BRIS BONUS AS TITANS TOTTER
Penalty Try?
By Ian Todd
February 17 2013
Bristol earned a rare try scoring bonus point to move back into the play-off spots. However, what looked to be a comfortable enough victory looked anything but when Rotherham scored two quickfire tries that took them to within five points of the stunned hosts. A last gasp effort secured bonus point and win, but for a while it looked distinctly unlikely.
Bristol started the half well with some positive attacking play that saw the ball held up over the line. Bristol only briefly played with the same fluency in the rest of the half, which proved something of a stop-start affair with the referee giving alternate penalties for inexplicable scrum offences. The Bristol lineout was far from effective too, but this was more than offset by the Rotherham throw being more productive of Bristol possession than it was for the visitors.
Despite the all too frequent blasts of the whistle Adrian Jarvis was well wide with his first effort at the posts. Contrary to the opinion of some in the crowd this did not herald an off-day with the boot and he succeeded with his next kick, following a welcome half-break from Fautua Otto that forced Rotherham in giving away a penalty. Bristol continued to look comfortable, but without offering too much in attack. A neat pop pass from Alafoti Faosiliva in one move allowed one sweeping move to edge dangerously close to the visitors’ line. And he showed similarly deft ball handling in the next attack as quick hands saw the ball swiftly out to George Watkins who sliced through the defence to cross out right for an unconverted try.
Despite a clear ascendancy in the tight, and a near total lack of imagination from Rotherham Bristol seemed incapable of stringing together another move of similar quality. The referee had the last word of the half when he seemed to finally realise what was happening in the scrum (really, when I can see the fat arse of the Rotherham loose-head from Idiot’s Corner and the scrum is down at the Blackthorn end, I think it’s fairly safe to say that something isn’t quite right) and awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time. Jarvis obliged and it was 11 – 0.
Rotherham looked slightly better organised in the second half and would have troubled the scoreboard with an early penalty kick, if only the scoreboard had actually been working. In any event it was 11 – 3. Bristol tried to hit back quickly and a clumsy trip from the canoe-like feet of Sanderson saw the yellow card brandished. Bristol initially struggled to make the advantage tell, but finally some straight running and good hands from the ever-present Luke Eves released Ryan Edwards to race over. The wing had the presence of mind to curve round behind the posts to ease the conversion attempt and it was 18 – 3.
Almost immediately it became 18 – 6 when the familiar lack of concentration after scoring handed Rotherham an easy penalty. Mr Robinson would not be pleased. He would be more pleased by the determination of Otto who took play up to the Rotherham line where the forwards then encamped. A couple of penalties saw the home scrum completely on top (despite the return of Sanderson) and the third saw the referee trot beneath the posts as Mr Penalty Try added another to his impressive haul of league tries ( behind Marsden [46], Lemi & Robinson [45] and now 44 to P. Try). I thought it was a bit harsh but their scrum half ended up closer to Jarvis than Tipuna, so I’d hazard a guess he was offside and Lord know what was going on in the front row. In any event it took Bristol well clear at 25 – 6.
A comfortable looking victory on the cards, eh? Well before you could mutter “Moseley”, Rotherham launched a move from well inside their own half that sliced through non-existent defence out right to allow replacement Ellyatt to cross the line unopposed. As if that wasn’t bad enough one scarcely had time to mutter “Moseley” again, when Rotherham had cut through the Bristol ‘defence’ in exactly the same way and the surprisingly large fly-half, McKinney, was over for a converted try and 25 – 20.
Desperate to fend off a suddenly resurgent Rotherham Bristol tried to up the pace of the game, only for a welter of unforced errors and clumsy knock-ons to halt any effort to threaten the visitors line. Fortunately Rotherham, looking almost as jittery, managed to lose control of the ball and a Bristol boot hacked it down field. Picked up and quickly on to Eves, who plunged over in the left corner. The try secured the bonus point, and victory, at 30 – 20.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:03:03:08:16:56 by SenorJuan.
As other have said the timing of our subs were poor, Tua should have been off some time earlier as he was starting to blow and leaving holes in our defence that helped Roth back into the game. Where as Kyle looked good for a full 80, and Sambu was still on top form when he got the crook. I don't think the fact that replace 3 at a time helps our consistency, and it must be linked to the Roth fight-back.
Graham
C'mon Bris,
Stand out in a crowd, wear the Hoops!