Rugby Union: Hero Hodgson

PAUL HODGSON condemned his former club Bristol to their second successive Guinness Premiership defeat.

The London Irish scrum-half's try double proved the difference between two committed sides.

Half-back partner Barry Everitt booted 14 points as Irish ended a run of six home league defeats stretching back 10 months.

Exiles rugby director Brian Smith said: "It wasn't a flash performance by any stretch of the imagination, but we will take the result.

"You have to put it into context. We were bashed up at Sale last week, which knocked our confidence, and we were maybe a bit conservative today."

Irish will look closely at video footage of a second-half incident that saw their France flanker Olivier Magne sin-binned.

There was confusion as to whether Magne had collided with an opponent or referee Roy Maybank, but either way, Maybank flourished a yellow card.

"Olivier is very disappointed," added Smith. "We need to find out what the issue was, but he is no dirty player."

Bristol head coach Richard Hill gave his side a tongue lashing at half-time - but four games after returning to the Premiership, they have nine points, which Hill agreed was beyond expectations.

"We were awful in the first half," he said. "We gave away too many free-kicks and penalties.

"But the players pulled themselves together in the second half and with a bit more composure we should have won." Bristol made the Exiles sweat, especially when Samoa wing Brian Lima powered over for a try eight minutes from time.

Jason Strange's conversion - he finished with 17 points - kept up the pressure, but the Welshman's missed 48-metre penalty deep into injury time enabled Irish to hold on.

Lima, nicknamed The Chiropractor for his tough tackling, needed only 14 minutes to make his mark, leaving Exiles wing Scott Staniforth second-best following a collision between the pair.

Although he tried to continue, Staniforth's departure meant a midfield reshuffle, with centre Rodd Penney moving wide and James Storey joining the action.

Irish were 6-3 down as Staniforth departed, courtesy of Strange's penalty double, but Everitt quickly tied things up, adding a drop- goal to a penalty.

Then Irish skipper Mike Catt rifled out a long pass inside his 22, and No.8 Phil Murphy and wing Justin Bishop combined cleverly to send Hodgson clear.

Five minutes later Hodgson gathered his own kick and touched down unopposed.

It then became a penalty contest between Everitt and Strange until Lima struck to ensure a fraught finish.

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