Skipper Roy Winters has pledged that a different Bristol Rugby will be on view this Saturday at Rotherham from the side which battled to get out of second gear against struggling Birmingham & Solihull at the Memorial Stadium yesterday.

The home squad, back in Championship action after a two-week break for the British and Irish Cup, appeared out of sorts despite easing to a comfortable 28-0 victory and a welcome eighth bonus point for the season.

And Winters was well aware that Bristol should have done far better against a winless side that is resigned to preparing for the relegation play-offs.

The lock said: "This week we need to take a long hard look at what happened and right a few wrongs at Rotherham.

"You have to give Birmingham some credit, they were very competitive at the breakdown and made life difficult. But it was a frustrating game for us – we turned over a lot of ball, did not always have full control of what we were trying to do and found it difficult to build any momentum."

Head coach Paul Hull agreed with his captain's assessment. He said: "Birmingham came with a plan to stop us from playing, and they did that for the most part, which was very frustrating. We're disappointed because we know what we can do."

Hull though was pleased at the fact that his side did not allow Birmingham a try, despite the visitors having several chances to get over the line in the final exchanges.

He added: "One of our targets was not to concede a try, and we scrambled very well in defence at the end, which was pleasing because concentration has slipped in previous games that we've had in the bank."

England Under-20 squad member Mako Vunipola came off the bench for his Championship debut with 20 minutes to go, and the powerful tighthead prop made an instant impression, standing his ground in the scrums and coming close to scoring a try, only to be held up over the line.

Hull added: "Mako's a very good footballer, he also got his hands on a high ball and picked up a pass off his toes. We're pleased for him, and to see him get game time in a Championship match."

One injury concern ahead of the trip to Rotherham is loosehead Alex Clarke, who came off just before the final whistle with a calf injury after enjoying a barnstorming afternoon in the tight.