Bristol Bears Under-18s win first national championship
- Published
Bristol's U18 squad won the Premiership's academy tournament for the first time in their history
Bristol Bears Under-18s have become national champions for the first time in the academy's history.
They beat Northampton Saints 13-5 in the Premiership Rugby Under-18 final on Sunday at Worcester's Sixways Stadium.
Bristol won all seven of their matches throughout the competition, which started in December.
The tournament, which first began in 2012, sees teams divided into north and south leagues, with the league winners meeting in the final.
Senior academy manager Gethin Watts, described the match as "a tough affair."
"I was really happy with the commitment and the discipline that they showed. Our hard effort allowed us to exert enough pressure to score," he said.
"Our passion is to get home-grown players into the senior team, we are working hard to do this and this was an illustration of what the boys are truly capable of."
Aaron Tull, Bristol team captain, said "it felt great" to lead the team towards victory, and that the hard work of the players and coaching staff was "essential" to their success.