‘We're relishing quarter-final clash’ – Daniels

Jordan Crane’s second-half try and eight points from the boot of Callum Sheedy fired Bristol to a memorable 3-13 win when the sides met during the competition’s pool stages, while La Rochelle ran out 22-35 winners at Ashton Gate the week before.

And Daniels says Bristol can take confidence from their last visit to southwestern France, when the sides meet for Sunday’s last-eight clash.

“It’s a massive challenge for us going to La Rochelle in the quarter finals,” he said.

“We managed to beat them in the pool stages there, so we can take some confidence from that, but we definitely know the challenge ahead and the threats they have.

“It’s a bit cliché, but we do take every game as it comes. Getting towards the back end of the season and the games are coming thick and fast. Every game for us now is a big game, so we head into all of them with the same mentality – we want to win.”

Daniels described the atmosphere on Bristol’s last visit to Stade Marcel Deflandre as ‘unreal’, and has challenged his side to ‘rise to the occasion’ at the weekend.

“Having experienced the stadium, the noise and the atmosphere there already, it will definitely give us the confidence going forward – and just knowing that we’ve done it before is a positive for us.

“The atmosphere last time was unreal. It was so loud, and you couldn’t really hear what people were saying around you – but then afterwards we could hear the Bristol fans there, chanting and celebrating in the stadium, and that was amazing.

“It will be a big atmosphere and a big occasion, so we need to rise to it.”