Nottingham took four points from their first visit to Grantchester Road, a feat largely achieved by strategically and successfully preventing Cambridge from playing their preferred brand of rugby in the first 40 minutes.
The Archers, wisely deciding that attack was the best form of defence, pinned the Blood & Sand in their own half, with Richie Williams’ side unable to make an entry into the opposition 22 before half time.
After a scrappy opening ten minutes, Cambridge lost a lineout inside their own 22, and the visitors went wide the other way for winger Ryan Olowofela to evade several attempted tackles to dot down.
Matt Arden hit the post with a penalty near the half hour but David Williams added to Nottingham’s points tally with a try just five minutes later, running a gentle arc into open space to score with ease.
The first score of the second half was always going to be important and it went to the hosts three minutes in, with ex-Nottingham scrum half Sam Edwards dummying left then turning on his heels to dart in under the sticks.
However, the Green and Whites got that try back five minutes later as Ellis Mee broke to feed Williams again in the 22 for Nottingham’s third of the afternoon.
Arden added a penalty with nine minutes left to secure the win for Nottingham, but Cambridge still kept coming and managed to find the losing bonus point with a late Eli Caven try and a Steffan James penalty from the 22 right in front of the posts with the last kick of the game.