GKIPA Championship

Jersey Reds 17 Bristol 36

By John Harding

THREE tries in quick succession from scrum half Rhodri Williams and two from match day skipper, No.8 Steven Luatua steered Bristol to a 36-17 victory away to Jersey Reds to keep the visitors unbeaten at the top of the GKIPA Championship table.

Williams, a former Wales international who joined Bristol in the summer last year from Scarlets, became the fifth Bristol player to score one of their seven Championship hat-tricks this season and the first for a scrum half.

“We knew historically Jersey is a hard place to come to, London Irish lost here last year and when Worcester went up to the Premiership they lost here, so we prepared ourselves for a really tough encounter,” said Bristol’s forwards coach Mark Bakewell.

“And it didn’t disappoint us at all but I think where we got the advantage was in the opening twenty minutes where we were very physical with them, we dominated upon front and we shutdown their scrum tactics which was pleasing.

“Then we put our shape in play, the systems worked very well in attack and we capitalised on that giving us a good platform. Jersey’s big pack tired but basically after half time the game became static as we gave away penalties and dropped balls.”

Bristol were forced to make a late change as hooker Ross McMillan, who picked-up a dead leg in training on Thursday, failed a late fitness test so Ben Gompels was added the the replacements and made his league debut in the closing minutes..

Fly-half Ian Madigan had given Bristol the lead after just three minutes in bitter conditions in front of 2,174 supporters at Rue des Landes with a penalty before the visitors take advantage of Jersey having No.8 Rory Pitman in the sin-bin.

Luatua goes over from close range with Madigan converting before adding the extras to two of Williams’ three tries in a six minute burst before the half hour mark to secure the try-scoring bonus point.

But just before the break wing Tom Pincus collects the crossfield kick to score Jersey’s only points of the half. Five minutes after the restart Bristol second row Chris Vui was sent to the sin-bin.

This allowed hooker Nick Selway to cross the line on the back of a driving line out followed on the hour mark by a try from replacement Joel Dudley which was converted from the touchline by Pincus.

While that was to be the end of the hosts scoring there was still time, with ten minutes to play, for Luatua to stroll in for his second of the afternoon with replacement fly-half Billy Searle adding the conversion.

Jersey scorers - tries: T Pincus, N Selway, J Dudley; Con: T Pincus Bristol scorers - tries: R Williams (3), S Luatua (2); cons: I Madigan (3), B Searle; pen: I Madigan

Jersey: S Van Breda (capt), T Pincus, A Ma’afu (J Dudley, 49), M Best, A Slowik, B Cope (J Worrall, 23), K Hardy, J Woolmore (R Godfrey, 66), N Selway (J Saunders, 61), J Armstrong (L Atalifo, 51), J Voss (R Bartle, 14-18; U Kolo’ofa’i, 58), J Sexton (U Kolo’ofa’i, 14-18), M Rogerson, C Joyce, R Pitman (R Bartle, 66).

Yellow card: R Pitman

Bristol: J Williams (M Protheroe, 66), L Morahan, A Leiua, T Pisi, T Varndell, I Madigan (B Searle, 63), R Williams (A Uren, 57), S Tonga’uiha (J O’Connell, 66), J Harris-Wright (B Gompels, 70), N Thomas (A Giltrow, 70), J Joyce (N Fenton-Wells, 64), C Vui, S Jeffries, D Thomas, S Luatua (capt)

Yellow cards: C Vui

Referee: D Richards

Att: 2,174