Jason Spice has told his Bristol Rugby side they must step up a gear against Exeter this weekend if they are to maintain their winning start to the new season.

Top-of-the-table Bristol face third-placed Exeter at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday, with both sides having won their opening four Championship matches.

And skipper Spice, who has admitted his side were lucky to escape with a 6-5 win from their trip to Bedford last weekend, would like to see an improved performance when the Chiefs arrive in Bristol.

"We were pretty damn lucky to win at Bedford – their goal-kicker had a shocker and that ultimately gave us the game," said Spice, referring to the 11 points missed by the Blues from kicks.

"We only had a few opportunities that we blew, which might have changed the outlook of the game, but overall we didn't play very well.

"At this stage of the season, we will take a win. We will look back in a month's time and how we got the win won't matter, but the four points will still be there.

"How we perform against Exeter is the biggest concern for us at the moment. We fully realise that they will be a tough side – and if we play like we did at the weekend, we might have a tough day. But, as I say, we are fully aware of that."

Bristol Rugby have taken 18 points from a possible 20 so far this season, while Exeter have banked 17.

And, while the new Championship season is only four matches old, Spice can see the psychological advantages that are on offer for this weekend's victors.

"These games give both sides an idea of where they are at," said Spice.

"The next time Bedford play us, they will go in thinking that they have a real chance of beating us – and rightly so after the way we played last weekend.

"It may only be early in the season, but these games are important in terms of getting a mental edge over teams for later on.

"The way we see it is that it's all about winning. It's about learning to win when you are not playing well – and then, when you are playing well, it's about putting teams away.

"We've got four wins from four – but we haven't come off the field and been really happy with how we have played yet. There is certainly plenty left in the tank in terms of what we can produce."

And while Spice's main focus is on helping Bristol Rugby reach their potential in Sunday's match, he is well aware of the threat posed by Exeter, who have finished runners-up in the division in each of the last two seasons.

"We know that they are a consistent side right across the board," said the New Zealander.

"They have been pretty consistent in this competition, too, in recent seasons, so on paper this is our toughest game to date.

"But hopefully that will bring more good out of us than the previous game."