It would never get boring, no matter what is at stake. Sure enough, we had another breathless and breathtaking experience, the two most entertaining teams in the Premiership, which means that they are very, very entertaining and compete against each other with dedication. The miracle is that all this did not lead to anything.
Neither side could ever feel comfortable with their leads, so unpredictable are they both, but Bristol must have thought they did enough. Unfortunately, the least likely outcome of the day in all of London has ensured that this victory of seven away attempts is not enough. Sale’s first league win at StoneX Stadium meant Bristol were two points away from the playoffs.
The bears did not know whether to laugh or cry. To end a season that they have illuminated since the Six Nations tournament in such an emphatic style and to be rejected by a misstep by the Saracens of all the teams. After being smacken extensively by the champions last week and ending the winning streak that had got them into the race, Bristol played a terrible chance on the health issue front in the first half to push the Harlequins aside on their own home field.
For Quins, the emotions were clearer after the game. Even by their standards, it was a crazy season full of form fluctuations, but they said goodbye to some of their favorite sons in disappointing style. They had the lead just before half-time with a discounted fourth try, having been outscored 26-14 at the start of the second half, but Bristol broke away with three tries and 24 points in the final quarter.
Max Malins had been forced into the emergency service of the opening half after these injuries. Callum Sheedy and Ellis Genge left the field together a few minutes before the break, both suffered badly. With BJ van Rensburg, probably Bristol’s player of the season, only out in the fourth inning, Bristol had to make a tricky restructuring.
But they had their first try before that, when James Williams came to the finish line after 56 seconds, after Gabriel Ibitoye terrorized his former teammates with a run on the left side. Quins equalised minutes after and Chandler Cunningham-South worked in the middle of the posts for the first of his two tries. But Genge was the next to score, having fooled a run by Bristol’s other winger, the excellent Noah Heward, and made his way to the line.
Alex Dombrandt, as with the Cunningham South try, equalised a penalty routine at the corner. We had barely played 20 minutes.
Cunningham-South was withdrawn for a head health issue assessment, which he successfully performed, but his first contribution to his return was sending a ground pass. Ibitoye was on the spot and away to give Bristol the half-time advantage, which they increased to 26-14 at the starting of the second half. No one thought for a moment that they were safe.
The Quins’ game mistakes were evident once again when they conceded a fourth down to close that 12-point gap. They suddenly lost their coach Jerry Flannery during the Six Nations tournament, who left for South Africa, apparently having taken with him a semblance of defense. The way James Dun was allowed to break through the midfield was not a good sign and Harry Thacker drove for that lead when Bristol fired the resulting penalty into the corner.
Sure enough, over the next 10 minutes Luke Northmore jumped on a handling error for their third before Cunningham-South drove for his second. But in the last quarter, the home team faded under Bristol’s attention.