Bristol Bears player ratings: Bristol came close to a shock upset against the bitter rivals Bath in the Gallagher Premiership semi-final at the Rec, but the hosts proved to be too strong in the end, running out 34-20 winners.
But with a 13-6 lead at half-time, Pat Lam would have thought an upset was on the cards. However, the visitors spurned too many chances, which you cannot do against the best team in England over the past year.
They may have lost, but there were many standout displays in this match.
Here’s how the players rated:
Match Summary 
15 Noah Heward – 6
Was not the most secure under the high ball, and Bath perhaps did not exploit that as much as they should have. Dangerous in loose play but starved of space and the ball in the second half.
14 Kalaveti Ravouvou – 6
Gathered the ball five metres from his line under immense pressure and ignited a counter-attack which could well be the try of the season. Brainless yellow card tripping Ben Spencer, no other word for it. Would have been very nervous when his high tackle was being reviewed. Box office when he wasn’t making Christophe Ridley blow his whistle.
13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg – 8
The South African’s work in defence and with ball-in-hand is well documented, but his aggressive rucking was fundamental to the speed the Bears were able to play with, as well as chipping in with a crucial penalty won in his 22. The RFU should do everything legally possible to ensure he is eligible for England next year. Deserved a try, even in a losing effort.
12 James Williams – 6
Any team that plays expansive, fast-paced rugby needs a ‘glue-player’ in the middle, and Williams is just that for Bristol. Bath wisely closed down the Bears’ midfield duo.
11 Gabriel Ibitoye – 8
There is a direct correlation between how much space Ibitoye is given and how the Bears perform. Bath learned that the hard way in the first half, and wisely limited the winger’s space after the break. Nevertheless, he was everywhere. His dalliance at scrum-half was entertaining. What more does he need to do to get picked by Steve Borthwick?
10 AJ MacGinty – 6
Was able to identify any space Bath left with surprising ease, and, fortunately for the Bears, Ibitoye was often waiting in that space. That space dried up completely eventually, as the fly-half found himself under increasing pressure.
9 Harry Randall – 7.5
Injected a frenetic tempo into the match, although that did result in some inaccurate passes, but it was needed. Left the field before half-time clutching his shoulder, which will be a concern for Borthwick. Did his job, with the Bears leading 10-3 when he departed. The game changed after he left the field.
1 Ellis Genge – 7
You don’t see players as fired up these days as the England loosehead was, although that did boil over into a reversed penalty early on. It was not all bloodthirsty violence from the Lion though, as it was his pass that put James Dun in for the Bears’ opening try. Continued to give it everything as Bath pulled away.
2 Gabriel Oghre – 6
Poor throw when Bristol were in a promising position in the first half was just one example of how the Bears left plenty of points on the field, and paid the price. Elsewhere, his performance had some flashy carries in it.
3 George Kloska – 6
A decent showing from the tighthead during his 50 minutes on the field, contributing to Bristol’s high-energy style with six passes and an offload.
4 James Dun – 7
Glided through a huge gap in the Bath defence for the opening try of the match. The first of many astute lines the 25-year-old ran. His substitution after 47 minutes was somewhat surprising as Bath were struggling to handle the lock, who had the most carries out of all the forwards in the match at the time of departure.
5 Joe Batley – 6
While Bristol faded in the second half, the lock came to life all the more, bizarrely, stepping up defensively when the Bath pack had the upper hand.
6 Steven Luatua – 6.5
Patrolled the wider flanks with a great return to his carries. Called upon in defence more in the second stanza.
7 Fitz Harding – 8
What a penalty to win when Bath looked like they would inevitably steamroll their way to the line on the stroke of half-time (although Ravouvou’s high tackle cancelled it out). Topped the tackle count for his side (17) and made the most carries of any forward on the field.
8 Viliame Mata – 6
Led the charge early on with some gutsy rucking and hard running as Bristol went in at half time 13-6 ahead. Was not half as effective in the second set, but few of his team-mates were.
Substitutes – 5
The Bears’ bench was simply not able to maintain the free spirit and verve that the team were playing with in the first half. This is partly down to a change in mentality from Bath in general, but in a battle of the benches, the visitors were inferior – which included a yellow card for Kerian Marmion. Harry Thacker is worth singling out though for his tenacity.
