JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
They left no illusions at Cambridge, 98-14
Bristol Bears completed their pre-season preparations with a 98-14 victory over Cambridge Rugby in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Friday night. The Bears were unlikely to progress to the knockout stages of the developmental competition, but Friday’s contest was aimed at building form and momentum ahead of the start of the Gallagher Premiership in a week’s time, when last season’s beaten finalists Leicester Tigers come to Ashton Gate to lift the curtain on the new season.
Lam fielded almost the strongest available fit and healthy squad to face the newly promoted Championship team and his experienced Premiership players made light work of the game, scoring 16 tries to Cambridge’s two. Dan Thomas scored four tries, while Harry Thacker and Gabriel Ibitoye recorded hat-tricks and were joined by Magnus Bradbury, Rich Lane (2), Josh Caulfield, Fitz Harding, Piers O’Conor and Kieran Marmion. Cambridge put on a touchdown thanks to flanker Matt Dawson and fly-half Steff James, although the latter’s touchdown came after Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam voluntarily took two players off the field to limit the squad to 13 players and test them in the final stages of the game.
In the first half Bristol crushed Cambridge with their very good play , scoring four times from catch and drive, allowing hooker Thacker to score a hat-trick and flanker Thomas to add another. The blocked Caulfield also struck from close range, scoring his second try since joining the club from London Irish this summer in what looks like a smart signing.
Cambridge were not helped by the loss of both their starting locks, Kieran Frost and Benji Hoppe for yellow cards in quick succession.
The backs also got in on the action, repeatedly stretching the visitors with their pace and it was rather fitting that it was Lane who had to move down the right sideline and cross in the corner after lightning-quick hands had created an overlap for him to exploit.
The best try of the first half fell to the impressive Bradbury, who finished off a superb offensive move which saw the ball travel down a narrow channel with half a dozen touches before the athletic Scot touched the ball.
The Bears defence was breached once when Matt Dawson spotted a gap around the edge of the ruck to pick and run to keep the hosts on their toes
Bristol then entered a phase where they were scoring on virtually every attack, with man of the match Lane coming through before a killer break that led to a Thomas touchdown a few moments later.
Marimion continued his perfect scoring record in every game he has played in Bears colours before Ibitoye slotted over.
The tries continued to flow and Thomas spun over the line and reached out to take a touch before Callum Sheedy placed a perfect kick behind the Cambridge defence which Ibitoye ran onto and scored.
Thomas added his fourth hit of the evening after some great play from young Harry Rowson, who moved down the left wing after being released by a superb long, arcing pass from Sheedy and then kicked forward for the Welsh flanker to collect the ball and score.
In the closing passages of the match, Bristol voluntarily removed James Dun and Lane to finish with 13 men and test their defence against tougher challenges. Cambridge managed to break the hosts down in the interval with a clever back kick collected by James, but Ibitoye had the last word in the match with a powerful finish in the corner to record his hat-trick.
Bristol Bears: 15. Rich Lane, 14. Gabriel Ibitoye, 13. Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12. James Williams, 11. Harry Rowson, 10. AJ MacGinty, 9. Harry Randall; 1. Max Lahiff, 2. Harry Thacker, 3. Jay Tyack, 4. James Dun, 5. Josh Caulfield, 6. Magnus Bradbury, 7. Dan Thomas, 8. Fitz Harding (c).
Cambridge: 15 Eli Caven, 14 Kwaku Asiedu, 13 Sam Hanks, 12 Matty Williams, 11 Matt Hema, 10 Steff James, 9 Kieran Duffin; 1 Harry Morley, 2 Ben Brownlie (captain), 3 Billy Walker, 4 Kieran Frost, 5 Benji Hoppe, 6 Noah Sloot, 7 Matt Dawson, 8 Jared Cardew
