Bristol Bears went down 22-29 at home to Wasps on Friday night in the Gallagher Premiership after giving themselves a mountain to climb.
Bristol were down 19-3 at half time after Wasps scored tries through Thomas Young, Tom Cruse and Nizaam Carr.
The Bears hit back with scores for Harry Randall, Piers O'Conor and Charles Piutau but a dropped ball saw Will Rowlands pick it up and score what proved to be a winning try.
Bristol Bears reporter John Evely takes a closer look at the individual performances at Ashton Gate.
15. Luke Daniels - 6
The full back was switched to the wing in the second half and he made more impact on the match from that position as the entire side improved after the break.
14. Ryan Edwards - 6
The winger almost escaped on a couple of occasions but was well shackled. He came off at half time for Charles Piutau.
13. Piers O’Conor - 8
Some really bright moments from the centre who carried well and found a few gaps. His highlight in the first half was chipping a poor bouncing pass into his own hands. He scored a try in the second half and made constant line breaks.
12. Siale Piutau (co-capt) - 5
An off colour performance from the Tonga captain, throwing forward passes and putting in some poor kicks starting with a grubber in his own 22 which set the tone for a poor first half display.
11. Alapati Leiua - 6
The winger made a real difference in the second half when the Bears finally got the ball to him, breaking tackles and scorching down the wing.
10. Ian Madigan - 5
The fly half looked frantic when Bristol needed some calmness from one of their key generals.
9. Harry Randall - 7
Another bright display from the diminutive scrum half who picked up a try in an eye catching performance. He did not look out of place playing against England international Dan Robson.
1. Yann Thomas - 7
The Bristol scrum just edged the contest and Thomas was prominent in defence.
2. Harry Thacker - 6
The line outs were a bit of a mess with Thacker not throwing straight and jumpers not getting up. He was prominent in the loose with his carrying.
3. John Afoa - 7
The anchor of the scrum and made some nice passes in the loose to change the focus of the attack.
4. John Hawkins - 6
The poor second row’s Premiership debut lasted just 10 minutes as he had to leave the pitch with an elbow injury.
5. Chris Vui - 8
The second row, who turned 26 this week, had one of his best games for the club. No forward made more yards with the ball as he powered his way through the Wasps defence.
6. Steve Luatua - 7
The blindside flanker stepped his game up several notches in the second half and he helped set-up O’Conor’s try with a nice offload after a powerful burst.
7. Dan Thomas - 7
If referee Wayne Barnes has been a bit kinder he could have finished with a handful of turnovers but the experienced ref let competition at the breakdown go on for a long time. Held his own against Welsh international Thomas Young.
8. Jordan Crane (co-capt) - 7
Crane spent a considerable chunk of the game playing in the second row as Bristol lost not one but two locks to injuries. The scrum did not suffer for it.
Replacements: 16. Nick Fenton-Wells - 6, 17. Jake Woolmore - 5, 18. Lewis Thiede, 19. Nick Haining -5, 20. Jack Lam - 6, 21. Andy Uren - 6, 22. Callum Sheedy - 7, 23. Charles Piutau - 9.
