Gloucester 53-12 At Ashton Gate

Bristol Bears returned to winning ways in emphatic style with a record 53-12 bonus-point victory over West Country rivals Gloucester under the Friday night lights at Ashton Gate.

The home side were ruthless from the opening minutes, scoring seven tries and dominating the contest to strengthen their position in the Gallagher PREM table.

Bears Make A Flying Start

Bristol came out with real intensity and were rewarded almost immediately. In the third minute, Kieran Marmion sniped over after the forwards had built pressure close to the Gloucester line. James Williams added the conversion to give the hosts an early lead.

The problems kept coming for Gloucester. A high shot on Ellis Genge in the buildup to the opening try saw Seb Blake sent to the sin bin, although the visitors did briefly respond through a George Barton try in the 12th minute.

Bristol quickly regained control. Kalaveti Ravouvou crossed for his first try after a sweeping move from right to left, then added a second just minutes later as the Bears stretched the lead to 19-5.

Gloucester Collapse Under Pressure

Gloucester struggled to live with Bristol’s pace and physicality. Their discipline also began to unravel, and that only helped the home side tighten their grip on the match.

Charlie Atkinson was shown a yellow card for cynical play, and Bristol capitalised almost immediately. Captain Fitz Harding powered over from a quick tap penalty to extend the advantage.

The Bears had already secured the bonus point before halftime and continued to pile on the pressure. Another sustained spell near the Gloucester line ended with Josiah Edwards-Giraud penalised for a deliberate knock-on that stopped Rich Lane from scoring. The result was a penalty try and another yellow card for Gloucester.

Deian Gwynne did score late in the half for the visitors, with Barton converting, but Bristol still went into the interval with a commanding 33-12 lead.

Bristol Stay Ruthless After The Break

Any hope of a Gloucester comeback disappeared quickly after halftime. Tom Jordan linked well with Ravouvou down the left and crossed for Bristol’s next try, keeping the hosts firmly in control.

Bristol then added another through Gabriel Oghre, who finished off a thunderous lineout drive to take the lead even further beyond Gloucester’s reach.

The Bears continued to dominate territory and possession, and Gloucester had no answer to the tempo or directness of the home attack.

Jordan Takes Bristol Past 50

Even a late yellow card for George Taylor could not slow Bristol down. Tom Jordan added two late penalties to complete the scoring and push the Bears past the half-century mark.

It was a complete performance from Bristol, who combined clinical finishing with relentless pressure and aggressive defence.