View
comments
Kyle Sinckler couldn't have wished for a better home-coming from the Lions tour as he helped Bristol drive their way out of a deep hole and off the bottom of the Premiership table.
When England's premier tighthead prop went off with a dozen minutes of this thunderous West Country derby left, he was almost out on his feet, as the huge Ashton Gate crowd stood to acclaim him.
Sinckler had a difficult start but grew into his first game back in action - earlier than expected - after summer tour duties in South Africa.
Bristol Bears fought from behind to take their first win of the Rugby Premiership season
His last appearance had been an agonising one in Cape Town but this was a far more satisfactory outcome for the 28-year-old. He was typically assertive and abrasive and vocal as the Bristol forwards gradually turned the tide of this thrills-and-spills contest.
Midway through the second, Pat Lam's men were trailing 20-11, but pack power allowed them to recover and inflict Bath's third successive defeat of this campaign.
England head coach Eddie Jones was in attendance to see Sinckler's powerful comeback and a vintage demonstration of Sam Underhill's sledgehammer tackling and ever-improving link play for Bath. He saw two sides trying to gain confidence and persisting with adventure and expansion despite a torrent of mistakes.
Bath had started the match brightly with Semesa Rokoduguni among the try scorers
Will Muir scored two tries for Bath in a game which had looked like it was going their way
The Bears went ahead through an eight-minute penalty by Callum Sheedy, but Bath began to impose
