Brilliant, but ultimately in vain. Bristol Bears fell agonisingly short of the Premiership play-offs despite fulfilling their end of the bargain and beating Harlequins in a helter-skelter shoot-out. While the scars of ‘Bristanbul’, the Bears’ heart-breaking 2021 semi-final loss, may never completely heal, this would have been cathartic.
Gabriel Ibitoye, Harry Randall and Max Malins shone in a backline that needed to undergo a major revamp on the hoof due to injuries, with Joe Batley excellent up front for Pat Lam’s charges. Chandler Cunningham-South’s double buoyed Harlequins, but Sale’s exploits at Saracens rendered this result immaterial anyway.
Beginning the afternoon in sixth and seventh respectively, having both lost the previous weekend, Harlequins and Bristol were always likely to produce a wildly entertaining contest to sign off a rollercoaster campaign in appropriate fashion. And though both were initially outside the play-off berths, the victors would likely qualify for the top four in the event of losses for Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs.
Bedlam descended quickly and heavily on a riotous first half scattered with five tries and, sadly, some serious injuries. Gabriel Ibitoye, a marauding threat all afternoon, was unleashed on the left flank from Bristol’s first line-out. He tore to within five metres and James Williams, who ended up with 17 points, dotted down when Bristol recycled. Barely 50 seconds had elapsed.
Harlequins responded through Cunningham-South, who had smashed Benhard van Rensburg into touch to end the latter’s game. Ellis Genge stepped and surged through to reward a flurry of Bristol offloads before Alex Dombrandt, the architect of Cunningham-South’s finish, burrowed over.
Ibitoye, who has put together the best season of his career to date, pounced to send Bears ahead, punishing a messy Harlequins move. Before half-time, though, Genge stayed prone after a powerful scrum from the hosts. He could not bear weight on his left leg and needed four men to help him down the tunnel. Remarkably, Sheedy was injured in the same play. Bristol limped to half-time in front, yet without some key figures.
Ibitoye’s inspired outing continued into the second period, another run foreshadowing the Bears’ bonus-point try, which came via Harry Thacker from a no-lift maul. Harlequins, bidding farewell to André Esterhuizen and Will Collier with heartfelt ovations, hit back and hit the front again thanks to Luke Northmore’s opportunism and Cunningham-South’s powerful second. That would prove a false dawn, though, as Bristol thrived in the chaos, with Malins fantastic as a stand-in fly-half and Randall running the show.
Max Lahiff shunted across the whitewash and Noah Heward linked with Malins to finish a sweeping attack, with Gabriel Oghre’s pushover completing what became a rout.
