Saracens sunk in Bristol

Tries from Joe El Abd and Luke Arscott helped Bristol to secure a comfortable 18-3 win over Saracens at the Memorial Stadium.

Saracens were hoping to return to winning ways after their last-gasp defeat to Newcastle last weekend, but a second loss in seven days leaves them nine point adrift of leaders Gloucester.

Bristol, meanwhile, were keen to put their 27-0 thrashing at Gloucester behind them and they made the best possible start, opening up a 10-3 interval lead after Glen Jackson's penalty had briefly put the visitors ahead.

Jason Strange replied with a penalty to level the scores, before Bristol grabbed the first try of the match in the 22nd minute.

An attacking line-out was taken at the tail by lock Roy Winters and a rumbling

drive sent a ruck over the Saracens line with flanker El Abd getting the

congratulations from his team-mates for the touchdown that Strange converted.

Missed opportunity

Sarries should really have been back in it almost straight away, though, as

they broke out over halfway only for flanker Ben Skirving to put in a forward

pass to wing Kameli Ratuvou with the home cover stretched.

Bristol, too, had other try chances but could not execute the final deliveries.

The intensity waned a little after the break as Sarries tried in vain to find

routes through the home defence.

However, once they held this out, the home team wound up the gears - and it

paid dividends as a huge amount of pressure saw Sarries infringe at a ruck and Strange pop over a simple penalty to take his team 13-3 ahead.

Saracens did not help themselves either when centre Kevin Sorrell was

sin-binned for an infringement at a ruck.

And soon, after some more intense pressure in the opposition 22, full-back Luke Arscott rounded off a move on the left for his side's second try of the match.

Although Strange was off target with his conversion, that touchdown just about

finished Sarries off despite director of rugby Alan Gaffney's attempt to bring

new momentum to his team with a string of replacements but to no avail.

The victory also revived Bristol's Premiership position to draw them away from

the basement battle below them.