Bristol secured their first home victory of the season with a close bonus-point win against a significantly altered Northampton side in the Gallagher Premiership.
The Saints began strongly, with George Hendy and Josh Kemeny helping them build a 15-0 advantage within the first 20 minutes. However, Bristol quickly retaliated with two tries from Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Ibitoye, bringing them back into the contest.
Ravouvou’s second try, scored on his first start of the season, allowed the Bears to take a slender lead, and Joe Batley extended it with a fourth try just 10 minutes before the final whistle. Although James Ramm managed to score for Northampton with just a minute left in play, it was not enough to alter the outcome, marking the Saints’ sixth straight defeat in the Premiership away from home.
This victory marks Bristol’s fourth consecutive win over Northampton and positions them 10 points ahead at the top of the table as the weekend’s fixtures continue. Northampton was without several of their international players, as head coach Phil Dowson made 10 changes for this match, yet they exploited a surprisingly lackluster Bristol during much of the first half.
With key player Fin Smith among those missing, debutant George Makepeace-Cubitt opened the scoring for Northampton with a penalty, taking advantage of Bristol’s repeated mistakes. The Saints quickly built on that lead, scoring two tries in just three minutes. Tom Pearson assisted Hendy for the first try, and soon after, Kemeny capitalized on a two-on-one situation to score again.
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