Bristol Bears claimed a dramatic victory over Sale Sharks at Ashton Gate, moving to the top of the Premiership Rugby table thanks to a late try from Kalaveti Ravouvou. The 19-17 win marks Bristol’s fourth consecutive victory and underlines their growing title credentials despite a challenging start to the season.

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Ravouvou’s Match-Winning Try

The contest was tightly fought, with Sale opening the scoring through Tom O’Flaherty before Joe Owen responded for Bristol at the end of the first half, leaving the teams level at 7-7. Early in the second half, Sale regained the lead with a try from captain Ernst van Rhyn and a George Ford penalty, extending their advantage to 17-7.

Bristol responded with a brilliant finish from Matias Moroni, narrowing the gap to five points. The decisive moment came nine minutes from time: with Rekeiti Ma’asi-White in the sin-bin, Bristol maintained ball retention in contact, allowing Jimmy Williams to break through midfield and feed Ravouvou, who cut inside to score under the posts for the winning try.

Pat Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby, told BBC Radio Bristol:
“I’m so proud. When you consider what we’re going through with injuries, people think it’s over, but the others have stepped up… I said, ‘Let’s treat this like a final,’ and that was finals rugby.”

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Sale Sharks’ Fight and Missed Opportunities

Sale largely controlled much of the match, restricting Bristol’s attacking space and creating few opportunities for the home side. Raffi Quirke, filling in on the wing after Alex Wills failed a head injury assessment, set up O’Flaherty’s opening try. Despite strong defensive displays, Sale were unable to close out the game in the final minutes.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said:
“It’s a tough one to take… We let them out of their half too easily, and although we defended well, they were repeatedly knocking at our door and eventually it had to give way… Losing players to injury and enforced rest periods upset our cohesion.”

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Key Player Contributions

Bristol’s attacking fluency improved dramatically in the closing stages, and the contributions of Owen, Moroni, Williams, and Ravouvou highlighted the squad’s depth. Ravouvou’s late try not only secured the win but demonstrated his composure under pressure.

For Sale, van Rhyn and Ford kept the side competitive, while O’Flaherty’s pace was crucial in early attacking moves. However, Bristol’s resilience, particularly during periods of numerical advantage, ultimately proved decisive.

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Bristol Bears Climb To The Top

With this victory, Bristol Bears move to the top of Premiership Rugby 2026, showing that their season is not hindered by early injuries or disruptions. The result emphasizes the team’s growing consistency and the tactical acumen of Pat Lam, who has overseen a side capable of performing in high-pressure situations.

Bristol now head into upcoming fixtures with momentum, while Sale must regroup if they hope to mount a play-off challenge, currently sitting 12 points outside the top four.

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Match Details

Bristol Bears (19) – Tries: Owen, Moroni, Ravouvou; Cons: Jordan, Williams
Sale Sharks (17) – Tries: O’Flaherty, van Rhyn; Cons: Ford (2); Pens: Ford

Bristol Starting XV: Rees-Zammit, Boshoff, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ravouvou; Jordan, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Chawatama, Rubiolo, Owen, Grondona, Harding (c), Mata.
Replacements: Thacker, Lahiff, Kloska, Taylor, Grondona, Marmion, Worsley, Heward

Sale Sharks Starting XV: Carpenter, O’Flaherty, du Preez, Ma’asi-White, Wills; Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Bamber, van Rhyn (c), Vermeulen, Dugdale, T Curry
Replacements: Jibulu, McIntyre, Bell, Burrow, Gilmore, Warr, Louw, Wehr

Yellow Card: Ma’asi-White
Referee: Joe James