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Will Carpenter writes

Posted Wednesday, October 27th 2021 @bristolsportwkc

Number Crunch: Pluck of the Irish

Wednesday, October 27th 2021

All of the key player, team and form statistics ahead of Saturday's round seven Gallagher Premiership clash at the Brentford Community Stadium.

THE FORM

London Irish’s six month wait for a victory ended with their 33-21 win at Exeter on Saturday. The Exiles have not been victorious at Brentford in Premiership Rugby since beating Bath there 36-33 on 27 March, although they have drawn two of their last three matches there.

Bristol Bears only win in their last six Gallagher Premiership Rugby was 25-20 at home to Bath on 1 October. The Bears have lost their last three away games since their 26-23 success at Leicester in Round 21 last season.

Excluding the unplayed game in June, Bristol are unbeaten in their last three matches against London Irish since the Exiles 38-21 victory at Madejski Stadium in April 2009, a sequence which includes two high scoring draws. Bristol drew 34-all on their only previous visit to Brentford Community Stadium in February 2021.

THE NUMBERS

London Irish have gone two Premiership home games against Bristol Bears without a win (D1 L1), after winning seven of their previous nine home games against them in the competition (D1, L1).
London Irish are winless in their last six games at home in the Premiership (D2 L4), they have never had a longer stretch of home games without a win in the competition.
Bristol Bears have lost their three away games in the Premiership this season, after losing just one of their previous 10 games on the road in the league (W8 D1); the Bears have scored eight or fewer points in two of their three away games in the league this season.
London Irish are just one win away from recording their 200th victory in the Premiership, they’d be the 9th different team to reach this milestone in the competition.
Only Exeter Chiefs have made more carries per game (142) than London Irish (120) and Bristol Bears (112) in the Premiership this season; the Bears have gained 452 metres per game with their carries, the highest such average among all teams in the league.

London Irish have successfully made 89.5% of their attempted tackles, the second highest rate among all teams in the Premiership this season; the Exiles have missed an average of 14 tackles per game, the fewest of any team in the league in 2021/22.
Bristol Bears have attempted (15) and completed (11.4) the most offloads per game of any team in the Premiership this season, it is London Irish’s Curtis Rona who has made the joint most individually however (10, also Nemani Nadolo).
Albert Tuisue has tallied five jackals for London Irish in the Premiership this season, no other player has made more jackals than him in the league in 2021/22 (Saracens’ Tom Woolstencroft also five).
London Irish’s Matt Rogerson has hit 129 attacking rucks this season, the most of anyone in the league: of those, 125 were effective hits, also more than any other player in the league this season.
Bristol Bears’ Charles Piutau is one of three players to have carried the ball for 500+ metres in the Premiership this season: he has tallied 55 carries for 514 metres.