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Bristol, Glasgow reach Champions Cup last 16 / Photo: © AFP
Bristol, Glasgow reach Champions Cup last 16
Bristol Bears booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions Cup with a stunning 61-49 win over South African franchise Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in Saturday's early game.
Scottish side Glasgow Warriors later stamped their passage to the knockout stages with a 33-21 bonus point win at French side Clermont.
Wing Noah Heward scored a first half hat-trick for Bristol and there were two tries for Fijian flyer Kalaveti Ravouvou as Bristol ran in nine in total to secure the bonus point win.
Bulls wing Stravino Jacobs also went over twice as the South Africans touched down seven times to take a bonus point which keeps them in with a slim chance of reaching the last 16.
Victory takes the English club to the top of Pool 4, leap-frogging Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton who meet in France on Sunday.
Centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who was born in Pretoria, got the ball rolling, going over for Bristol's opening try in just the second minute.
The Bears chalked up another six tries, including three from Heward, to four from Bulls to take a 47-28 lead at the break.
The rampage continued in the second half as Bristol stretched the lead to 61-35 before Bulls closed the gap with two tries in the last seven minutes from Sebastian de Klerk and Willie le Roux.
Bulls move up to fourth although the two teams below them, Scarlets and Pau meet in Llanelli later on Saturday.
Glasgow, who staged a remarkable comeback to beat six-time champions Toulouse in the last round of matches, were too strong for another French side Clermont who were bottom of Pool 1 after losing their two openers.
Flanker Euan Ferrie got the opener after 10 minutes before Scotland centre Huw Jones, playing his first game of the season, sliced through the midfield to dot down.
Scotland wing Kyle Steyn - another who was born in South Africa - made it 19-0 and in spite of George Moala's response, Glasgow took the bonus point when No. 8 Jack Dempsey scored the Warriors' fourth six minutes before half-time.
Trailing 26-7 at the break, Clermont closed the gap to just five points with a penalty try and a score by Irae Simone but Steyn's second six minutes from time sealed the match.
Saturday's match of the day is the Pool 3 meeting between Leinster and La Rochelle in Dublin - a rerun of the 2022 and 2023 finals which were both won by the French side.
P. O'Kelly--BTZ
