Bristol secured their first home victory of the season with a hard-fought 31-23 win over a revamped Northampton squad.
Northampton started strong, with George Hendy and Josh Kemeny helping to establish a 15-0 lead within the first 20 minutes. Bristol quickly responded, scoring two tries by Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Ibitoye to close the gap. Ravouvou added a second try, giving Bristol a slender lead, and Joe Batley contributed a fourth try 10 minutes before the end, sealing the match for the Bears. Despite a late effort from James Ramm, scoring just before the final whistle, it was not enough to prevent Northampton from suffering their sixth straight Premiership defeat on the road.
This victory marks Bristol’s fourth consecutive win against Northampton, pushing them 10 points ahead of their opponents at the top of the table ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures. The Saints were without several key international players, as head coach Phil Dowson made 10 changes to the lineup, allowing them to initially dominate the first half despite Bristol’s struggles.
Debutant George Makepeace-Cubitt opened the scoring for Northampton with a penalty, taking advantage of Bristol’s errors. The Saints quickly capitalized on the chance, with Hendy scoring the first try and Kemeny finishing off a two-on-one situation shortly after.
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