Frampton Cotterell 12 Bristol Saracens 3

Frampton took revenge for last week's cup defeat by Saracens to record their third consecutive league victory.

Frampton welcomed back flanker Keith Weaver and Paul Marshall, who was playing out of position at second row for the injured captain Mike Prosser.

The first half was a hard fought battle with Frampton trying to force the ball out wide to release the speedy Williams and Powell who was making his first team league debut. The conditions however meant that handling was to prove difficult and reduced the impact the wingers could have on the game.

The second half was a much more exciting affair with Frampton changing their game plan to keep it in the forwards after a strategic talk by Tony Slate at half time. However it was Saracens who took the lead with a penalty from just outside the twenty two.

The tight five of Mark Smith, Chris Bray, Andy Mac, John Stewart and Paul Marshall were phenomenal throughout in both set plays and in the loose.

Frampton's forwards then began to take the game to Saracens and started running at their defence breaking the gain line at will, and with the positional kicking of Lawrence putting Frampton in to the Saracens twenty two a try was never far away.

The first Frampton try finally did come after a series of powerful drives from the Frampton pack which finally saw powerhouse prop Mark Smith bulldoze his way over from 5 yards out to score in the corner.

Frampton continued to pile on the pressure and were disrupting the Saracens scrum at will, and with the pressure in the backs being applied by Chaplin and Ashwin Saracens were penned back in their own half.

The Frampton scrum was the downfall of Saracens as on Saracens own put in on their 5 yard line Frampton drove them off the ball and causing mayhem at the back of the scrum only for the alert Keith Weaver to dive on the ball to score Frampton's second and decisive try of the game with only 5 minutes remaining. Matt Lawrence added the important conversion to put Frampton two scores up.