Here’s how we rated the players
Harry Papworth
08:48, 10 May 2026
BRISTOL, ENGLAND – MAY 9:Bristol Bears’ Fitz Harding celebrates scoring his sides first try
during the Gallagher PREM match between Bristol Bears and Saracens at Ashton Gate on May 9, 2026 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Bob Bradford – CameraSport via Getty Images)(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Bristol Bears were beaten at home to Saracens 26-41 in round 15 of the Gallagher PREM
Play-off chasing Bristol pick up just one point against Saracens in what was a crucial game at the top half of the table.
Fitz Harding, Harry Thacker and Matias Moroni got over the whitewash in the first half for the home side, with Tom Willis, Hugh Tizard, Rotimi Segun, Ben Earl and Fergus Burke all picking up tries for Saracens to make the score 21-34 at half-time.
It was all Bristol in the second half, and they were rewarded with a try from Kalaveti Ravouvou in the 73rd minute. However, it was a quick reply from Saracens as Tobias Elliot intercepted late in the game to secure the win for the visitors.
Bristol are still fifth in the table and just one point behind Exeter who play against Bath tomorrow. As for Saracens, they sit in sixth, now only three points from the play-off places.
Here’s how we rated the players
15. Noah Heward – 6 . Heward had a few decent breaks and covered the back field well. He was however caught out running sideways at moments where he could have straightened up.
14. Kalaveti Ravouvou – 7 . Ravouvou managed to get over the try line late in the game to secure Bristol’s bonus point after catching a cross-field kick from Janse van Rensburg. The winger had a quiet first half but came to life in the second where he got more of the ball. He nearly scored a second try, but it was chalked off after a knock on from Harry Randall. The winger was yellow carded at the end of the game for a collision in the air with Noah Calouri.
13. Matias Moroni – 7. The Argentine scored Bristol’s third try of the afternoon. It was a good finish as he ran a tip line of Janse van Rensburg, used his leg drive and reached to dot the ball down. Good defensively.
12. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – 7. Van Rensburg was consistent as usual today. He set up Moroni’s try in the 32nd minute with a lovely, delayed pass to his team-mate to score. Another bit of magic from the centre was when he assisted Ravouvou with a beautifully lofted kick pass, proving his quality in all aspects of the game. He hit hard and made the right decisions throughout.
BRISTOL, ENGLAND – MAY 09: Benhard Janse van Rensburg of Bristol Bears runs at Charlie Bracken of Saracens during the Gallagher PREM match between Bristol Bears and Saracens at Ashton Gate on May 09, 2026 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
11. Gabriel Ibitoye – 5 . Ibitoye didn’t get too much of the ball out on the wing. By his high standards, he was quiet and looked to have picked up an injury. This saw him replaced early in the second half by Jack Bates.
10. Tom Jordan – 6. Jordan was good with his boot today and linked up nicely with his centres. He carried well when needed and made decent decisions. He can sometimes be caught out defensively.
(Image: Getty Images)
9. Kieran Marmion – 5. Marmion was quiet. His box kicks were good but it was clear to see a change in energy when Harry Randall replaced him.
1. Ellis Genge – 6. Genge was fired up today. He made a couple of huge trademark carries, steaming in at pace and making good metres. The Bristol scrum was good, and he did earn a penalty in that department. The England prop also had one bit of magic where he did an out the back flick pass to an oncoming attacker, proving that it’s not just his power but also his skill that makes him a fabulous player.
2. Harry Thacker – 5 . Thacker scored Bristol’s second try from the base of a driving maul, which he cleverly executed. The Bears lineout was not firing today, Gabriel Oghre is usually very accurate, so Thacker had big shoes to fill in that department, but unforutnately the lineout was poor. Decent around the park before he got subbed off in the 56th minute.
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3. George Kloska – 5. Kloska didn’t do too much in attack or defence. The scrummage was solid.
4. James Dun – 6. Dun had a good game. He was good at the breakdown but was one of the main operators of the lineout which struggled today.
5. Joe Batley – 6. The 29-year-old didn’t do much wrong but also didn’t standout. Played the full eighty in a tiring affair, proving his great engine.
6. Joe Owen – 6. Owen worked hard and was decent around the pitch. However, a soft shoulder on Hartley allowed Saracens to score with Ben Earl in the 29th minute. Owen did carry well in the wider channels.
BRISTOL, ENGLAND – MAY 09: Jamie George of Saracens is tackled by Joe Owen of Bristol Bears during the Gallagher PREM match between Bristol Bears and Saracens at Ashton Gate on May 09, 2026 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
7. Fitz Harding (c) – 7. The skipper set the tone for the match as he scored first sidestepping from the base of the ruck and diving over the line. Harding also won a good turnover from a jackal, which was reward for his hard work-rate all game. He is always a threat at the breakdown, a pain for any opposition.
8. Santiago Grondona – 5. Grondona had a quiet day. He was responsible for one of Saracens tries as he should have tackled Fergus Burke who blitzed through his channel to set up Rotimi Segun to score.
16. Tomas Gwilliam – 6.
17. Jake Woolmore – 6.
18. Max Lahiff – 6.
19. George Taylor – N/A
20. Luka Ivanishvili – 5.
21. Harry Randall – 7. Randall made a good impact when he came on and added a real energy to the Bears attack. His pass at the end which was intercepted by Tobias Elliot was not the best decision, but on another day, it could have worked with Bristol needing to score quickly in that moment.
22. James Williams – 6.
23. Jack Bates – 6.
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