Early Red Card Proves Costly as Bristol Dominate
Northampton Saints' perfect start to the Premiership Rugby season came to a crushing halt at Ashton Gate, where they suffered a comprehensive 46-12 defeat against an impressive Bristol Bears side. The match turned decisively in the opening minute when Saints' Italian international Edoardo Todaro received a red card for a dangerous challenge on Bristol's Sam Worsley while he was in the air.
Bristol Capitalise on Numerical Advantage
Bristol immediately exploited their extra player, with scrum-half Kieran Marmion taking a quick tap penalty to dart over for the opening try. The Bears continued their relentless pressure as Tom Jordan ran a clever angle to collect a pass from James Williams for a straightforward score. Bristol then produced the try of the game through some magnificent inter-passing that bewildered the Saints defence, culminating in Harry Thacker bursting down the right touchline before Marmion picked up to score his second.
The home side suffered a setback when wing Jack Bates left the field injured, replaced by Louis Rees-Zammit, but this didn't slow their momentum. A powerful tackle by Benhard Janse van Rensburg on Fin Smith allowed Kalaveti Ravouvou to seize possession and run 45 metres to score. Bristol completed their first-half demolition when replacement Aidan Boshoff collected a well-timed pass from Worsley to dive over for the fifth try, giving the Bears a commanding 35-0 lead at halftime.
Saints Fight Back But Bristol Prove Too Strong
Northampton showed more fight after the break, with giant lock JJ van der Mescht forcing his way over six minutes into the second half. However, Worsley soon extended Bristol's lead with a straightforward penalty. Saints scored their second try through centre Tom Litchfield, who won the race to collect George Furbank's well-judged kick, with Fin Smith adding the conversion.
Worsley kicked another penalty, taking his personal tally to 16 points for the match, before Luka Ivanishvili finished off a driving lineout to emphatically confirm Bristol's superiority. The comprehensive victory sees Bristol continue their strong home form while handing Northampton their first defeat of the campaign.
Gloucester Secure First Premiership Win
In other Premiership action, Gloucester claimed their first league victory of the season at the sixth attempt with a 26-15 win over Harlequins. Head coach George Skivington hailed the impact of centre Seb Atkinson on his return from injury, describing him as "a guy you want to build things around."
Full-back Ben Redshaw shone with two tries, while flanker Lewis Ludlow and wing Ollie Thorley added further touchdowns for Gloucester's bonus-point success. Ross Byrne kicked three conversions to secure the victory, with Quins' tries coming from Cadan Murley and Alex Dombrandt.
The weekend also saw Exeter Chiefs produce a remarkable comeback from 26-6 down to secure a dramatic 27-26 win against Sale Sharks, while Leicester Tigers extended Newcastle Falcons' losing start to the season with a clinical 39-17 victory featuring five tries.
