Bristol Bears banish the 'bogey men' of Sale Sharks in statement win

It wasn’t a fully convincing win from Bristol Bears, but it certainly felt significant on Friday night as Pat Lam’s side solved the riddle that is Sale Sharks’ suffocating defence to win 19-17 at Ashton Gate and breathe life into their title charge.

The same field, a year and a week ago, was the crime scene of a rugby murder, as the Bears were battered to death 38-0 in a seismic shock of a result. Post-match, player of the match Ellis Genge confided that he had rewatched the game this week and was a loud voice in training, insisting it could never happen again.

And yet, Sale arrived with a highly effective game plan that, for long spells of the game, crushed the creativity out of the Bears, with playmakers Tom Jordan and Harry Randall boxed in by on-rushing maroon shirts. Until the Bears broke free, scoring tries through Kalaveti Ravouvou, Joe Owen and Matias Moroni, with Jordan kicking one conversion and Jimmy Williams the second.

Tom O’Flaherty and Ernest van Rhyn touched down for Sale, with George Ford converting both and adding a penalty, but in the end, a missed drop goal from the England fly-half proved critical, and allowed the Bears to go top of the league at least overnight. But the messaging from Bristol’s beaten opponents each week is the same. This is not the same soft-bellied Bears of old. There is a defensive steeliness to the class of 2025/26, and it was on full display in this seismic clash.

Sale suffered an early injury blow when they lost Alex Wills to a failed HIA after the wing was on the receiving end of a high challenge from Bears number eight Viliame Mata, who was perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch as his swinging right arm caught the chin of the dipping Shark. Gus Warr replaced him at scrum-half berth, with Raffi Quirke moving to the wing.

Bristol had the better of the early exchanges, but with their first attack, Sharks took the lead when a succession of forward drives on halfway created space for O’Flaherty. The wing took his opportunity in fine style, racing 35 metres along the right flank to outpace Ravouvou and score with a dive.

Ford nailed the touchline conversion, and Sale had a 7-0 lead at the end of a feisty and competitive first quarter, with England team mates Genge and Tom Curry more than once nose to nose, spitting verbals at each other as the temperature rose on the pitch despite the freezing weather.

Ravouvou looked to have gained his revenge on O’Flaherty when he brushed the Sale man aside on a surging run deep into the opposition 22, but Bears conceded a breakdown penalty to prevent them capitalising.

The home side then lost two players in quick succession, with first prop Lovejoy Chawatama hobbling off with a calf issue before Louis Rees-Zammit departed to a HIA, which he passed, but felt unwell from so was kept off as a precaution.

Ford had a chance to extend Sharks’ lead but made a complete hash of a drop-goal attempt, despite being well positioned on the 22 with time to take aim, so Bristol had their chance to draw level at the interval when Owen finished off a forward onslaught to force his way over for the last action of the half, having been put in range thanks to a thunderous carry from George Kloska.

Four minutes after the restart, Sale regained the lead when an impressive line-out drive, with Luke Cowan-Dickie at its heart, set up the platform for Van Rhyn to secure the touchdown despite the best efforts of Fitz Harding and Genge to hold up the Sharks skipper.

Ford converted before kicking a straightforward penalty, but Bristol responded with the best try of the game when skilful passing saw Moroni fly over in the corner.

Sale lost the lively Quirke to a leg injury, and they suffered a further setback when Rekeiti Ma’asi-White was sin-binned for a deliberate offside as the visitors sought to repel another strong run from Moroni.

Bristol made it count by scoring another free-flowing try as Jimmy Williams’ break put the defence on the back foot to set up the chance for Ravouvou, with Genge releasing the Fijian to step off his left wing and slice through the visitors, with the conversion from Williams seeing the Bears home.

Bristol Bears: 15. Louis Rees-Zammit, 14. Noah Heward, 13. Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12. James Williams, 11. Kalaveti Ravouvou, 10. Tom Jordan, 9. Harry Randall; 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Gabriel Oghre, 3. Lovejoy Chawatama, 4. Pedro Rubiolo, 5. Joe Owen, 6. Santiago Grondona, 7. Fitz Harding (c), 8. Viliame Mata

Replacements : 16. Harry Thacker, 17. Max Lahiff, 18. George Kloska, 19. George Taylor, 20. Benjamin Grondona, 21. Kieran Marmion, 22. Sam Worsley, 23. Matias Moroni

Sale Sharks: 15. Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom O’Flaherty, 13. Rob du Preez, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Alex Wills, 10. George Ford, 9. Raffi Quirke; 1. Bevan Rodd, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. James Harper, 4. Ben Bamber, 5. Ernst van Rhyn ©, 6. Jacques Vermeulen, 7. Sam Dugdale, 8. Tom Curry

Replacements: 16. Nathan Jibulu, 17. Si McIntyre, 18. Patreece Bell, 19. Tom Burrow, 20. Jos Gilmore, 21. Gus Warr, 22. Marius Louw, 23. Gurshwin Wehr

Referee: Joe James

Assistant referees : Craig Maxwell-Keys and Greg Macdonald

TMO : David Rose

Bristol Bears banish the ‘bogey men’ of Sale Sharks in statement win

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