Following a 52-26 victory for Bristol Bears over Harlequins, here are our five takeaways from the Premiership clash at Ashton Gate on Saturday.
The top line
Bristol managed to get the job done and set up a meeting with Premiership leaders Bath in the Premiership semi-finals after they ripped the Harlequins defence apart at Ashton Gate.
It was a fun game to end the campaign as the two sides ran the legs off each other. Twelve tries were scored in all with the hosts grabbing eight of them as they finished off the regular season in style to take some confidence into their last-four clash with Bath.
The start set the tone as the Bears touched down twice – via George Kloska and Joe Batley – in the opening five minutes. Cadan Murley did reduce the arrears briefly for Quins, but Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata secured the try bonus-point after 20 minutes.
Scores from Murley, Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond did leave the Bristolians slightly concerned about their play-off place, but the team did the job as Gabriel Ibitoye (twice), Santiago Grondona and Benhard Janse van Rensburg sealed their passage into the semi-finals.
Speed and tempo
This was never going to be anything other than fast and furious as two sides renowned for their ability to move the ball quickly went head-to-head. The difference was always going to come down to accuracy and, given their position in the table and the fact they had something to play for, it was unsurprising that for the first half at least, it was Bristol who executed the better.
Quite frankly, Quins looked like they were on their holidays in the opening period while the Bears were accurate and rampant early. They had the bonus-point wrapped up after 23 minutes and at one stage looked like they could get to 40 points at the interval.
That did not transpire, though, as Murley touched down twice before the break and when Dombrandt crossed the whitewash in the second half, there threatened to be a ‘Bristanbul’ part II – after Quins’ stunning comeback win in the 2021 semi-finals. However, the Bears made sure there would not be a repeat as they proved too quick and potent for their opponents.
Going into the play-offs
Bristol have endured a pretty wretched second half of the campaign but they have just managed to sneak into the top-four after big victories over understrength Bath and Harlequins sides. They are a superb team to watch in full flight but realistically you cannot see them getting close to their West Country rivals in the semi-finals.
Pat Lam and his charges will cling onto the fact that they defeated a fully-loaded Bath outfit at the Rec earlier in the campaign, but we are several months on from that and the teams have moved in different directions since then.
For Bristol to stand a chance, it will have to be loose, but in Ben Spencer and Finn Russell, Van Graan’s team have wily and experienced operators at half-back, who have already guided them to a major trophy this season – the Challenge Cup.
There are still doubts about the Bears’ fundamentals and their ability to control a game against the very best, and their results over recent times, when taken in context in regards to the strength of their opponents, are not convincing.
Harlequins reflections
It has ultimately been another underwhelming season for the Londoners and their final game rather summed up their campaign. There were some bright moments and they scored some nice tries, but they have a soft underbelly which has been consistently exploited throughout 2024/25.
There was the odd high point, including doing the double over rivals Saracens, but they simply were not consistent enough to be play-off challengers. Particularly in the second half of the season, they never really looked realistic title contenders.
It is very much back to the drawing board for both the players and the coaches. There is plenty of talent there with Marcus Smith, who did not play on Saturday, the linchpin in attack and the likes of Tyrone Green, Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore and Murley devastating runners in the wider channels.
Up front, Will Evans, Jack Kenningham and Alex Dombrandt are a fine Premiership back-row combination, but they simply have to improve their front five following their struggles in the set-piece and at close quarters.
What’s next for England hopefuls
A few of those players who have already been mentioned could well have done enough to get into the international reckoning for the July series. At the top of the list is surely Kenningham, who has been one of the form flankers despite Harlequins’ struggles this season.
He would be the ideal blindside for Steve Borthwick given his lineout ability and the fact that he is a potent force at the breakdown and regularly steals opposition ball. He was named in a recent England training squad alongside fellow Quins forwards Fin Baxter and Dombrandt, with Evans the unfortunate one to miss out.
Behind the scrum, Beard, Murley and Northmore were selected and it is feasible that all six of those players head to the Americas when the final squad is named next month. Some of the players may have played like they were on their holidays on Saturday, but they still have some work to do this season.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/bristol-v-harlequins-five-takeaways-as-bears-avoid-another-bristanbul-but-doubts-still-remain-ahead-of-bath-semi-final
