The Leicester Tigers academy got their new campaign under way with five tries in a pre-season fixture against Bristol at Oval Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Tigers led early on with a score from back-rower Ollie Ashworth and five points from the boot of fly-half Harry Glynn, before Bristol hit their stride with two quickfire tries to lead 14-10 at the end of the first period in a game played over three 25-minute periods.
In their first outing since the end of last season, Tigers trailed 21-10 after a third Bristol try before wing Luke Phoenix showed impressive footwork and pace to score twice in a matter of minutes in the second period as the hosts cut the gap to a single point.
Scrum-half Jonny Law then put Tigers in front with a dart to the line and then full-back Freddie Steward latched on to ball in a similar position to provide a final try, with Charlie Titcombe adding the two conversions to seal a 34-21 victory.
