Bristol Bears, in front of a club record attendance, have marked their return to Premiership rugby with a gutsy 17-10 victory over their West Country Rivals.
The newly promoted Championship outfit had to navigate their way through a period with 14-men and kept their cool when they found themselves 9-10 down at the start of the final quarter.
Bristol vs. Bath player ratings:
BRISTOL BEARS
Fullback: Luke Daniels - Lasted just 32 minutes. Took a crunching hit from Jamie Roberts early on but regained his composure and was looking good before he was forced off. 5/10
Winger: Luke Morahan - It took the speedster 25 minutes to get a touch of the ball but when he did it almost ended with a try if not for a try-saving tackle from Joe Cokanasiga. He then continued to carry really well, making over 100 metres, before setting up Leiua's crucial late score. 8.5/10
Outside-centre: Will Hurrell - 0 for his very, very short shorts. The performance was pretty decent though with him showing nice hands while his defence was first class. 7/10
Inside-centre: Tusi Pisi - The experienced centre was a calm distributor in the first half but was yellow carded for a brainless deliberate knock-on in the second. It almost proved costly for Bristol. 6.5/10
Winger: Alapati Leiua - Didn't get a lot of the ball until he dotted down the match-winning try after 72 minutes. He also did well to stifle his opposite number and Bath's chief dangerman Semesa Rokoduguni. - 7/10
Fly-half: Ian Madigan - The positives outweighed the negatives for Madigan. He was almost perfect off the tee and showed good hands when Bristol was on the front foot but his general kicking was average at best. 7/10
Scrum-half: Nic Stirzaker - The new addition distributed well and helped the newly promoted hosts establish a good tempo to their game. He will be crucial to the Bears having a good season. 7.5/10
Number eight: Jordan Crane - Won a crucial turnover to deny Bath a certain try in the first half. He was the icing on the cake to a well oiled back-row trio. 7.5/10
Openside flanker: George Smith - The flanker's face says he's 38, but the rest of his body seems to have forgotten and thinks he's 28. What a competitor. What a pro. 8.5/10
Blindside flanker: Steven Luatua (c) - The All Black back-rower was simply everywhere. A very good player. 7.5/10
Lock: Chris Vui - Stood up and had the game of his life on his Bristol debut. A fantastic option at the lineout, he also had a significant impact around the park. Tired though and was replaced after 57 minutes. 8/10
Lock: Ed Holmes - The former Exeter man also played well, helping Bristol gain some control after Bath's bright start. 7/10
Tighthead prop: John Afoa - The powerhouse was a marquee signing from Gloucester and his experience helped the hosts recover from Bath's early dominance at scrum time. 7.5/10
Hooker: Harry Thacker - Struggled at the scrum but so diligent with the ball in hand. Great distributor, has excellent footwork but also buys times on the floor with his contact skills. Fantastic to see him starting at this level. Simply brilliant. 8/10
Loosehead prop: Yann Thomas - Following a shaky start, Thomas recovered and helped the Bears pack establish themselves in a physical game. 7/10
BATH RUGBY
Fullback: Tom Homer - He screwed up what should have been the first try of the season when he knocked on. The fullback then knocked on again to almost concede a try just before halftime. He got redemption in the second half when he got Bath on the scoreboard with a try, grounding it this time. 5.5/10
Winger: Semesa Rokoduguni - It was great to see him back from his serious shoulder injury but he simply wasn't given the opportunity to shine. 6/10
Outside-centre: Jackson Willison - Very quiet. 6/10
Inside-centre: Jamie Roberts - Looked at home in the Bath shirt, starting the game off with trademark crunching tackle. He also carried well throughout. Could have supported Priestland better. 7/10
Winger: Joe Cokanasiga - The winger, who is reportedly quicker than Anthony Watson, put on a real show during his debut for Bath. Some powerful running, crisp offloads and a try-saving tackle in the first half made him the standout performer for the blue, black and whites. 8/10
Fly-half: Rhys Priestland - Missed a relatively straightforward penalty in a poor first half. Turned it around after the break with some better kicking from the Wales international. 6.5/10
Scrum-half: Chris Cook - Took on a large amount of responsibility in building Bath's attack, but didn't show enough variation to unlock the hosts stubborn defence. 6/10
Number eight: Taulupe Faletau - Imperious as usual. 7.5/10
Openside flanker: Sam Underhill - The England man was destructive but not always very effective. 6/10
Blindside flanker: Zach Mercer - Knocked on when he had the opportunity to score when it was 0-0, but recovered well with some brilliant carrying and tackling, especially in the second-half. A future England star for sure. 7/10
Lock: Matt Garvey (c) The Bath skipper was outshone by his second-row partner. - 6/10
Lock: Dave Attwood - His first game back since his loan at Toulon, the England international was a menace at the breakdown, solid at the lineout and looked like he was starting to get back to his best. Positive signs moving forward. 7/10
Tighthead prop: Henry Thomas - 6/10
Hooker: Jack Walker - 6/10
Loosehead prop: Nathan Catt - Wreaked havoc at scrum time in the first half, outmuscling his opposite number. Made his tackles and was good in run support. 7/10
