MATCH REPORT | Bristol Bears 20-41 Saracens Men

Saracens Men took a giant leap towards the Gallagher Premiership semi-finals after a simply stunning away performance to beat Bristol Bears 41-20 at Ashton Gate.

The Men in Black, who were down to 13 men at one point, built the victory on the foundations of their defense and added some star dust with four tries to walk away with all five points.

Both sides were looking to play with tempo in the early stages, a tackle from Owen Farrell almost bounced into the hands of Ben Earl, who was hammering towards the line but stepped forward as he tried to collect it.

A huge strike from Hugh Tizard then showed the intent of the Sarries defence, but was breached shortly after Bristol opened the scoring with five minutes on the clock.

A penalty was kicked in the corner and then, after going through phases, Joe Batley went over from just a yard out. AJ MacGinty’s conversion put the hosts 7-0 up.

Sarries, who were struggling for discipline early on, were penalized for a third time in the 10th minute and MacGinty slotted home from 40 yards to extend their lead to 10-0.

The Londoners then came alive and got back into the game thanks to their attack. Farrell looked to have put Nick Tompkins through an almighty goal but Siva Naulago’s deliberate tackle saw him sent to the sin bin. Farrell pointed to the posts and cut the deficit to seven as his shot went through the posts.

They were inches away from leveling when another Farrell backhand shot almost fell into the hands of Tompkins, but the referee called play back for an earlier infringement.

Indiscipline crept back into play with 20 minutes played as an over-eager defense strayed offside and MacGinty made no mistake to restore Bristol’s 10-point lead.

Sarries then took advantage of the extra man and got right back into the game. Ellis Genge fumbled the ball inside his own 22 and was immediately punished when Juan Martin Gonzalez combined brilliantly with Maro Itoje, who used his strength to tap home from 10 yards. Farrell’s conversion reduced the gap to just three points.

Another penalty then followed as more front foot arrived and Elliot Daly slotted home to equalize with 10 minutes to go.

Farrell’s 50:22 then took the game from his own tryline just five meters away from Bristol line, and from this Sarries hit the front as their dominance in possession was rewarded.

The lineout rumbled towards the line and despite being brought down a bit, Itoje then went over the line from just a yard out for his second try in eight minutes. Daly’s brilliant conversion then secured a seven-point lead for the visitors.

That lead became 10 with another Daly penalty just before the break and Sarries were able to head into the tunnel full of confidence after an outstanding second quarter saw them turn the game around with a 23-13 lead.

Bristol came out firing in the second half and spent seven minutes on the try line, but in typical Sarries fashion, their incredible work rate in defense eventually forced a turnover in what looked to be a crucial moment of the match.

From the turnover, Daly kicked the ball 80 meters up the field and won a drop penalty which he kicked through the posts to give the Londoners a 13-point lead to the delight of the traveling fans.

Itoje and Ben Earl were then both sent to the sin bin within a minute and the visitors were immediately punished as Bristol scored to bring themselves back into contention.

The penalty was taken in the corner and Harry Thacker got up behind the maul to bring the home fans to their feet. James Williams converted to reduce Sarries’ lead to six points with half an hour remaining.

An error from the restart gave Sarries some much-needed territory and the Bears didn’t get away from a ruck, allowing Daly to slot his fourth penalty and put his side nine points in front.

The turning point then arrived for Sarries, who put in a classic away performance in the West Country sunshine. A lineout steal gave them possession deep inside the 22 and then the ball was passed to Rotimi Segun who was able to dive in the corner for try number three and extend the lead to 14 points.

The Londoners then secured the bonus point with an outstanding try to send the fans off to dreamland. From the turnover ball, Daly started a counter-attack and then Lucio Conti’s incredible pace saw him race up to the line before releasing his compatriot Gonzalez, who dived in style. Daly added another conversion as the lead grew to 41-20.

Then they saw the closing stages to ensure Barley would record a famous victory in the West Country.