Rugby / Bristol Bears
Bristol Bears beat Premiership champions Saracens at Ashton Gate
Bristol Bears claimed their most impressive victory of the campaign with a stunning last-gasp win over Saracens at Ashton Gate.
Pat Lam’s men scored twice through the excellent Steven Luatua and Dan Thomas to record a vital four points in the Gallagher Premiership against the reigning champions.
For the second time in five weeks, Ian Madigan held his nerve in stoppage time to steer the Bears to a memorable and dramatic victory by 23 points to 21.
is needed now More than ever
The Irishman stepped up to land an 80th-minute penalty as Bristol withstood the onslaught from a star-studded Saracens bench to clinch a sensational win in front of nearly 15,000 supporters.
Tom Whitely’s try had given Saracens a one-point lead at the interval, before tries from Luatua and Thomas, either side of Marcelo Bosch’s score, fired Bristol into a 20-14 lead midway through the second-half.
Harry Thacker was sent to the sin-bin and replacement Ralph Adams-Hale crashed over 11 minutes from time to edge Saracens back in front in the closing stages.
But as it was at Franklin’s Gardens on March 9, it was left to the trusty boot and composure of Madigan, to fire over the decisive penalty and send Ashton Gate into raptures.
For the second time in five weeks, Ian Madigan held his nerve in stoppage time to steer the Bears to a memorable and dramatic victory
A cagey opening quarter saw Alex Goode slide a penalty the wrong side of the posts, before Whitely marked his Premiership debut with a fine try after dazzling work from Max Malins in the build-up.
Callum Sheedy got Bristol on the board with a penalty after a high tackle on Chris Vui – and after seeing his second effort drift wide, the fly half was on target with his third to make it a one-point game at the break.
Kicking dominated the early exchanges of the second half, but after a sequence of back and forth, Mat Protheroe pulled the trigger on a scintillating counter attack, linking well with Alapati Leiua to send Luatua over for a breathtaking score.
Saracens emptied their heavily-capped bench on 53 minutes, and it had an immediate impact as Marcelo Bosch touched down at the tail of a driving lineout, with Goode’s conversion edging the visitors back in front.
But back came Bristol – and in some style. John Afoa racing on to Andy Uren’s flat pass and locating Dan Thomas for the hosts’ second, with Sheedy’s extras restoring the six-point lead while still down to 14 men,
Saracens began to turn the screw inside Bristol territory and Adams-Hale collected Ben Spencer’s pass to power over, with Goode’s conversion putting the champions back in front with 10 minutes left to play.
But with time ticking away, patient play from Bristol earned a penalty in front of the posts, and Madigan struck gold from 30 metres to earn a seventh league win of the season.
Bristol Bears captain Steven Luatua scored his side’s second try
Bristol Bears’ next match at Ashton Gate is on Friday, May 3 at 7.45pm against Sale Sharks. Adult tickets cost from £10 and under-12s from £1.
All photos by JMP
Read more: ‘Keep cheering on City or the Bears and keep the real brand identity of your club alive’
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
