Bristol Bears player ratings from Bath Rugby defeat - 'Indomitable even in defeat'

Spirited underdogs Bristol Bears were beaten 40-15 by Bath Rugby at the Recreation Ground on Saturday as the visitors ran out of gas against the well-resourced defending champions in Round Five of the 2025/26 Gallagher PREM.

Tries from Guy Pepper, Ollie Lawrence, Cameron Redpath, Joe Cokanasiga, Sam Underhill and Henry Arundell delivered victory for Bath, with Finn Russell adding 10 points with the boot. Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Oghre touched down for the Bears, with five points from the boot of Sam Worsley, but the visitors were kept scoreless in the second half as they ran out of steam against the Blue, Black and Whites’ high-calibre bench.

South West rugby writer John Evely takes a closer look at the individual performances from the Bristol Bears players…

15. Benjamin Elizalde – 6

Going head-to-head with his countryman Santi Carreras, the Argentine managed to slip some tackles in attack but then spilt the ball twice in contact in tackles from Finn Russell. He gave the scoring pass to Ravouvou in the first minute but made hard work of it, bouncing the ball off the turf. Solid defensively, which is a big area of improvement.

14. Jack Bates – 6

Brought back into the side after being protected following a failed HIA against Exeter two weeks ago, the winger made an incredible catch just before half time as he came from out of nowhere to rise into the air and get his side on the front foot. Had a quiet day in attack.

13. Matias Moroni – 7

Making his second straight start, having been brought in as an emergency injury cover signing, the Argentina international had a solid defensive display, even though it looked like he was carrying a potential shoulder injury for most of the game. Bounced off by Ollie Lawrence, who touched down for his second of the game, only to have the score scrubbed off for an earlier knock on. Involved in some clever kicking and chasinf in behind the Bath defence which proved successful.

12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – 8

The South African set the tone for Bristol in the first 10 seconds of the game as he flew out the blocks to charge down Finn Russell’s first attempted clearance kick. The ball fell into the hands of Santi Grondona and was quickly moved along the line for Ravouvou to touch down. Drew the praise of Johann van Graan post-match and was indomitable, even in defeat.

11. Kalaveti Ravouvou – 7

The Fijian showed his speed to take a bounce pass and touch down in the corner to give Bristol the perfect start after less than a minute, but he boomed a second potential first-half try as he failed to gather a clever kick in behind from Kieran Marmion. You can’t waste chances like that as a visiting side to the Rec.

10. Sam Worsley – 6

Going head-to-head with arguably the best fly-half in the Northern hemisphere, the 22-year-old showed his naivety when he failed to find touch after Bristol turned the ball over, having held out for multiple phases in defence on their own tryline. Bath countered from halfway, and 10 seconds later, Pepper touched down. He certainly didn’t look out of place in such a big game though.

9. Kieran Marmion – 6

The Irishman showed his sharpness with a quick tap penalty deep in his own half which he drove down the tramlines for Ravouvou to chase, but the bounce of the ball worked against the Fijian, who ended up overrunning it, leaving the ball behind.

1. Ellis Genge – 7

Returning to the starting line-up after sitting out last weekend’s game due to a HIA complication, the loosehead prop was fired up and won an early scrum penalty against his England team-mate Will Stuart.

2. Gabriel Oghre – 7

The hooker scored his fourth try of the season from a clever move at a lineout, throwing it to the standing Kieran Marmion, who returned the ball to Oghre, who broke two tackles to score, although he was lucky the referee missed a couple of infringements at the lineout, including a potential dummy throw.

3. George Kloska – 6

The tighthead prop injured his hamstring in a ruck in another worry for Pat Lam, who is still waiting to get Max Lahiff back. Looked strong in the scrum before departing.

4. Pedro Rubiolo – 8

The Argentina international was exactly the man needed for this no-holds-barred battle of the packs, as he ran himself into the ground trying to rebuff and repel the heavy bombardment from the Bath pack.

5. Joe Batley – 7

The lock got stuck into the arm wrestle between the two packs but struggled to feature as a ball carrier.

6. Santiago Grondona – 7

The flanker was shown a yellow card following repeated penalties mounting up against the Bears as they desperately defended their line. Looked to have come up with a key interception in the first half to end an impressive defensive stand.

7. Fitz Harding – 8

The captain played out of his skin in defence once again as he racked up 30 tackles and won turnovers for his side at the breakdown in some vital spots on the pitch to lead the resistance bravely. Set for a run out with the Barbarians against the All Blacks next week.

8. Viliame Mata – 7

The Fijian number eight didn’t quite get the balance right between when to put his head down and make the hard yards and when to try and offload as he forced a few passes when the rain and wind swept in.

Replacements:

16. Harry Thacker – 7

17. Jake Woolmore – 7

18. Lovejoy Chawatama – 7

19. Joe Owen – 7

20. Ben Grondona – 7

21. Oscar Lennon – N/A

22. Josh Carrington – 7

23. Toby Fricker – N/A

Bristol Bears player ratings from Bath Rugby defeat – ‘Indomitable even in defeat’

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