Gallagher Premiership
Friday, February 25th 2022
Ashton Gate

	Bristol Bears	31
	Wasps	19

Match Report

Will Carpenter reports from Ashton Gate

Posted Friday, February 25th 2022 @bristolsportwkc

Report: Bristol Bears 31-19 Wasps

Friday, February 25th 2022

Bristol Bears delivered a battling performance as they downed an in-form Wasps in front of more than 16,000 supporters at Ashton Gate.

Pat Lam’s side were quick out of the blocks in BS3, with Harry Thacker applying the finishing touches to a patient and well-worked driving lineout.

Tiff Eden added the extras and repeated the feat nine minutes later after the fly half’s break and offload sent Antoine Frisch over for his first Premiership try.

Harry Thacker and Alapati Leiua then combined to send Niyi Adeolokun over for a third try inside the opening half hour, before Gabriel Oghre powered over to get Wasps on the scoreboard.

𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡 𝗨𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗜𝗦𝗘! 🔊@UncleNiyisy 🔥#BRIvWAS | #BristolBears pic.twitter.com/6JkIE5metr
— Bristol Bears 🐻 (@BristolBears) February 25, 2022

The Bears had the bonus point tied up early in the second period when Eden’s pinpoint pass located Leiua in space, and the Samoan stepped inside for his team’s fourth.

Will Porter pulled another back for the visitors and Marcus Watson added a third six minutes from time to tee up a nervy finale, but Eden’s long-range penalty put the game out of reach and sealed a much-needed win for the Bears.

Bristol Bears: Purdy, Adeolokun, Radradra, Frisch, Leiua, Eden, Strang; Woolmore, Thacker, Lahiff, Attwood, Joyce (c), Vui, Heenan, Jeffries. Replacements: Byrne, Y. Thomas, Armstrong, Luatua, D. Thomas, Lloyd, Sheedy, O'Conor.

Wasps: Umaga, Odogwu, Spink, Mills, Bassett, Atkinson, Robson; West, Oghre, Alo, Launchbury (c), Stooke, Gaskell, J Willis, T Willis. Replacements: Van Vuuren, Harris, Toomaga-Allen, Carr, Barbeary, Porter, Gopperth, Watson.

Bristol Bears: Tries: Thacker 15, Frisch 23, Adeolokun 29, Leiua 45. Cons: Eden 15, 23, 29, 45. Pens: Eden 77

Wasps: Tries: Oghre 38, Porter 57, Watson 74. Cons: Umaga 38, 74