Despite leaving Iffley Road in good time for the journey to Clifton, a journey that normally takes 1.5 hrs took 2.75 hrs which seemed to adversely affect the Men’s Blues performance as they too on a strong Bristol A side on a very wet and windy night. The Bristol side were certainly fired up for the game and proved too strong for the Blues who found themselves out-gunned at scrum time and unable to create a platform to bring their attacking game in to play. The home side were able to chalk up tries at regular intervals in the first half and with three times capped Ireland fly-half Ian Maddigan converting each five points into seven, the scoreboard soon had a lopsided view. The score at the interval was 47 nil to the west country side – 7 tries and 6 conversions.

The second half saw the Blues up their physicality and start to gain some possession and with fly-half Tom Humberstone exploiting  the wind with some fine tactical kicking the second 40 minutes were a much more even contest, with Bristol scoring two tries to one in reply from Oxford full-back Dan Stoller, converted by Humberstone to make the final score 54 points to 7.

The Blues return to Iffley Road next Friday when they host another west country Premiership Club when Gloucester come to tow, the squad will know what to expect and will be up for the challenge.

Team Euan Friend, Joshua Navarajasegaran, Ben Parker, Jasper Dix, George Warr, Charlie Pozniak, Sam Miller, George Messum, George Tresidder, Tom Humberstone, Tom Stileman, Louis Jackson, Nicholas Greenhalgh, Ed David, Daniel Stoller

Subs John Aaron Henry (on for Joshua Navarajasegaran), Abhijeet Oswal (on for Euan Friend), Barnaby Vaughan (on for Ben Parker), Calum Haggett (on for Jasper Dix), Bertie Watson (on for Charlie Pozniak), Jack Dalton (on for George Messum), Carlos Blanco (on for Nicholas Greenhalgh), Henry Martin (on for Ed David)

ScoresT: Daniel Stoller (1) C: Tom Humberstone (1)