Gallagher Premiership
Friday, November 26th 2021
Ashton Gate

	Bristol Bears	20
	Northampton Saints	36

Match Report

Will Carpenter reports from Ashton Gate

Posted Friday, November 26th 2021 @bristolsportwkc

Report: Bristol Bears 20-36 Northampton Saints

Friday, November 26th 2021

Northampton Saints struck with five-minute bursts either side of half-time to condemn the Bears to a second home defeat of the season on Friday night.

Pat Lam's side took an early lead courtesy of a Jake Kerr score from a well-worked and patient driving lineout, but two Saints tries in three minutes shortly before half-time - from Paul Hill and Tommy Freeman - saw the visitors take a 13-20 lead into the break.

The Bears hit back early in the second period through Alapati Leiua, after powerful work down the flank from Toby Fricker, with Sheedy's conversion levelling the scores. But Dan Biggar's penalty nudged Saints back in front and Freeman's second opened up an eight-point lead on the hour mark.

The game was put out of the Bears' reach three minutes later, when George Furbank flew over in the corner for Saints' bonus-point try.

Replacement George Kloska was sent to the sin-bin as Saints turned the screw at scrum time, while Biggar's fourth penalty of the evening ensured there was no way back for the Bears.

Bristol Bears: C Piutau; Fricker, O'Conor, Leiua, Purdy; Sheedy, Uren (Whiteley 61); Woolmore (Kloska 48), Kerr (Capon 50), Lahiff (Y Thomas 46), Joyce, Vui, Jeffries (Hawkins 64), Heenan (c) (D Thomas 59), Harding.

Replacements: Capon, Y Thomas, Kloska, Hawkins, D Thomas, Whiteley, Bedlow, Adeolokun.

Northampton Saints: Furbank; Freeman, Proctor, Dingwall, Skosan; Biggar, Mitchell; Waller, Fish, Hill, Ribbans, Moon, Lawes, Ludlam (capt), Augustus.

Replacements: Matavesi, Iyogun, Carey, Ratuniyarawa, Wilkins, James, Hutchinson, Gillespie.