Late Hastings kick tips pulsating encounter in favour of Gloucester
Adam Hastings kicked a late penalty to give Gloucester a thrilling 31-28 Gallagher Premiership victory over Bristol at Kingsholm. It looked as though the fierce West Country rivals would not be separated after they each scored four converted tries but Scotland fly-half Hastings held his nerve from 40 metres out, maintaining Gloucester’s impressive start to the season and inflicting a third successive Premiership defeat on Bristol.
Gloucester led three times only for Bristol to pull themselves level on each occasion before prop Val Rapava-Ruskin’s second try just after the hour mark tied things up after the visitors had gone in front. Flanker Jordy Reid, Rapava-Ruskin and lock Freddie Clarke claimed first-half tries, yet Bristol ensured a rollercoaster encounter through equalising tries for Sam Bedlow, his fellow centre Piers O’Conor and prop Ellis Genge.
Andy Uren’s 56th-minute try edged Bristol ahead and Callum Sheedy kicked his fourth successful conversion, but Hastings’ fourth conversion after Rapava-Ruskin crossed for a second time set up the opportunity for the fly-half’s winning strike.
Gloucester changes included England wing Jonny May returning to the starting line-up, with Santiago Carreras moving to full-back, while centre Chris Harris replaced Mark Atkinson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Bath last weekend. Bristol handed scrum-half Tom Whiteley a first start since February, taking over from an injured Harry Randall, with Fitz Harding returning to the back row alongside Chris Vui and Dan Thomas.
Both teams displayed plenty of ambition in the early stages, with Gloucester’s Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit proving a considerable attacking threat. It was no surprise when Gloucester took an eleventh-minute lead, relying on their outstanding driving maul to breach Bristol’s defence as Reid touched down and Hastings converted.
Bristol had opportunities to hit back quickly, but poor ball retention proved their undoing and Gloucester’s powerful counter-ruck led by No8 Ruan Ackermann often sent them into reverse gear.The visitors did not lose their composure, though, and patient build-up play saw them draw level through a 25th-minute try for Bedlow that Sheedy converted after the centre crashed through weak Gloucester defence.
It was a game of little pattern, yet the excitement levels continued as the sides matched each other blow for blow. Gloucester went back in front eight minutes before half-time after Harris caused panic in Bristol’s defence and Rapava-Ruskin dived over the top of a ruck to score.
Hastings’ conversion made it 14-7, but Bristol hit back after Genge’s strong midfield charge created enough space for Uren, who replaced Whiteley, to send O’Conor through a huge gap with Sheedy adding the extras.
But just when Bristol thought they had done enough to go off level at half-time, Ackermann stormed clear from the back of a scrum and Clarke powered over, giving Hastings an easy conversion as Gloucester secured a 21-14 interval advantage.
It took Bristol just five minutes into the second period to draw level for the third time and this time it was Genge who did the damage, claiming his fourth Premiership try this season. Sheedy’s conversion tied the game up once more before the impressive Uren went close to a dazzling solo score, but he was hauled into touch by Gloucester’s last defender.
Bristol should have made no mistake just three minutes later following a piercing Charles Piutau break, but flanker Dan Thomas lost the ball under pressure from Rees-Zammit and the chance went begging. Gloucester, though, could not escape Bristol’s attacking menace and Uren put them ahead for the first time with a try that Sheedy converted.
But Gloucester set up a thrilling final quarter by claiming the eighth try of a pulsating contest as Rapava-Ruskin again crossed Bristol’s line, with Hastings converting before he provided the match-winning moment.
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments