Bristol got off to an excellent start when straight running and good handling set David Lemi free out on the left wing, he raced outside two defenders before stepping back inside to fix the last defender on the line.  Instead of attempting to go either side, and run the risk of being closed down by other defenders, he took the obvious option for one of his immense stature: a run straight at the man, a perfectly judged hand-off and another try.  Ed Barnes made the difficult conversion for a 7 - 0 lead with just a few minutes played as the clock counted up.  Sadly much of the subsequent play failed to live up to this opening with both sides making unforced errors and Bristol's kicking game handing possession to the opposition.

Then another moment of creativity saw Bristol extend their lead.  A kick to touch saw both sets of forwards shamble towards a lineout before Lemi took a quick throw in to Nathan Brew who jinked his way past the startled first line French ‘defence'.  Into open space he was hounded by the defence and had to turn back to hold off tacklers.   This prevented him from accelerating to top speed and he was finally halted just short of the line.  However, he was well supported and the pack drove in taking the ball even closer, suddenly the ball popped out of the ruck to the right and two Bristol players dived over just inside the posts.  Initially the try was credited to Mark Irish, only for this attribution to be corrected to Shaun Perry.  There was no mistake from Barnes as he converted for a 14 - 0 lead.  It was almost another try soon after as Lee Robinson followed a kick along the right touch line and shoved the dithering defender out of his was before plunging over the line.  Sadly it appears you aren't allowed to do this.  As an aside, there continued from behind me a constant denigration of Robinson's efforts.  When he didn't make a tackle on the ball carrier he was criticised, although he was actually covering the man outside him as I'm sure he has been coached to do.  In the second half it was because the Montpellier full-back just managed to avoid him as he followed up another kick and apparently gave away a try.  The fact that several other players completely failed to make a tackle was not commented upon.  He does a lot right and not a lot wrong, and it wasn't his kicks that went out on the full or straight to the defender.

Be that as it may, the Bristol defence went walkabout for Montpellier's first meaningful attack of the half.  Surprise absence from the French national squad, Trinh-Duc, was allowed to waltz through the heart of the defence before dotting down the ball.  Astonishingly, he also managed to run over the dead ball line (or so I was told later, being unable to see why we had a 22 drop out following a seemingly certain try).

The second half seemed to briefly galvanise the visitors.  They swept into an attack with excellent handling skills.  Unfortunately for them a rather wayward pass went straight into the grasp of replacement flanker Redford Pennycook.   He showed excellent pace, and good awareness, to race away from the defence and score a fine opportunist try that he will probably long remember.  Barnes was off target with his conversion effort but still Bristol led 19 - 0.  It was then the Montpellier's turn to take advantage of an opponent's error when the ball was turned over with Bristol all set to attack.  Trinh-Duc, doubtless the recipient of some choice words from his coach, atoned for his earlier error by hacking the ball down field seizing the ball as it bounced and sliding over for a self-converted try and 19 - 7.  Interestingly, the next score from Bristol was a penalty kick, following Matt Salter's emphatic decision, for a 22 - 7 lead.

The next significant action saw David Blaney display his magical skills by sending a well judged, or lucky, kick from his own 22 down towards the visitor's.  Robinson showed a fine turn of pace to get close to the covering full-back, but other supporting players were much further off and the defender turned attacker as he sped back at Bristol.  He was well supported and the move climaxed with Valle scoring in much the same place as Lemi's earlier effort.  A fine display of attacking flair that was otherwise sadly lacking.  Bristol's nerves were eased by another Barnes penalty for a 25 - 14 lead.  Bristol were unable to fashion any further tries and resorted to aimless and thoughtless kicking as the clock counted up; and so the game fizzled out.

A disjointed effort from both sides, with Bristol showing greater urgency in the first half before relying on the aid of the wind in the second.  Some of the defending was slack and we will have to do better for the visit of Newcastle.  I only hope that we haven't invested too much significance in that game.

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