BRISTOL stormed to the top of the GKIPA Championship after beating Plymouth Albion by seven tries to two in a rearranged fixture at the Memorial Stadium.
The initial game had been postponed in January due to a waterlogged pitch – and Bristol took full advantage of their game in hand as they moved from fourth to top courtesy of their latest bonus-point victory.
Andy Short, Marco Mama and George Watkins all crossed twice for Bristol, while Jack Wallace grabbed his first try for the club, as Andy Robinson’s team banked an 11th try bonus point of the season.
Bristol led 31-7 at half-time, blowing Plymouth away in a scintillating 10-minute spell, in which they scored four tries.
The hosts took an early lead when Short grabbed his first Championship try for the club, after Bristol had kicked a penalty to touch and kept the ball well following the set-piece.
They had to be alert a number of bright Plymouth attacks, with the visitors spurning three decent opportunities in the space of four minutes, before Bristol found additional gears.
Between the 25th and 35th minutes, they scored four tries. When Bristol drove back the Plymouth pack at a five-metre scrum, No 8 Mama went off the back to score, with referee Craig Maxwell-Keys playing the advantage.
Bristol scored straight from the restart, with Ross Rennie running the ball back and Luke Eves taking it on, before Robinson proved pivotal in getting the ball out to Watkins, who finished in the clinical style that will be so badly missed next season.
Plymouth were still coming to terms with what had happened when Bristol hit them again, banking the bonus point. Bristol again countered in breathtaking fashion, moving the ball with pace, as Wallace played in Short for his second.
There was still time for a fifth Bristol try before half-time, Watkins holding off Chris Elder’s attempted tackle and powering home from 25 metres down the right wing to score.
That made it 31-0 – but former Bristol No 8 Rhys Oakley went over from close range to get his side on the scoreboard.
The second half was always likely to struggle to match the excitement of the first – and so it proved.
Wallace latched on to an impressive break and pass from debutant Adam Hughes for a sixth Bristol try, before Mama went over from a metre off a line-out drive to score his team’s seventh.
Visiting hooker Jared Saunders grabbed the final score of the game – but the damage had long been done.
Bristol: J Wallace; G Watkins, L Eves, B Mosses (A Hughes 53), A Short; N Robinson (capt; A Jarvis 71), L Baldwin (J Grindal 76); J Hall (K Traynor 51), R Johnston (S McInally 60), G Cortes, B Glynn, G Townson, M Eadie (B Skirving 60), R Rennie (M Sorenson 71), M Mama.
Scorers: Tries – Short (2), Mama (2), Watkins (2), Wallace. Cons – Robinson (4).
Plymouth Albion: L Messer (J Shanahan 60); T Bowen, T Howley-Berridge (H Stevens 49), P Nonu, C Elder; D Mugford, R Cushion (R Bolt 60); D Morton (D McGregor 53), J Saunders, L Fairbrother (T Harrison 53), B Beukeboom, I Ascroft-Leigh (H Tovey 57), R Langley, E Grace (G Evans 53), R Oakley (capt).
Scorers: Tries – Oakley, Saunders. Con – Mugford.
Referee: C Maxwell-Keys. Att: 4,408.
FULL-TIME: Bristol Rugby 43 Plymouth Albion 12
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