Mark Mapletoft was the star of the relegation show on Saturday as he inspired London Irish to a victory that preserved their Zurich Premiership status and left trouble-torn Bristol Shoguns bottom of the table.
Mapletoft fully justified his selection in place of regular fly-half Barry Everitt. As well as contributing 16 points from kicks, he orchestrated a superb attacking performance, which provided tries for hooker Naka Drotske, centres Rob Hoadley and Geoff Appleford, wing Paul Sackey and full back Michael Horak.
Meanwhile, Bristol's future is in the balance, for even though their relegation is still to be ratified, the merger that will see them swallowed up by Bath remains on the agenda.
It took The Exiles just four minutes to open their account when Mapletoft created Drotske's try before adding the conversion.
Drahm put Bristol 13-7 ahead with a 22nd-minute penalty, but Irish notched 17 vital points in the closing seven minutes of the first half.
Drahm reduced the Bristol deficit to 24-16 early in the second half, but Irish stretched away with two further converted tries and a Mapletoft penalty before Short grabbed a consolation injury-time try for Bristol .
LONDON IRISH: Horak; Sackey, Appleford, Hoadley, Barrett; Mapletoft, Martens; Worsley, Drotske, Hardwick, Strudwick, Casey, Danaher, Dawson, Sheasby. Replacements: Thrower, Everitt, Kennedy, Flavin, Roche, Hatley, Halford.
BRISTOL: Drahm; Rees, Higgins, Gibson, Christophers; Contepomi, Pichot; Sheridan, Johnstone, E. Bergamaschi, C. Morgan, S. Brown, Short, Lipman, Oakley. Replacements: Skuse, Nelson, Styles, S. Morgan, Shaw, Carrington, Hodgson.
Ref: Tony Spreadbury (RFU).
