A crisis of confidence has engulfed Bristol, who plunged to their fourth-successive defeat at the hands of a highly-disorganised Exiles side yesterday.
Bristol scored two excellent tries and played the better rugby, but it was the dead-eyed Irish goal-kicker Jarrod Cunningham who stole the show with nine penalties and a drop-goal.
Spencer Brown gave the small crowd something to applaud when Agustin Pichot and Jamie Mayer combined sweetly to send the winger racing clear for a 17th minute try between the posts.
That score pushed Bristol 10-6 ahead and, shortly before halftime, prop Paul Johnstone scored to the right of the posts.
With an interval lead of 20-9 thanks to Vile's conversions plus two penalties, Bristol were in a commanding position, but they frittered away their advantage after the break.
Cunningham, who had landed three tricky first-half penalties, steadily turned the screw with five more successful kicks, all but one from outside the 22.
With six minutes left the Irish still trailed 26-24, but, as though to demonstrate his versatility, Cunningham suddenly hammered a 30-metre drop-goal straight between the posts and followed up that tour de force with an angled 30-metre penalty.
Scorers: Bristol: Tries: Brown, Johnstone. Conversions: Vile 2. Penalties: Vile 4. London Irish: Penalties: Cunningham 9. Drop-goal: Cunningham.
BRISTOL: Dewdney; Rees, Simone, Mayer, Brown; Vile, Pichot (capt); Johnstone, Williams, Fullman, Ryan, Archer, Salter, Vander, Sturnham.
LONDON IRISH: O'Shea (capt); Sackey, Matson, Wright, Bishop; Cunningham, Campbell; Worsley, Kirke, Halford, Strudwick, Williams, Halvey, Dawson, Sheasby.
Referee: G Ashton-Jones (Royal Navy).
The defending champion Gil Morgan was declared the winner of the Comfort Classic in Indianapolis yesterday when rain and lightning forced the last round of the seniors' event to be cancelled.
