Mariano Sambucetti has urged his Bristol Rugby team-mates not to dwell on their weekend defeat against Exeter.

Bristol slipped to third in the Championship table after being beaten for the first time this season when the Chiefs triumphed 35-26 at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday.

Paul Hull's side now face a tricky trip to fourth-placed Cornish Pirates this weekend, when they will be desperate to return to winning ways.

And Argentina lock Sambucetti said: "It is a long season, but you still want to win every game you play. Having said that, you can't dwell on one bad result.

"You have to learn from it and put right what went wrong and keep doing what went right. You must look forward to the next game.

"It's a different scenario every week and now we have to focus on what comes ahead, not what lies behind."

Bristol Rugby had won their opening four matches of the season – and looked set to make it five from five when they fought back from 23-6 down to draw level at 23-23 on Sunday.

But they failed to capitalise on the shift in momentum – and Exeter ended the match on top, eventually securing a try bonus point to move four points clear of Nottingham and Bristol at the head of the table.

And Sambucetti added: "Any game you take part in, you want to get a positive result and make the most of the opportunity. We showed some good moments on Sunday, but of course we're not happy with the outcome.

"In all fairness, Exeter are a brave and hungry team who played well, so it wasn't just about our mistakes.

"They did many things very well, so all credit to them. They took their chances, while there were a few chances we didn't make the most of."

Bristol will this week assess centre Junior Fatialofa's fitness after he hobbled off toward the end of Sunday's defeat.