The English club made it four wins from four games thanks to Callum Sheedy’s conversion of Harry Thacker’s 77th minute try, which clinched an 18-16 Pool 4 success at Stade Jean Bouin.

Bristol are now 10 points clear of second-placed Brive after the French side’s 24-10 home success over Zebre Rugby Club, who had no answer to two-try Georgian Vasil Lobzhanidze.

The Bears are one of three teams with 100 per cent records in the Challenge Cup after four rounds. The others are RC Toulon and Leicester Tigers.

Leicester are five points ahead of Cardiff Blues in Pool 5 following their hard-fought 20-13 win at Rugby Calvisano and Cardiff’s 34-29 loss at Pau, where Owen Lane’s hat-trick helped the Welsh team secure a try bonus point from a nine-try thriller.

Toulon are four in front of Scarlets in Pool 2, after the French club triumphed 26-20 at London Irish on Saturday, with Anthony Belleau notching 14 points, and the Welsh region overwhelmed Bayonne 46-5, with Leigh Halfpenny racking up 21 points and Kieran Hardy scoring two of their six tries.

In Pool 3 a single point separates leaders Bordeaux-Begles and second-placed Edinburgh Rugby, but the Scottish side are 10 clear of Wasps, so the top two look favourites to reach the last eight.

In Round 4 Edinburgh gained a crucial 9-7 win at Wasps, who were sunk by Jaco van der Walt’s 78th minute penalty, while Bordeaux-Begles overpowered Agen 33-6 on Saturday with six tries.

However, the tightest group of the lot is Pool 1, where there are only five points between the top three of Dragons, Castres Olympique and Worcester Warriors.

Sam Davies was Dragons’ match-winner in their 25-16 home victory over Worcester in Round 4 with 20 points, while Castres were made to battle for their 22-10 home success against Enisei-STM.

Bristol Bears saw their maximum European Rugby Challenge Cup sequence ended by Stade Francais Paris in France on Saturday night, but they still moved a step closer to the quarter-finals by stretching their winning run in this season’s competition.