OXFORD University failed to score for the second week running as they went down 21-0 to a strong Bristol side at Clifton last night.

Bristol fielded two full internationals in Argentinian full back Bernardo Stortoni and Italian centre Walter Pozzebon.

But they never fully cut loose against some dogged defence in which Dan Palm and stand-in skipper Doug Abbott featured strongly.

To restrict Bristol, whose first team sit top of the Guinness Premiership to just three ties, can be seen as a success.

On the other hand, Oxford's attacking play was patchy to say the least. All too often they lacked the composure to make the most of good field position and too many passes went down. Centres Sam Humphry-Baker and Chris Mahony both fumbled a number of good chances, but there were too many errors across the field.

The line-out, which had stood up well against Wasps last week, stuttered throughout and scrum halves Peter Jenkins and James Gill never got enough clean ball.

Bristol began with a flourish and scored through experienced flanker Joe Elabd after just four minutes.

The hosts disrupted an Oxford scrum sufficiently for Elabd to pounce and power over.

Fly half Danny Gray added the conversion, but Oxford tightened up after that.

Gray's opposite number, Craig McMahon, had a mixed game, but his grubber kicks proved an effective weapon in the first half.

One just eluded chasing winger Tom Tombleson on 25 minutes, but the chances were few and far between in a scrappy encounter.

A moment of class from Bristol winger Luke Arscott saw him stand up Oxford full back Gareth Jacobs and scamper over for try No 2 on 35 minutes, which Gray converted.

McMahon hit a post with a simple penalty on 42 minutes.

But Oxford's best opportunity to score came early in the second half when Bristol No 8 Iain Grieve and flanker Craig Short were both in the sin-bin.

The best they could conjure up, however, was a half-break from Palm that Mahony spilled.

A comedy of errors almost ended with Abbott putting James Squire in on the right wing after 74 minutes.

But Bristol had the final flourish when Pozzebon accelerated through the midfield to score a fine individual try on 77 minutes and Gray converted.

With Leicester and Northampton to come at Iffley Road, it won't get any easier for the Dark Blues.

Bristol (starting line-up): Stortoni, Maggs, Pozzebon, Reay, Arscott, Gray, Nicholls, Irish, Nelson, Thompson, Martin-Redman, Pennycook, Short (capt), Elabd, Grieve.

Oxford University: Jacobs, Squires, Mahony, Humphry-Baker, Tombleson, McMahon (Catling 76), Jenkins (Gill 40-77), Tomaszczyk, Rosen (Cowie 65), Matthews (McGillion 76), Alexander, Chance, Abbott (capt), Palm, Bucknall (Jones 76).

Referee: T Beddoe (RFU).

Oxford man-of-the-match: Palm.