Starting Lineup
1
Ethan Waller
4
Alex Moon
Subs
Opposition Lineup
15
Richard Lane
14
Jack Bates
13
Benhard Janse van Rensburg
12
James Williams
11
Gabriel Ibitoye
10
AJ MacGinty
9
Harry Randall
1
Jake Woolmore
2
Harry Thacker
3
Max Lahiff
4
Josh Caulfield
5
Ed Holmes
6
Joe Batley
7
Daniel Thomas
8
Magnus Bradbury
Subs
16
Will Capon
17
Andrew Turner
18
George Kloska
19
James Dun
20
Jake Heenan
21
Kieron Marmion
22
Callum Sheedy
23
Joe Jenkins
| pos | team | team name | pld | w | d | l | f | a | diff | tf | ta | tb | lb | pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 |  | Northampton SaintsNOR | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 240 | 146 | 94 | 36 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
3 | | Bristol BearsBRI | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 206 | 196 | 10 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
Full Time
Bristol Bears
39
Northampton Saints
38
Sheedy pushes the conversion wide with the final act of the game as Bristol win the match by a single point.
Try Bristol
Saints defend for their lives and repel multiple closs-range drives, but there's not enough men out wide to repel Ibitoye, arriving in from the wing to cross the line.
79
Bristol are a metre out...
77
Some desperate defensive work down the short side from Ramm stops Bates from finishing in the corner. A pass back inside is disrupted, play will restart with a Bristol scrum, seven metres from the Saints line, 15 metres in from touch.
76
There's a fumble in midfield for Saints, Bristol pile on the pressure in the 22 but are struggling to make in roads.
74
After a brief stoppage for some treatment, play restarts with a Saints scrum inside their own 22 on the right 15 metre line.
Atuanya replaces Moon.
Furbank...
... slots the conversion to put Saints four points ahead with ten minutes to go!
TRY SAINTS!!!
Saints burgle the ball from the restart and don't let Bristol get a sniff. Thame grabbed a loose ball inside the 22, survived the contact and strides through to regain the lead for Saints!
Sheedy adds the conversion, Bristol lead by three.
Try Bristol
Bristol set up camp on the Saints line and find their way through as Marmion crosses.
65
Hendy is in the thick of this match as he stops a Bristol attack with a great piece of breakdown work in his own 22, but it was his deliberate knock-on we go back for as Bristol kick to five metres out.
64
What a kick! Hendy catches inside his own 22 and delivers a perfect clearance, going two metres away from a 50:22. Bristol will throw in just outside their own 22.
Furbank...
... adds the conversion, Saints lead by four!
TRY SAINTS!!!
Saints attack up into the Bristol 22 with a Smith offload unlocking the door and Furbank racing forward and retaining the ball. Two replacements combine with Furbank freeing his arms to feed Ramm to wriggle free and go under the posts!
Bristol force a penalty following a period of pressure in the Saints 22 and Sheedy gives his side the lead from a close range position.
Double change for Saints as Coles and James are off and on comes Augustus and McParland.
54
Furbank's up and under causes chaos and Freeman pounces, play switches from right to left with Graham side-stepping nicely in from the left touchline, combining with Scott-Young whose offload is just beyond the reaching fingertips of Hendy. Scrum Bristol, deep inside their own 22.
Smith, Iyogun and Millar Mills are on for Waller, Langdon and Davison. They go straight into a scrum on the Saints ten-metre line, five metres in from touch.
50
Furbank produces a huge kick from inside his own 22 that goes into touch just a few metres shy of a 50:22. Bristol will throw in after play restarts while a couple of players receive treatment for knocks.
47
Another chance to score slips through Saints fingers as Davison powers through the middle, only for the pass out in front of Hendy to have a little too much on it for the full-back to pull in. Scrum Bristol, inside their own 22, tight to the touchline.
46
Lane slams a ball into touch but the ball was passed back into the 22. Saints throw into the lineout and launch an attack.
44
Saints go so close, for the second time in the opening minutes of this half, the away side burst through after a brilliant Ethan Waller offload. Seabrook backs himself for the corner, offloading to Langdon who is forced into touch a metre from the Bristol line.
41
Freeman nearly goes all the way from the kick off, racing down the left wing but a retreating Bristol tackler manages to force the error. Scrum Bristol, inside their own 22, tight to the touchline.
WE'RE BACK UNDERWAY!
Sheedy gets the second half underway.
There's a couple of changes at half-time for Saints with Furbank and Ramm arriving in place of Smith and Dingwall.
Smith kicks the ball out in the 22, Bristol retain lineout ball and end the half by dabbing into touch, with the scores level here at Ashton Gate.
39
Saints turn the power on at scrum time to win a penalty, allowing Smith to kick down to the 22 once more. One last chance for Saints to strike at the end of the first half.
Smith...
... adds the conversion and the scores are level once more!
TRY SAINTS!!!
It's a second for Freeman! Hendy glides through down the left wing and puts James in back on the angle. Sensing two retreating defenders for company, the scrum-half pops out to Freeman to score under the posts!
34
Saints lose a second successive lineout at the front and clear their lines. Hendy rises well to take a high ball and Smith thumps a deep kick into the 22. Ibitoye has time to compose himself and clear to five metres inside the Saints half.
MacGinty adds the conversion.
Try Bristol
A strong offload close to the line sees Bates arrive on the angle and force his way over five metres to the right of the posts.
30
Saints are penalised for not releasing on halfway, MacGinty kicks the penalty to within ten metres of the goalline.
MacGinty puts a 45-metre central penalty straight through the posts to level the scores.
Smith...
Puts the conversion between the posts from the touchline to give Saints a three-point lead!
TRY SAINTS!!!
Scrum-half James produces a brilliant grubber in behind on the 22 into the in-goal area where Freeman chases with interest to leap forward and ground under pressure!
22
Dingwall is all over the breakdown and wins a penalty. Smith kicks to just outside the Bristol 22 where Langdon will throw in...
21
Seabrook takes okat up to half way with a smart break after a big Davison hit turned the ball over. Dingwall grubbers into touch in the 22, Bristol go quickly from the lineout and Bristol clear.
18
Smith pulls the conversion wide, Bristol lead by four.
TRY SAINTS!!!
The pressure pays off for Saints as Freeman quickly moves the ball wide where Hendy gathers from the ground and finishes cooly in the corner!
15
Smith kicks a penalty to within eight metres of the Bristol line from a penalty award. A great chance for Saints to hit back...
MacGinty adds the extras from in front of the posts.
Try Bristol
Bristol have a second as Caulfield goes through a gap close to the line after Hendy had done well to haul down Homes.
Conversion...
MacGinty converts from the touchline to give Bristol the lead.
Try Bristol
Immediately from the kick-off, Saints fumble and Thacker is alert to scoop up the loose ball and finish in the right corner.
9
The conversion is missed outwide by Smith,
TRY SAINTS!!!
It's an absolute beauty! Saints pull the ball left and the back to the right with Thame whipping a lovely pass to Freeman to feed Seabrook to leap brilliantly into the right corner with a one-handed finish!
5
The first scrum of the day inside the Saints half sees the referee penalise Bristol and Smith kicks to five metres inside Bristol territory.
4
Bristol probe down the left wing through Bates but Freeman is alert to bundle the winger into touch on the Saints ten-metre line.
1
A superb offload from Langdon sets Saints moving down the right wing where Hendy spins back inside for James who is hauled down metres from the line. The play ends with a knock on metres from the line,
Fin Smith gets this Premiership Rugby Cup match underway!