Chiefs hunt the Bears at Sandy Park

Round 5 of the competition will kick off with a humdinger as Pat Lam’s Bristol Bears travel to Sandy Park to take on Exeter Chiefs. 

Last weekend, Bristol were toppled by Newcastle, 30-15, at Kingston Park: 

Exeter fell to Sale, 28-20, at the AJ Bell: 

Exeter head coach Ali Hepher rued the mistakes made by his charges. 

“We were disappointed not to exert our game and Sale came with a great plan,” Hepher said. 

“They pressured the breakdown but we played into their hands a little bit and we were sloppy at times. 

“We allowed them field position and when they go to the corner so many times they’re going to score tries; you can only repel it so long. 

“We were frustrated we didn’t grab the opportunities we created and there were a few individual errors. 

“We got a couple of things wrong individually, whether it was an alertness to clear or our roles in what we were supposed to do in the carry. 

“We put ourselves under pressure and that becomes frustrating, but equally there were times where we could have got our attack going and we kicked ball away and lost field position. 

“The guys fought hard, and we didn’t quite get there against a good side.” 

Match insights: 

Bristol Bears 

• Bears prop Kyle Sinckler has conceded as many penalties as any player so far this season (nine, =Jack Willis).
• Bristol Bears’ Jake Heenan has made 56 tackles so far this season, the second-highest total in the league. Having only missed one, his 98% tackle success rate is the best of any player who has made more than 45 tackles.
• A distributor in the midfield, Piers O’Conor has passed on the move more than any other player in the league, shifting the ball 17 times whilst moving forwards.
• Ever industrious, Chris Vui has been the most regular carrier for the Bears, taking the ball on a total of 36 times.

Exeter Chiefs 

• The Chiefs have been earning the hard yards, pumping the legs to claim an average of 173.5 metres in contact per 80 minutes of rugby – the highest figure of any side.
• Exeter Chiefs have repeatedly managed to disrupt opposition lineout ball, stealing a league-high eight opposition throws this season.
• The Chiefs have only retained possession from 82% of their mauls so far this season, the lowest figure in the league.

Historical 

• The last time these sides met, Bristol Bears overcame Exeter Chiefs 40-33 at Ashton Gate. This was their first victory at home against the Chiefs after four Premiership losses played at this ground.
• The Bears are on a four-match winning streak at home.