Saracens Bounce Back, Beat Bristol to End Bears’ Streak

Saracens bounced back strongly from their heavy defeat to Bath, defeating Bristol 36-31 to end the Bears’ impressive away win streak. Bristol had gone 10 consecutive Premiership away games without defeat, but Saracens held off their fightback with two tries from Tom Willis, one from Fergus Burke and another by Lucio Cinti. Saracens took a 15-point lead at half-time with Bristol’s only score coming from Harry Randall.

Despite the Bears’ attempts to recover, Saracens’ second-half performance secured the win. Kalaveti Ravouvou and Harry Thacker both scored tries for Bristol, but Burke added a second try late in the game to seal the victory. Jake Heenan’s late try ensured that Bristol took a bonus point from the match. This defeat ends Bristol’s remarkable 10-match away win streak, dating back to November 2023 and also keeps them searching for their first-ever win at StoneX Stadium.

Heenan’s try, however, helped Bristol maintain their second-place position in the table, one point ahead of Saracens, who moved up to third. Both teams came into the match aiming to recover from heavy defeats with Bristol reeling from their 38-0 loss to Sale and Saracens still recovering from their 68-10 drubbing by Bath. Saracens made several changes including bringing back key players like Elliot Daly and Nick Tompkins.

Willis scored the opening try, followed by Burke’s try, and although Bristol fought back, Saracens maintained control. Bristol’s director of rugby, Pat Lam, praised his team’s effort in securing a bonus point but acknowledged the strength of Saracens’ performance. Saracens number eight, Tom Willis reflected on their preparation and consistency moving forward.