Archers hold on as Scottish finish with a flurry of tries
NOTTINGHAM head coach Craig Hammond was delighted by the five points.
“To get that win in front of our home crowd is fantastic. We wanted to put a performance in and we did,” he said.
But, in a game of four yellow cards and one red, it was London Scottish who finished the stronger at The Bay to claim their own try bonus point.
Cameron King put Scottish ahead after six minutes, but the Archers quickly hit back as David Williams scored his 40th club try.
Then Morgan Bunting and Harry Graham – with an interception mid-way inside his own half – extended the lead.
Dan Nutton was the first yellow, on 25 minutes, for a deliberate knock-on before Michael Stronge secured Nottingham’s bonus point with a fourth try under the posts.
The last action of the first half was another sin bin for the visitors. This time it was Harry Sheppard for a tiptackle.
Nottingham started the second half in quick fashion as George Cox bundled his way over the line. Elliot Bale hit his fifh conversion.
The third yellow card of the game fell to Nottingham’s Scott Hall for offside.
Dan Nutton found space to score Scottish’s second try of the game, Laurence May with the conversion off the post.
Referee Charlie Gayther issued his fourth yellow – to Nottingham’s David Williams for dissent bringing the home side down to 13.
Scottish took advantage of their numerical advantage to score through Leo Fielding.
The visitors really turned the screw in the second half to claim their try bonus point in less than 10 minutes through Javiah Pohe.
Bale pulled Nottingham clear with three minutes to play with a 40 yard penalty.
Williams was sent off with one of the last plays of the game for a second yellow card, this time for a deliberate knock-on.
But there was still time for Scottish to get their fifth try throughNick Selway.
Matt Williams, London Scottish director of rugby, said: “In the second half we were a totally different team, we won collisions, our set piece functioned how we knew it could. Our next step is bringing an 80 minute performance.”