Bristol secured their first home victory of the season with a hard-fought bonus-point win against a significantly altered Northampton side.
The game started strongly for Northampton, as George Hendy and Josh Kemeny propelled them to a 15-0 advantage within the first 20 minutes. However, Bristol quickly rebounded with two rapid tries from Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Ibitoye, bringing them back into the contest.
Ravouvou’s second try, coming on his first start of the season, gave Bristol a slim lead, and Joe Batley added a fourth try to extend the Bears’ advantage with just ten minutes remaining. Although James Ramm scored for Northampton in the final minute, it proved too late for them to recover, marking their sixth consecutive defeat in the Premiership away from home.
This victory marked Bristol’s fourth straight win against Northampton, positioning them ten points ahead of their rivals at the top of the table ahead of the weekend’s other fixtures. Northampton was missing numerous international players, with coach Phil Dowson making ten changes for this match, yet they managed to exploit Bristol’s early mistakes during the first half.
Debutant George Makepeace-Cubitt set the scoring in motion with a penalty after Bristol’s repeated errors. The Saints extended their lead, with two tries in quick succession. Tom Pearson set up Hendy for the first by finding him out wide. Bristol then surrendered possession, allowing Kemeny an easy run to the try line after a quick break.
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