RESOLUTE BRISTOL HOLD OFF LEEDS CHALLENGE

A composed and defensively solid performance saw Bristol take the spoils in a contest that seldom reached the heights of excitement of previous matches.  However, Bristol showed that they can build and defend a lead, without having to come from behind  in the last minute!

Leeds kicked off into a surprisingly strong wind. Bristol started well, competing strongly at the breakdown. A long kick from Jon Goodridge ran behind the try line to give Leeds 22 dropout. Bristol attacked well from the lineout with purposeful running and a brief bout of fisticuffs. A penalty went Bristol's way and, out on the right, Tristan Roberts stepped up and made no mistake with the difficult kick and it was 3-0.

Leeds were awarded a penalty at the lineout that should actually have been inside their 22, the ball having been taken back by the visiting side; but in any event Leeds made good ground from the kick. Aggressive Bristol defence regained possession and Leeds were penalised on their 10 metre line and Roberts put another three points on the scoreboard. The Bristol pack continued to perform well and Roberts made the possession count by kicking his side well into the Leeds 22. The clearance kick from Leeds made little ground, the catch and drive from the lineout saw Leeds go offside and Roberts again punished them, as Bristol took a 9-0 lead.

Bristol continued to attack well, but Roberts failed to put more points on the board when a long-range penalty effort fell short. Leeds finally managed to make some inroads into the Bristol half and were awarded a penalty when the Bristol defenders went off their feet at the ruck. Bell made no mistake and narrowed the gap to 9-3. Undeterred, Bristol maintained the pressure and James Merriman made a nice break only to slip on the greasy surface. The pack were performing well at the set piece and the visiting side were penalised for collapsing the scrum. Once more Roberts claimed the points. He was successful again shortly before half-time. However, as the teams trooped off, Fautua Otto continued his dispute with the Leeds wing (seemingly due to the continual obstruction of Otto by the winger) and, it is said, threw a punch.

Otto was thus yellow carded whilst the teams were off the pitch and we were treated to the unusual sight of the second half starting with a long-range penalty to Leeds from halfway. Fortunately, Bell’s effort was well short. Leeds took advantage of the wind to keep Bristol penned in their own half and the Bristol defence gave away two straightforward penalties that Bell kicked to narrow the gap to 12-9.

Leeds had scarcely threatened the Bristol line whilst Otto was off the pitch, and instead it was Bristol who edged further in front from another penalty. With the centre back on, Bristol moved back onto the offensive. A nice kick from Goodridge created some space and Leeds were penalised as they scrambled for possession. Unfortunately Roberts’ effort was well wide of the posts.

Penalties to Bristol and Leeds cancelled each other out before Rowan was finally shown a yellow card when Leeds were penalised for the fifth breakdown in succession. Rather surprisingly, Mark Irish was shortly to suffer the same fate in his efforts to halt a rare Leeds’ foray into the Bristol 22. Given the number Leeds offences against those of Bristol this hardly seemed equitable. In any event, it was Bristol who at last made what appeared to be the decisive breakthrough.

Dan Montagu made an excellent surging run; he was well supported by George Watkins who had the awareness to pop the ball out Goodridge who went over in the left-hand corner for an unconverted try. However, the charge down from an attempted Roberts chip saw Barker sprint over underneath the posts. Bell's conversion took the score to 26-19. If Bristol's game had any fault, it was the kicking from hand which was often overcooked, or resorted to too frequently.

What had appeared a commanding lead was now too close for comfort. At last Leeds managed to apply some prolonged pressure on the Bristol line. The defence, though, was well-organised and resolute in holding back the visitor’s efforts. Leeds showed a lack of composure in the face of this determined approach and a speculative pass away from the breakdown was seized upon by Otto (possibly a touch offside), who intercepted and showed a clean pair of heels to the despairing pursuers. He dotted down beneath the posts for a converted try and a final score of 33-19.