Bristol Bears Women returned to winning ways with two emphatic victories away from home in the Allianz Premier 15s against Worcester and DMP Sharks.
After a slate of tough defeats at the hands of top-table teams, the Bears have reinvigorated their campaign for a play-off spot. Racking up 15 tries in two weeks, Bristol seem reborn as the fluid attacking side they aim to be, but will need to produce consistency for the remainder of the season to contend with the title-contending sides.
Against the Warriors at Sixways, it was a must-win clash for both teams, positioned similarly mid-table. The visitors raced to an early lead as Lark Davies push over from the back of the driving maul, her seventh try in as many matches for the Bears. Phoebe Murray then shrugged off her tackler and offloaded for Ella Lovibond to put Bristol 14-0 ahead after 10 minutes.
Worcester responded quickly with two of their own. First, Carys Phillips dotted in the corner, before Jade Shekells turned an intercept into seven points to draw the hosts level.
The Bears then stepped back on the gas to restore the lead. A try for Sarah Bern and a second from Lark Davies, along with a 20m run-in from Grace Crompton on her return from Sevens duty, put the visitors 31-14 ahead at the break.
Bristol’s pressure built into the second half and a Claire Molloy try put the game to bed. Two Warriors scores at the end of the game gave them consolation.
Buoyed by a bonus point win on the road, the Bears pushed onto Darlington. The full five points were in the bag by half-time. Rownita Marston and Amber Reed secured an early lead before the new-signing, Sevens star Deborah Wills, scored the Bears’ third. Davies claimed yet another try from the rolling maul just before the break.
Wills got her brace on debut soon after coming back out. Megan Barwick darted over and speedster Reneeqa Bonner kept up her fine form with a brace from off the bench. Lovibond capped off the afternoon with another try from fullback, back in the form she showed before her recent injury.
Head coach Dave Ward picked out Lucy Burgess’s performance after the game. "Burgess brought her energy right from the off, and then when we moved her to fullback, she probably had more impact on the game," he said. "She got three or four try assists in the end as well, so she was a stand-out performer."
There was also praise for Holly Cunningham on her return from injury. "We know how infectious her personality is and how good she is to have around the group," he added. "The way she came on and called the lineouts and performed; really well done from her."
The Bears play Worcester again next week, this time at home, hoping to secure another big win. The 10 points bring them back up to fifth, leap-frogging the Warriors.
Attention will inevitably turn to the two challenging games to come against Loughborough Lightning and Harlequins before a big Six Nations break. These will be their opportunities to show their title contention and get some revenge. Were the Bears able to get results against both, the race for the play-offs will surely be on.
