Harry Randall: Bristol Bears scrum-half says team taking confidence from early results

Bristol have taken nine points from their first two Premiership games this season

Bristol Bears have improved "massively" compared to last season, according to scrum-half Harry Randall, with the team unbeaten after two Premiership games.

The Bears have taken nine points after beating Leicester at home and then Northampton away last weekend.

After topping the league table in the 2020-21 season, the Bears finished 10th and ninth the past two campaigns.

Randall said the team have taken a lot of confidence from the results, despite not getting ahead of themselves.

"Thinking back to last year we won our first three games of the season, so technically we're in the same place but we're not really in terms of how we feel as a team, which is the most positive thing," Randall told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We definitely feel like we've improved massively."

Listen - BBC Radio Bristol: The Scrum

Bristol next host Harlequins on Saturday and Randall said the team's biggest improvement has been in the "basics" of the game, pointing to discipline and turnovers.

They conceded fewer turnovers than both Tigers and Saints during their matches but had a higher penalty count than Leicester.

"When you look at the stats coming out of the last few games, we've lowered our count on the turnovers," he said.

"We're lowering our count in terms of our discipline, conceding fewer penalties, and in a lot of games - especially big games - those two stats come into their own when you lose games.

"That's a big work on for us and something that we continually need to work on."

Harry Randall (centre) is now in his sixth season with Bristol Bears

Number nine Randall, who is now in his sixth season with Bristol, said there are further improvements to be made, particularly as new players bed into the side.

The 25-year-old has started both games alongside a new centre partnership between Virimi Vakatawa and Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who signed this season.

"We're still building. There's a lot of new combinations this year, especially in that centre partnership. Up front there's a few new players putting their hands up, so just building that cohesion within the team and keep working on those partnerships going forward," Randall continued.

"The last two years didn't quite go the way we wanted to but we've had a lot of change and I think those two things we've worked hard on throughout preseason and we're seeing it coming to fruition in the first two games."