Shelford can smile at Bristol's comedy

Bristol 30 Saracens 45

Bristol have signed Daryl Gibson, the All Black centre from Canterbury, to fill the midfield gap created by Jason Little's retirement at the end of last season. On this evidence, they need Mike Gibson, preferably in his prime. Saracens ran them ragged at the Memorial Ground yesterday, feeding on the home side's harebrained approach to the simple act of passing a rugby ball from one to another. The word "desperate" does not nearly sum up the full horror of their display, but this being a respectable newspaper, it will have to suffice.

Peter Thorburn, their coach, described it as a "comedy of errors". Needless to say, he was not laughing. If his opposite number and one-time pupil, Wayne Shelford, was grinning from ear to ear, it was because he could not conceivably have expected a five-try, maximum-point victory on the road in his first match at Premiership level. Shelford was not terribly taken with Sarries' performance, but his team did not have to be particularly good to bag the spoils on offer. With a little luck, they would have scored 60.

The former New Zealand captain is not yet completely familiar with his squad. ("How do you pronounce Roques?" he asked, referring to the Saracens back-rower. "I can't get my head around that name.") But he knows enough to play Richard Hill, England's long-term blind-side flanker, in his best position of open-side. Hill was far too good for Bristol, pilfering possession at will and victimising an increasingly frazzled set of midfield backs with his wrap-up tackles. Andy Robinson, the England coach, left the stadium hoping his most complete loose-forward had not peaked too early.

Saracens were eight points up in six minutes – Thomas Castaignède, back after endless months of orthopaedic misery, capitalised on a beautifully delayed pass by Andy Goode to score the opening try – and were seldom troubled thereafter. The heavier, but infinitely less mobile Bristol pack did manage to squeeze a few pips in the 10 minutes before half-time, during which Shane Drahm booted Bristol back to 15-21, but a lamentably soft Tom Shanklin score immediately after the interval ended the one-sided argument. Two tries from Darragh O'Mahony took his side into the forties, and the visitors were still pressing at the final whistle.

Their newcomers had a field day. Goode, recruited from Leicester, contributed 20 points on his debut, while the second-rows, Craig Yandell and the excellent young apprentice Stuart Hooper, shaded Garath Archer and Alex Brown around the park. Saracens also had the pleasure of seeing Castaignède and Tim Horan, two of the more dashing international backs of recent memory, in harness for the first time – quite a relief, given that they have been at the club for two years.

Talking of newcomers, Gibson will arrive in Bristol later this month with a full suitcase and a badly broken nose. Unless there is a sharp improvement in fortunes at the Memorial Ground, he will run the risk of a broken heart, too.

Bristol: Tries Rees, Contepomi; Conversion Drahm; Penalties Drahm 5; Drop goal Drahm. Saracens: Tries O'Mahony 2, Castaignède, Goode, Shanklin; Conversions Goode 3, Castaignède; Penalties Goode 2, Castaignède; Drop goal Goode.

Bristol: L Best; B Daniel (F Contepomi, 49), D Rees (M Carrington, 78), M Shaw, P Christophers; S Drahm, A Pichot; D Crompton, S Nelson, J White (E Bergamaschi, 67), G Archer (A Sheridan, 60), A Brown, B Sturnham (M Salter, 61), M Lipman, R Beattie (capt).

Saracens: T Castaignède; B Johnston, T Shanklin, K Sorrell, D O'Mahony; A Goode (T Horan, 68), K Bracken (capt; M Williams, 76); D Flatman, M Cairns, J Marsters (J Ross, 76), S Hooper, C Yandell, A Roques (B Russell, 75), R Hill, K Chesney.

Referee: N Whitehouse (Wales).