Two penalties from James to one from Cipriani saw the hosts lead 6-3 after 13 minutes and they extended their advantage through Malzieu's converted try.
And they had plenty of possession and territory, overcoming the loss of scrum-half Warren Fury to the sin-bin in the first half to even lead 6-3 at one stage, when full-back Thomas's penalty was followed by Scott Barrow's drop goal six minutes from half-time - fair reward for the bottom club's spirit and competitiveness at the breakdown.