Bristol head coach Richard Hill praised his side's 'grit' after they beat London Irish 14-11 on Sunday.
Bristol break Guinness Premiership duck against London Irish
Bristol head coach Richard Hill praised his side's 'grit' after their first Guinness Premiership victory of the season against London Irish on Sunday.
Tom Arscott scored a fifth-minute try on his home debut, while David Hill slotted three penalties to script a hard-fought 14-11 win at the Memorial Stadium.
"I thought that the first quarter saw some very good rugby played, we scored a lovely try off the line-out," said coach Hill.
"We looked good out wide and did a bit of damage up through the middle while finding plenty of space on the outside as well.
"I think we got some Bristol grit back, which had been missing before this game.
"The lads had been training hard but have been unable to transfer that to the weekend. But we found that today, that bit of real grit, that will to win."
Instinctive
Hill praised the contribution of winger Arscott, who was signed from Plymouth Albion during the summer.
"Tom was a real talent at Plymouth," added Hill "He does what he wants, he's an instinctive player.
"He's not a big weights trainer, but he's a naturally powerful lad so we are letting him express himself.
"I though today not only did he take his try well and look good in attack but he did a lot of good defensive work.
"He has a very good all-round game which is remarkable for a young lad who has not played at this level before. He is a good find."
Desperate
London Irish forwards coach Toby Wilson paid tribute to the commitment shown by Bristol.
"You have to give Bristol some credit," said Wilson. "They were very desperate for a win and desperate men do desperate things.
"Bristol were very committed, as we knew they would be when coached by Richard Hill. We knew we would face a massive competition.
"I was very disappointed with our first 30 minutes play to be honest and Bristol showed more desire."
