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This was about as far as you could get from a trademark Bristol performance.
Pat Lam’s razzle-dazzle side is used to playing with attacking flair. While that was totally absent here – as the impact of Storm Ingrid led to horrific conditions and an eminently forgettable 80 minutes – the Bears showed they really do have the potential to be PREM Rugby champions for the first time this season.
In a gritty battle, they not only inflicted a first home league defeat of the campaign on Exeter, but also proved they can deliver when conditions don’t allow them to play to their strengths.
Previous Bristol sides would have crumbled here in the face of driving rain and a strong Chiefs side.
This was different, Noah Heward scoring the game’s only try to quell Exeter’s resurgence.
‘The game plan hasn’t changed,’ said Bristol director of rugby Lam, whose team celebrated this win with a party back at their training base. ‘We get recognised for playing the ball, but our set-piece statistics and ability to win collisions is right up there.
The conditions were horrendous for Bristol Bears' victory over Exeter Chiefs
The teams battled Storm Ingrid and it was 80 minutes of eminently forgettable rugby
‘We tend to lose more matches in this period because of the conditions. We’ve looked to really address that. It was a tremendous effort. We’ve probably had every condition we could play in over the last few weeks.
‘We had to roll our sleeves up.’
Bristol have been in three PREM play-offs and were beaten by eventual winners Bath in last season’s semi-final.
Now, they can have real belief they can go all the way – even if Bath and Northampton will be strong rivals for the title come June.
Driving rain and a howling wind meant Bristol’s Plan A had to go out the window.
Both sides, understandably, made countless errors as a result of the weather.
Henry Slade kicked three points to put the Chiefs – who lost Australia flanker Tom Hooper to an early knee injury – ahead.
Bristol No 10 Tom Jordan had missed with a previous penalty effort.
Bristol had the wind in their favour in the first half and Heward’s try was the only moment of real quality. In a game dominated by mistakes, the decision of Bristol full-back Louis Rees-Zammit to go for broke paid off.
Noah Heward scored the only try of the game out wide for the Bears at Sandy Park
Wales ace Rees-Zammit wasn’t perfect at No 15, but before the break he showed daring and no little skill to set-up Heward.
Rees-Zammit’s run was a rare attacking thrust and his pass to Heward was executed well considering the ball was like a bar of soap. ‘I thought he did really well,’ Lam said of Rees-Zammit.
MATCH FACTS:Exeter Chiefs:
Pen: Slade
Bristol Bears:
Try: Heward
Pen: J Williams
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Attendance: 12,852
Star man: Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears)
‘He’s got the speed to get out of trouble. He put a couple of balls down, but so did everyone and he’s learning. He’s an excellent communicator and his pace is ridiculous.’
Bristol made a total of 155 tackles, missing just nine. Their goal-line defence at the start of the second period was astonishing.
Captain Fitz Harding led the rearguard effort. ‘He’s phenomenal, an absolute machine,’ Lam said of Harding.
‘His leadership has gone to another level.’
Bristol showed power and sheer resilience after the break, holding out impressively.
Both teams were unhappy with some of referee Karl Dickson’s decisions in a second 40 that was pointless until Bristol replacement James Williams made the game safe for his team.
What is promising for Bristol is that the back-end of the season – when drier conditions allow for more running rugby – suits their style far better than the depths of winter.
So, they should be even more dangerous when PREM action returns after the Six Nations.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: ‘Bristol just shaded the most important areas. We never quite created the pressure to break them down. It was so tight. We slipped up two or three times and our mistakes hurt us.
‘But we’re not in a bad place.’
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