Bristol Bears ascent up the Gallagher Premiership table took a giant step upwards on Friday with a 30-12 bonus-point victory over Newcastle Falcons at Ashton Gate to move off the bottom of the table.
Newcastle had the better of the possession and territory but polished performances from scrum-half Harry Randall, who scored a brace of tries to remind new England head coach Steve Borthwick he still has something to offer on the international stage, and half-back partner AJ MacGinty proved the difference as Falcons spurned a number of scoring opportunities.
Chris Vui and Fitz Harding were also on the scoresheet for Bristol - the latter scoring in the 82nd minute to claim the crucial bonus point, with James Williams adding two penalties and two conversions. Gary Graham and Jamie Blamire scored Newcastle’s tries.
