Bristol Bears Seals Champions Cup Knockout Place in Thrilling Win Over Bulls
In a game that was as much about Bristol's clinical finishing as it was about South Africa's Springbok-heavy starting XV, the English side ran riot in the first half to secure their place in the Investec Champions Cup knockout phase with a 61-49 victory over the Bulls. The Bears' impressive performance has lifted them to the top of Pool Four above main rivals Northampton and Bordeaux.
Bristol, who fielded a team without a single Springbok player, started like a freight train, running in three tries inside the opening 10 minutes and seven in total to build an interval lead of 47-28. The Bulls, despite their best efforts, were unable to stem the tide as Bristol continued to fire shots with Noah Heward completing his hat-trick.
Sale Sharks Secure Knockout Spot in Comfortable Win Over Sharks
Meanwhile, Sale Sharks secured a spot in the last 16 after a dominant second-half display gave them a 26-10 win over South Africa's Sharks in Pool One. The visitors went ahead through Siya Masuku's penalty but Sale led 7-3 at half-time thanks to a try from Rekeiti Ma'asi-White.
Ten minutes into the second half, Bevan Rodd popped up at the back of the maul to score and Sale went straight back up the other end with O'Flaherty getting the bonus-point try. George Ford added his third conversion as Sale sealed their spot in the knockout stages ahead of Clermont Auvergne.
Leinster Clinch Knockout Spot in Thrilling Win Over La Rochelle
Harry Byrne held his nerve to lift Leinster to a last-gasp 25-24 victory over La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium. The Irish side had seemed poised to walk away from Dublin with the spoils from a see-saw tussle after Ihaia West dotted down late on, but replacement fly-half Byrne's penalty in the 83rd minute sealed a third win from three Pool Three matches for Leinster.
Glasgow Warriors Book Knockout Spot After Comfortable Win Over Clermont
Glasgow Warriors are also guaranteed a spot in the last-16 of the Champions Cup after claiming a third bonus-point win on the spin by beating Clermont Auvergne 33-21. The Scottish side took charge at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, establishing a 26-7 lead at the break before Clermont capitalised on two yellow cards to reduce the deficit.
Scarlets' Search for First Win Continues After Pau Loss
Finally, Scarlets missed out on a first win in Pool Four after a see-saw 47-38 defeat by Pau. The Welsh side led through a Joe Hawkins penalty but conceded three tries to Toshi Butlin and Carwyn Tuipulotu before eventually succumbing to the French side's attacking flair.
In a game that was as much about Bristol's clinical finishing as it was about South Africa's Springbok-heavy starting XV, the English side ran riot in the first half to secure their place in the Investec Champions Cup knockout phase with a 61-49 victory over the Bulls. The Bears' impressive performance has lifted them to the top of Pool Four above main rivals Northampton and Bordeaux.
Bristol, who fielded a team without a single Springbok player, started like a freight train, running in three tries inside the opening 10 minutes and seven in total to build an interval lead of 47-28. The Bulls, despite their best efforts, were unable to stem the tide as Bristol continued to fire shots with Noah Heward completing his hat-trick.
Sale Sharks Secure Knockout Spot in Comfortable Win Over Sharks
Meanwhile, Sale Sharks secured a spot in the last 16 after a dominant second-half display gave them a 26-10 win over South Africa's Sharks in Pool One. The visitors went ahead through Siya Masuku's penalty but Sale led 7-3 at half-time thanks to a try from Rekeiti Ma'asi-White.
Ten minutes into the second half, Bevan Rodd popped up at the back of the maul to score and Sale went straight back up the other end with O'Flaherty getting the bonus-point try. George Ford added his third conversion as Sale sealed their spot in the knockout stages ahead of Clermont Auvergne.
Leinster Clinch Knockout Spot in Thrilling Win Over La Rochelle
Harry Byrne held his nerve to lift Leinster to a last-gasp 25-24 victory over La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium. The Irish side had seemed poised to walk away from Dublin with the spoils from a see-saw tussle after Ihaia West dotted down late on, but replacement fly-half Byrne's penalty in the 83rd minute sealed a third win from three Pool Three matches for Leinster.
Glasgow Warriors Book Knockout Spot After Comfortable Win Over Clermont
Glasgow Warriors are also guaranteed a spot in the last-16 of the Champions Cup after claiming a third bonus-point win on the spin by beating Clermont Auvergne 33-21. The Scottish side took charge at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, establishing a 26-7 lead at the break before Clermont capitalised on two yellow cards to reduce the deficit.
Scarlets' Search for First Win Continues After Pau Loss
Finally, Scarlets missed out on a first win in Pool Four after a see-saw 47-38 defeat by Pau. The Welsh side led through a Joe Hawkins penalty but conceded three tries to Toshi Butlin and Carwyn Tuipulotu before eventually succumbing to the French side's attacking flair.
so i'm watching this rugby game and bristol bears are literally on fire!!! 
they're playing against the bulls and it's like a freight train is coming their way, running in 3 tries in the first 10 mins lol what a start! 
and then they just keep going, 7 tries in total, wow. meanwhile sale sharks are also getting their spot in the knockout stages with a comfortable win over sharks 
leinster and glasgow warriors are also looking good 
but scarlets are having a tough time finding that first win 
gotta follow these teams for the rest of the season
Their clinical finishing has been insane, especially in that first half when they just ran riot on the Bulls 
And Northampton and Bordeaux are like "wait, what?" 
I've got to say, though, I think Leinster's win was super clutch 
Harry Byrne is literally a hero for lifting them over La Rochelle. And Sale Sharks is doing great too! They're gonna kill it in the knockout stages 
i mean 61-49 is crazy even if it was against the Bulls, the way they dominated in the first half must've been terrifying for their opponents 
they're all just teams running into each other, hitting each other with a ball 
. everyone's always going on about how good Bristol is now because they won against the Bulls... but like, did u see the Bulls' squad? 
okay so i think its crazy that bristol bears didn't even have a single springbok on their team yet they still managed to crush the bulls 61-49! 
. meanwhile, glasgow warriors is getting those bonus points left and right 
. scarlets just need to find their mojo now 
. And Northampton is already in trouble? 
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, and it got me thinking about how much I love exploring new places... like, have you guys ever been to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol? It's literally stunning, especially at sunset 
. Anyway, back to rugby... I mean, who needs the Champions Cup when you've got scenic views like that to look forward to? 
, they totally dominated the Bulls 
and Noah Heward's hat-trick was insane 
, hope they can keep it up 
. I'm loving the drama of Leinster's last-gasp win 
. Anyone else excited about the knockout stages?