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Posted Tuesday, April 5th 2022 @bristolsportwkc

Number Crunch: Shark Week

Tuesday, April 5th 2022

All of the key player, team and form statistics ahead of the Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell.

Sale Sharks and Bristol Bears have only met once in European competition, at the quarter-final stage of the Challenge Cup in 2001/02. Sale Sharks won that game by a margin of five points in front of their home fans (25-20).
Sale Sharks have reached the knockout stage of the Heineken Champions Cup for the third time; they were eliminated at the quarter-finals in 2005/06 and 2020/21.
Sale Sharks have won 47% of their previous home games in the Heineken Champions Cup (W15 L17). Bristol Bears, meanwhile, have won 44% of their away games in the competition (W4 L5).
Bristol Bears have played just one match in the knock-out stage of the Heineken Champions Cup, losing 36-17 away to Union Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s Round of 16.
Bristol Bears have alternated between wins and losses in their last eight Heineken Champions Cup away matches; however, their last game away from home in the competition resulted in a 52-21 win against Scarlets, their largest margin of victory in the competition.

Only Racing 92 (97%) have retained possession from a greater percentage of their own lineouts in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup than Sale Sharks (95%); however, Sale’s 82% scrum success rate is the third worst percentage amongst teams still left in the competition.
Sale Sharks have been the most successful team when it comes to goal-kicking in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup, slotting 92% of their attempts; Bristol Bears, by comparison, have been successful with 82% of their attempts.
Bristol Bears have recorded an average carry distance of 8.5 meters in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, a competition-high and over 1.5m more than Sale Sharks have averaged from their carries (6.9 meters/carry).
Sale Sharks’ Lood de Jager has conceded more penalties than any other player in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup (9), whilst his teammate Ben Curry is joint-second for penalties conceded (7); no Bristol Bears player has conceded more than four.
Only Jack Conan (16.5) and Gregory Alldritt (15) have averaged more carries per game in this season’s Champions Cup than Bristol Bears’ Semi Radradra (14.5); Radradra also features in the top 10 for carry meters per game this term (120.5).