John Brain expects Bristol Rugby to continue to improve as the season goes on – and is confident the Championship play-off format will suit his side.

And the forwards coach believes Bristol's recent bonus-point victories over Coventry and Plymouth have dispelled the theory that they had become a soft touch.

Defeat at Doncaster last month left Bristol with a record of two defeats from their opening eight games – but they have bounced back by scoring 13 tries in their last two matches.

And Brain expects his players to get even better between now and the promotion play-offs being settled in May.

"If any team had looked at us after Doncaster, they'd have said that you're always in with a shout against Bristol," said Brain.

"They'd have looked at us and said, 'They turn over the ball too often, so if you defend for two phases, they'll then give you the ball'.

"That was one problem, and the second problem was that, while our defence looked in control a lot of the time, we still had the tendency to give up soft tries.

"We've been trying to eradicate those two areas – and on Saturday at Plymouth our turnover count was less than 10, which is the lowest it's been all season by far."

Bristol Rugby's immediate response to defeat at Doncaster was to score eight tries in beating Coventry 46-28 in front of the Sky Sports cameras, before Saturday's 33-8 win in Devon.

Next up are third-placed Nottingham, who have lost their last two matches after being badly affected by having their dual-registered Leicester players recalled by the Guinness Premiership club.

But regardless of any selection issues facing Nottingham, Brain wants Bristol to focus on claiming a third straight victory.

"We're aware that in the last two matches we've performed – and we want to put in another performance this weekend," he said.

"It's all about building and making sure that we sign off the first half of the league campaign in a positive way."

And while Exeter may be setting the pace at the top of the Championship, with 10 wins from 10 matches, Brain is more concerned by his own side's improvement.

"We have to be focused about what we're doing," he said. "We have to be focused on our improvement as a team – and if we do that, playing Exeter and beating Exeter will take care of itself.

"Whether we'll be good enough to beat them on December 27, who knows? I think if we continue playing the way we are, it will be a very interesting game.

"But the way things have panned out, with us having a lot of new starters in our line-up, we feel the play-offs do suit us. We're confident that we're going to get better – and the facts suggest we are getting better."

Bristol Rugby (from): Backs – L Arscott, T Arscott, D Norton, J Adams, L Eves, J Fatialofa, A Jarvis, C Ashwin, J Spice (capt), R Shaw, S Alford. Forwards – A Clarke, M Irish, D Blaney, O Hayes, D Crompton, W Thompson, D Barry, N Budgett, R Winters, J Phillips, I Grieve, R Pennycook, J Merriman, D Montagu.