Number eight Dan Montagu eyes winning run for Bristol

Montagu signed for Bristol from fellow Championship side Nottingham in 2009

Bristol number eight Dan Montagu says time is running out for them to find some consistent form in the league.

Paul Hull's men edged out Plymouth 20-19 last week but have yet to manage back-to-back wins this season and are sat in eighth spot in the Championship.

"We just need to build from this now and hopefully this will kick us into some form," Montagu told BBC Bristol.

"We need to turn it around right now because if it comes to the end of the season it'll be too late."

Montagu continued: "We need to do that to get ourselves up the table, we need to get a string of wins together."

The Australian back rower was forced to sit on the sidelines for a month after damaging his shoulder at Worcester but returned to action in the win at Plymouth.

The boys are putting more hits in and are a lot more focused and playing with a bit more grit and determination.

Dan Montagu

It was just Bristol's third win in 10 games this season but the 27-year-old has seen a change in the side since their opening match against Rotherham.

"We've stepped up a lot in training and less balls are going down," he said.

"The boys are putting more hits in and are a lot more focused and playing with a bit more grit and determination.

"We've had meetings about having more physical presence and dying for those balls.

"At the beginning of the season we had guys kicking it through now they're diving on it. It's a matter of dogging out these wins."

Next up for Bristol on Sunday are Esher who were promoted from National One last season and who won the earlier confrontation between the two sides 29-27.

"We've lost against them so we've got something to prove," added Montagu

"We went into that match and played really well for the first 30 minutes and then let them back in.

"They got their tails up and were able to pinch the game from us."

And having now seen them at first hand Montagu knows what needs to be done to get one over on Esher.

"They're a high tempo team and they like attacking in wider channels," he said.

"If we can slow down their ball then great but the main thing is to make those first-up hits and neutralise their offloading game."