The only certainty ahead of the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup is that 2020 will see a new winner crowned as none of the clubs in the last eight have lifted the trophy.
Ahead of our game at Ashton Gate Stadium, we take a closer look at all the stats and information you need to know:
Quarter-Final: Bristol Bears vs Dragons
Officals:
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra); Assistant Ref: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Ian Tempest (Eng); TMO: Rowan Kitt (Eng); Citing Commissioner: Peter Ferguson (Ire)
TV:
BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
Match facts:
- Bristol Bears and the Dragons have met in the Challenge Cup twice previously with each club registering a home win in the pool stage of the 2006/07 campaign. Both matches were decided by margins of fewer than seven points.
- Bristol have played in four previous Challenge Cup quarter-finals, winning their first match at this stage back in 2000, but losing the following three.
- The Dragons have a 100% success rate in Challenge Cup quarter-finals, winning each of their three matches including an away victory against Gallagher Premiership opposition the last time they reached the last eight (v Gloucester in 2016).
- Bristol have lost just one of their last 10 Challenge Cup games and are unbeaten in their last six in a row (W5, D1), their best run in the competition, however, their solitary defeat in that spell was in last season’s quarter-final (v La Rochelle).
- Only Bordeaux-Bègles (121) scored more second-half points in the pool stage than the Dragons (115), while Bristol (109) scored the third most points in that period.
- Bristol have made the most breaks (96), beaten the most defenders (198) and made the most offloads (66) this season while the Dragons have made the fewest offloads (22).
- Bristol have the best goalkicking success rate this season (94%), slotting each of their eight penalty goal attempts as well as 25 of 27 conversions.
- Bristol’s Luke Morahan (13) made the most clean breaks in the pool stage and he also ranked in the top four players for metres gained (328).
- The Dragons’ Jordan Williams recorded the third highest tally for metres gained in a single match during the pool stage. He made 155 metres against Enisei-STM in Round 2 despite playing just 34 minutes.
- Ioan Lloyd (Bristol Bears) has been on target with each of his 10 place kicks this season, and no other player has attempted as many without missing at least one.
Tournament Record:
- Bristol: P70 – W39, D2, L29. Win Rate: 56%
- Dragons: P66 - W37, D0, L29. Win Rate: 56%
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