BRISTOL were given a reality check about life in the Aviva Premiership when they were dominated in the first-half of their 32-10 home defeat to Northampton Saints.

Bristol hardly reached the Northampton half for the majority of the forty minutes, and the club’s rugby director Andy Robinson admitted it was difficult.

Former England coach Robinson said: "We were schooled on how to play rugby in that first half, particularly Premiership rugby.

"It's a very difficult juggernaut to stop once it gets a rhythm, and we found that in the first 25 minutes.

"As soon we stopped being rabbits in the headlights and we found a little bit of our rhythm but it is about taking your opportunities, and Northampton took their chances well.

"You saw the improvement in the second half, but we can't afford to give the opposition a head start in the way that we did with Northampton today. We have got to look at how we can put pressure on the opposition.

"We under-performed in the first-half, and we got punished. That's what the Premiership is about.”

The Saints marched on with three tries in that first-half, although one of them was distinctly dubious when TV replays showed that wing Ken Pisi had a foot in touch when going for the line.

"We knew that this month was going to be tough for us. Northampton are a top-five side, and they showed that in the way they played."

But, in contrast to his mood after a blatant forward pass gave Harlequins a crucial try in Bristol’s Premiership debut in London last Saturday week, Robinson said he was not going to complain about decisions this time.

Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder, meanwhile, praised Bristol second-half performance and said: "They will cause teams problems this season."