Bristol Bears beat Harlequins 52-26 at Ashton Gate on Saturday in Round 18 of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership
Kalaveti Ravouvou of Bristol Bears scores his team’s third try under pressure from Will Porter of Harlequins (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Bristol Bears secured their place in the play-offs for the first time in four years with a free-flowing 52-26 win over Harlequins at Ashton Gate on Saturday.
Tries in the first five minutes from prop George Kloska and lock Joe Batley sent them on their way, before winger Kalaveti Ravouvou and number eight Viliame Mata also touched down. Fly-half AJ MacGinty added three conversions, putting Bristol clear despite two tries by Quins’ England winger Cadan Murley and one Jamie Benson conversion. Quins threatened a major fightback when Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond crossed early in the second period – Benson added two more conversions – but Bristol coasted clear through a Gabriel Ibitoye double and scores from flanker Santiago Grondona and centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, plus three more MacGinty conversions.
READ MORE: Bristol Bears 52-26 Harlequins LIVE: Highlights and reaction from final day win
South West rugby writer John Evely takes a closer look at the individual performances from the Bristol Bears players…
15 Noah Heward – 7
Making his return from a hamstring injury he suffered back in February, Heward looked up to speed from the off as he challenged the Quins backline with his speed. He was caught out of position for the visitors’ first try as Jamie Benson found space in the back-field to chip the ball over the defence to allow Murley to run onto and regather and score. However, Heward quickly redeemed himself in attack, joining the line in a flowing strike move off a scrum to create an overlap and put Ravouvou away for a flying finish in the corner.
14 Kalaveti Ravouvou – 8
Despite having been signed as a centre, the Fijian looks really comfortable on the wing and he torched the Harlequins defence with his speed on multiple occasions, finishing a wonderful training ground move in the 20th minute with a spectacular dive. Perhaps more importantly, he made some very important hard yards after contact on multiple occasions as well to keep the Bears on the front foot.
13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg – 7
The centre produced some staggeringly dominant carries in midfield and he finished with a superb try which was all about the quality of his line off the hip of James Williams who did well to release a quick pop pass. The South African was unable to lay a hand on Murley as the winger put on the burners to score one of the individual tries of the season but you can forgive him that against one of the quickest men in the league.
12 James Williams – 7
The centre gave a wonderful 20m wide pass to Ibitoye to put the winger in to space to score shortly after half time, making a really tough skill look everyday. He then gave a perfectly timed short pass off his hip to put centre partner Janse van Rensburg through a gap for the final score of the day. Just call him the assist king.
11 Gabriel Ibitoye – 8
The winger secured his place as the joint top try scorer in the Gallagher Premiership this season with a brace of scores, while also breaking the club’s individual try scoring record in a single season in the Premiership. Post-match Pat Lam heralded his ‘ability to do things on a rugby pitch no one else can.’ The step inside for his second try was pure class despite being done almost nonchalantly.
10 AJ MacGinty – 8
The USA international was named the player of the match by TNT Sports as he pulled all the strings in the Bears’ attack with mastery. He threatened with his running game as well, finding gaps for fun as the veteran looks to have rediscovered his mojo in his best performance since recovering from his knee injury in December.
9 Harry Randall – 8
The scrum half maestro was almost note perfect as he zipped around the park and stressed and strained the Harlequins defence, who couldn’t live with his dynamism. The Bears’ tries off strike plays from the scrum were largely thanks to Randall’s ability to get around the corner with his speed. Coming into some outstanding form ahead of England’s tour to Argentina this summer where he will hope to be the main man in the number nine jersey.
1 Yann Thomas – 8
Playing his final game at Ashton Gate, the retiring prop was strong in the scrum as he and Kloska gave the Bears a perfect platform to launch from.
2 Gabriel Oghre – 7
The hooker gave a clever pass to wrong-foot the Quins defence for Bristol’s opening try, inviting the guard men around the edge of the ruck to bite in on him before shipping the ball to Kloska to crash over. It might well have been a designed piece of defensive play, but he rushed up alone to create a dog leg which Benson exploited in the second half, darting back inside through the gap created before putting Dombrandt away for a try as Quins threatened a comeback.
3 George Kloska – 8
The young tighthead transferred his power in the scrum into the loose to show impressive strength to barrel through Jamie Benson and Alex Dombrandt to score a rare try after just 92 seconds and give the Bears the positive start they so desperately needed.
4 Pedro Rubiolo – 9
The big Argentina international had a dream debut after recovering from a foot injury which has kept him out all season, as he showed off his impressive engine in a dominant display, carrying and hitting hard in the tight and then finding gaps to open his legs in the loose, even coming up with a nice kick. A new star in the making.
5 Joe Batley – 8
How the big lock got to the line to score Bristol’s second try of the match remains a puzzle as he picked and powered towards the line from a ruck with three Harlequins forwards in front of him but managed to ride the first tackle and then reach out with a telescopic arm to dot the ball down.
6 Santiago Grondona – 7
The flanker was in the thick of the action in defence and showed good explosive power to crash over the line in the 58th minute for a vital try in the balance of the contest, with Harlequins having just reduced the gap on the scoreboard to five points to make the next try vital.
7 Fitz Harding – 7
The Gallagher Premiership’s top tackler this season saved his side a try with some outstanding defensive work to wrap up the ball and hold Quins up over the line.
8 Viliame Mata – 8
The number eight was like a runaway freight train as he smashed into and through the Harlequins defence for Bears’ bonus point try of the game. Limped off early in the second half looking battered to cause slight concern.
Replacements:
16 Harry Thacker – 6
17 Jake Woolmore – 7
18 Max Lahiff – 7
19 Joe Owen – 6
20 Steven Luatua – 6
21 Kieran Marmion – 6
22 Harry Byrne – 5
23 Jack Bates – 7