Gallagher Premiership
Friday, December 27th 2019
Ashton Gate

	Bristol	21
	Wasps	26

Match Report

Will Carpenter reports from Ashton Gate

Posted Friday, December 27th 2019 @bristolsportwkc

Report: Bristol Bears 21-26 Wasps

Friday, December 27th 2019

Bristol Bears suffered a first home defeat of the season after Nizaam Carr’s last gasp try sealed a dramatic Wasps victory at Ashton Gate on Friday night.

Callum Sheedy’s penalty just one minute earlier looked to have snatched it for Pat Lam’s men in front of more than 23,000 supporters, but Carr’s devastating break down the touchline sealed a bonus-point win for the visitors, leaving Bristol with no time to respond.

Earlier, a forgettable first half gave way to a frantic second, as tries from Jacob Umaga and Malakai Fekitoa were cancelled out by Charles Piutau and Harry Thacker.

Matteo Minozzi grabbed a third for Wasps, before Sheedy’s third penalty of the evening looked to have earned his side a narrow win.

But Carr dealt the killer blow in the final 60 seconds, powering and tiptoeing down the right touchline for a fine solo score, with Umaga’s conversion completing the scoring in BS3.

What happened?

A bumper Christmas crowd greeted another big occasion at Ashton Gate, but in an error-strewn opening 40 minutes, only a Sheedy penalty and a sensational covering tackle from Charles Piutau on Marcus Watson could be added to the highlight reel.

Umaga was off target twice with penalties from kickable positions, but the Wasps fly half bounced back in style to grab the first score of the second half, slicing through the home defence to sprint in untouched.

Sheedy’s second penalty closed the gap, before a long period of Bristol pressure saw Piutau power over after being picked out by Harry Randall.

Charles Piutau scores Bristol's first try (JMPUK).

But almost immediately after, Wasps responded with their second try, as Fekitoa coasted through the midfield and rounded the covering defence.

Seven minutes later, the visitors edged further ahead when Minozzi dived over after a dazzling run from Zach Kibirige had Bristol on the back foot.

Bristol responded with a driving maul try from Harry Thacker, but Sheedy’s conversion struck the upright to leave the home side still one point behind.

The fly half quickly made amends with the penalty that looked to have won it for Bristol, but Carr had the final say for Wasps as they took maximum points back to Coventry.

Teams and scorers:

Bristol Bears: C Piutau; Morahan, O’Conor, Leiua, Fricker; Sheedy, Uren (Randall 49); Woolmore, Thacker (Capon 70), Afoa, Attwood (Holmes 64), Vui, Luatua (c), Heenan, Hughes. Replacements: Capon, Lay, Lahiff, Holmes, Hamilton, Randall, Lloyd, Bedlow

Wasps: Minozzi, Kibirige, Fekitoa, Le Bourgeois, Watson, Umaga, Robson; Harris, Taylor, Brookes, Launchbury (c), Matthews, Willis, Young, Carr. Replacements: Cruse, West, Owlett, Flament, Vailanu, Porter, Gopperth, de Jongh.

Tries: Piutau 55, Thacker 69. Cons: Sheedy 55. Pens: Sheedy 13, 46, 77

Wasps: Tries: Umaga 43, Fekitoa 57, Minozzi 64, Carr 79. Cons: Umaga 43, 57, 79

Key moment:

Callum Sheedy's late penalty looked to have snatched it for Bristol, but Nizaam Carr's 80th-minute try sealed a dramatic win for Wasps at Ashton Gate.

The match-winner courtesy of @NizaamCarr8!!!! pic.twitter.com/D0JsqwKJ2i
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) December 27, 2019

Pat Lam reaction:

🔴 Pat Lam reflects on last-gasp defeat to @WaspsRugby in press conference.#BRIvWAS https://t.co/aakYKZjEOj
— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) December 27, 2019

Man of the match: Charles Piutau

In a losing cause, Charles Piutau was once again a bright spark for Bristol, with one superhuman covering tackle on Marcus Watson denying a certain try.

The full back was also a threat in attack, as he always is, with one eye-catching break from deep almost leading to a third Bears try.