RFU Championship

Bristol keep promotion dreams alive

ESPN Staff

Marco Mama makes some yards for Bristol © Getty Images Enlarge

Bristol booked their place in the play-off final after winning 22-11 at Rotherham on Saturday, a triumph which saw them win the tie 39-25 on aggregate.

Andy Robinson's men headed into the second-leg with a slender three-point advantage from their game at the Memorial Stadium last weekend and at half-time, it looked like Rotherham were going to pull off a shock and dump the big-spenders out of the play-offs. Heading into the break Bristol were 11-3 down due to a try from Michael Keating and two penalties from Newcastle Falcons-bound Juan Pablo Socino.

But despite being down to 14 men, with Marco Mama yellow carded on the stroke of half-time, it was Bristol who struck first in the second 40 through Ben Mosses who danced through Rotherham's defence to give Nicky Robinson the easiest of conversions. While Robinson did well to keep the scoreboard ticking over with four further penalties, Socino, the Championship's top points scorer, experienced a rare off day as he missed two shots at the posts in the second-half.

Bristol, who had debutant Ryan Jones in inspired form, will now wait to see who wins in the other semi-final with Leeds taking a seven-point lead to London Welsh when they meet at the Kassam Stadium on Sunday.

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