Premiership Rugby: London Irish 23-7 Bristol Bears - Exiles win bottom-of-the-table clash
- Published
Ben White's two Premiership tries this season have come against Bristol
Gallagher Premiership |
|---|
London Irish: (17) 23 |
Tries: Janse van Rensburg, White Cons: Jennings 2 Pens: Jennings 3 |
Bristol Bears: (7) 7 |
Try: Thacker Con: MacGinty |
London Irish moved five points and two places above Premiership bottom-side Bristol Bears with a hard-fought win against the West Country strugglers.
A Rory Jennings penalty and tries from Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Ben White put Irish 17-7 up at the break.
Harry Thacker's converted try midway through the first half was all that Bristol managed in west London.
Jennings kicked the only points of the second half, sealing a win that moved Irish up to ninth in the table.
A losing bonus point from their narrow defeat against Gloucester last time out ensured the resurgent Exiles went into the bottom-of-the-table clash with Bristol a point and place better off than the visitors, whose win against Harlequins on 27 December was their first Premiership triumph since September.
Jennings, who was called up to start for the Exiles after Paddy Jackson failed a late fitness test, put the hosts ahead in soaking conditions from a seventh-minute penalty kick right in front of the posts.
Bristol hooker Thacker snuck over for the game's first try midway though the first half to edge them ahead, with AJ MacGinty giving Pat Lam's side a four-point lead with his conversion.
Van Rensburg, however, restored Irish's lead, with White then crashing over from close range to give the Exiles a 10-point advantage at half-time.
Jennings added to the lead with a successful penalty kick immediately after the restart, with the day only getting worse for Bears, as they lost Gabriel Ibitoye and Noah Heward to injuries in quick succession soon after.
Jennings missed with his next penalty attempt, but was on target with the boot again late on to complete the home side's third win in four Premiership games.
'Table doesn't lie' - reaction
London Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney:
"Bristol are a very dangerous side if you give them possession but we managed to keep them out of our 22 for large parts of the game.
"We also managed to take our opportunities at pivotal times as our success rate in their 22 was very good and the 10 points we picked up either side of half-time was crucial.
"We played some smart rugby and if we continue to do that, who knows where we may end up."
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam:
"The table doesn't lie and it's not ideal to be where we are now from where we once were.
"We are living on scraps as we had 30 per cent territory and 30 per cent possession and if we flip those figures around, what could we do with that amount of ball?
"We had one attack in the first half, which we scored from, and just one more in the second half as the rest of the time we spent defending."
London Irish: Loader; Cinti Luna, Morisi, Janse van Rensburg, Hassell-Collins; Jennings, White; Goodrick-Clarke, Willemse, Chawatama; Munga, Simmons, Basham, Pearson, Rogerson.
Replacements: Ruiz, Fischetti, Hoskins, Ratuniyarawa, Gonzalez, Cunningham-South, Powell, Stokes.
Bristol Bears: Heward; Fricker, Radradra, I Lloyd, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Uren; Genge, Thacker, Sinckler; Batley, Vui, Luatua, Heenan, Bradbury.
Replacements: Kerr, Y Thomas, Lahiff, Joyce, D Thomas, Whiteley, Sheedy, Bates.
Referee: Christophe Ridley.