Bristol head coach Pat Lam praised his side’s character after they opened the Premiership season with a 17-10 victory over Bath on Friday.
The newly-promoted outfit shocked their out of sorts rivals thanks to a try from Alapati Leiua and 12 points from the boot of Ian Madigan.
Afterwards Lam admitted he was delighted with his team’s opening showing which took place in front of 26,000 supporters at Ashton Gate.
“When you’re under pressure it’s about being able to show resilience and character and stay together as a team,” the coach told BT Sport.
“We were under a lot of pressure, we got done in the penalty count and spent a lot of time in our own half. I’m extremely proud of the boys.”
He added on the impressive turnout at the ground: “I said to the boys if we invest in the community they will invest in us. It was a fantastic night.”