Head to Head | Bristol Bears v Saracens

Saracens travel to Bristol in round 17 of the Premiership.

Bristol is currently 4th on the log while Saracens is 2nd.

Despite losing each of their last five Premiership matches against Saracens, Bristol Bears have only trailed at half-time in one of those matches, leading Saracens at the break in each of their last two meetings.

Strengths

-Bristol Bears (4.4) and Saracens (4.1) are the only teams to have averaged 4+ tries scored per game in this season’s Premiership

-Saracens have conceded fewer points per game than any other team in the league this term (21.7).

-Bristol Bears have enjoyed more possession than any other team in this season’s Premiership (51.7%), while Saracens rank third for territory in the league this term (52.8%).

-Bristol Bears have averaged the joint-most attacking 22m entries per game of any side in the Premiership this season (9.9, also Exeter Chiefs) and have also scored more points per entry than any other team in the league this term (3.1).

Weaknesses

-Bristol Bears are the only team to have conceded 15+ turnovers per game in the Premiership this season (15.3).

-Saracens have a goal kicking success rate of 67.4% this season, only Bath (65.5%) and Sale Sharks (66.7%) have lower rates from the tee this campaign.

Key Players

-Saracens’ Alex Goode (9) and Bristol Bears’ Bernhard Janse van Rensburg (8) rank first and joint-second respectively for direct try assists in this season’s Premiership.

-Bristol Bears’ Gabriel Ibitoye is one of just two players to have gained 1000+ metres in this season’s Premiership (1184, also Tyrone Green) and has also beaten more defenders than any other player in the league this term (64)

-Bristol Bears duo Gabriel Ibitoye (21) and Bernhard Janse van Rensburg (22) are the only two players to have made 20+ successful offloads in the Premiership this season.

-Saracens’ Maro Itoje (6) and Bristol Bears’ Joe Batley (7) are the only players to have made more than five turnover-winning tackles in this season’s Premiership.