Bristol boss Richard Hill admits his team are already under pressure after losing their opening Heineken Cup tie 34-18 at Cardiff.
Cardiff comeback rocks Bristol
Bristol head coach Richard Hill admits his team are already under pressure after losing their opening Heineken Cup tie 34-18 at Cardiff.
In a pool that also contains Harlequins and Stade Francais, Hill accepts his men will probably have to beat the French giants at home next week to stay in contention.
The former England scrum-half said: "I think we have got to beat Stade Francais now.
"The players are angry with themselves for letting the lead slip, but there is a positive attitude that they can go and beat Stade Francais next Sunday.
"I think we have taken another step forward. The players will develop from this sort of game and we have got to try and get better in the competition."
Bristol's renowned forward power saw them take charge of the first period, but they suffered in the final quarter after prop Darren Crompton was sin-binned.
Tired
Hill added: "We got a bit tired in the second half with the number of tackles we had to make, but I thought the effort from the players was tremendous.
"Cardiff spread us very wide in the second half and their runners did some damage. They have got some skilful players who can beat people one-on-one."
Cardiff have often been underachievers in the Heineken Cup but head coach David Young said: "The try just before half time was crucial for us, it settled us down a little bit.
"I always felt we would score the most tries and in the second half we had more intensity and broke away to claim some scores."
Decision
Flanker Martyn Williams, who retired from international rugby after Wales exited the World Cup, produced a Test-class display and scored two tries on his way to the man of the match award.
New Wales coach-in-waiting Warren Gatland watched from the stand as Williams delivered another of his trademark top-drawer contributions.
But Williams has ruled out any prospect of ending his international retirement even if Gatland urges him to change his mind.
Williams said: "My decision is made. I am not going to go back on my word."
