Paul Hull praised the resilience of his side after Bristol Rugby recorded a bruising Championship victory away to Rotherham Titans, keeping a clean sheet for the second successive weekend.

Hooker David Blaney claimed a catch-and-drive try in each half with centre Jack Adams also crossing as the visitors battled away for a 15-0 triumph – their fifth in a row – to keep the pressure on leaders Exeter.

Head coach Hull said: "We should be proud of an away win like this. We had to dig very deep in an extremely physical environment, and there are a few battered boys in the dressing room.

"They really tore into us and made life difficult, but I'm very pleased with the victory and another shut out. At the start of the season we might have lost this game, so today shows how far we've come."

Blaney felt Bristol had taken several steps forward from the disappointing win the previous weekend over bottom side Birmingham at the Memorial Stadium.

He said: "We righted a few wrongs today, it was just a shame we spurned a couple of chances at the end for a bonus point, that would have been the icing on the cake."

The full cost of the Rotherham trip will become apparent over the next day or so as several injured players spend time in the treatment room ahead of Friday night's visit of Bedford.

Most concern surrounds back five forward James Phillips, who was helped off the pitch midway through the first half with a lower back problem after an incident of foul play that led to Rotherham flanker Jon Skurr being sin-binned.

There are also worries over replacement hooker Ross Johnston, who left the field on a precautionary stretcher with a late back injury, and full-back Tom Arscott who limped off at half-time.

George Watkins, meanwhile, will, later this month, stake a claim for a place in the Scotland Under-20 Six Nations Championship squad.

The Bristol Rugby winger, who made his Championship debut at Rotherham, recently took part in a Scottish squad training session and has now been invited to attend a two-day camp at Murrayfield straight after Christmas. Watkins qualifies for Scotland thanks to a grandmother who was born in Glasgow, although he could also represent his own birth country of England, as well as Wales, through his father Ray.