Nottingham 16 Bristol Rugby 22: 

Bristol may have secured a record-equalling 11th successive league win with this defeat of Nottingham, but there was precious little celebrating afterwards.

The visitors never got out of third gear against game, committed opponents who were twice reduced to 14 men. And although Bristol always had enough strength and brute force up their sleeves to remain comfortably in charge, the final scoreline was tighter than anyone would have liked.

The visitors could and should have won by far more but several clear-cut try-scoring chances were butchered, overlaps and kicks at goal were spurned and there was a general lack of precision and cohesion to most of Bristol's play.

Bristol should have taken the lead in the second minute, Luke Eves slicing his way through on the left. The centre could probably have scored himself but two metres from the line, passed left to Luke Arscott, who fumbled and the chance was lost.

But the visitors did not have to wait long to go ahead. From a five-metre scrum in the left corner, Jason Spice released Adrian Jarvis, who made ground before his pass put Sam Giddens over from close range without the home side laying a finger on the centre, Jarvis converting.

Greig Tonks was wide with a straight 35-metre penalty as the home side gradually came to life. But Bristol were soon back on the attack and a long forward drive from a 22-metre line-out secured a close-range penalty, which Jarvis landed for a 10-point lead.

Nottingham finally worked their way into the Bristol 22 for the first time in the 20th minute and were eventually rewarded with one of the most bizarre tries seen in the short history of rugby at Notts County's Meadow Lane ground.

The visitors held firm as Nottingham bashed away at the line, earning a turnover and the put-in at a scrum five. But under hardly any pressure at all, Spice threw a slack, slow pass towards Jarvis and opposite number Dan White intercepted and flopped over, hardly believing his luck. David Jackson converted the score.

Bristol responded by stepping up a gear and put the home side under so much pressure on their own line that lock Nick Rouse was yellow-carded after a series of home infringements.

The visitors elected to take a five-metre scrum against the seven-man pack but Nottingham's defence scrambled well and eventually won a penalty to clear the danger.

Unlike Wales, who imploded after the yellow-carding of Alun Wyn Jones against England, Nottingham continued to hold firm with 14 men, although that owed as much to their defensive commitment as Bristol's lack of precision despite totally dominating possession.

Two overlaps were wasted by the visitors, thanks to laboured passing before Nottingham were restored to 15 men. Hooker Ross Johnston was held up over the line and winger Lee Robinson then knocked on two metres out, with another try looking certain as the first half came to a close.

Bristol got the start they needed to the second half, the hard-working James Phillips taking matters into his own hands and bullying his way over from a five-metre scrum for a converted try to make the lead 17-7. Nottingham did not really look like scoring a try themselves, but pressure produced a 53rd-minute penalty for Jackson when the visitors did not release 20 metres out.

But the home side did not help themselves again when they were reduced to 14 men for the second time, centre Chris Eggleshaw being sin-binned for not releasing a tackled Bristol player midway through the half. This time, Bristol made their numerical advantage count almost immediately, Luke Arscott, Robinson and Eves all making ground before flanker Redford Pennycook was put away 10 metres out for his side's third try.

Jackson's second penalty, from 22 metres, gave Nottingham renewed hope as the clock counted down. But the game dissolved into a mess, losing shape as the inevitable raft of replacements took to the field and the two sides were reduced to an unedifying version of rugby ping-pong.

A scrum infringement gave Nottingham the chance to reduce the deficit two minutes from the end of normal time through Tonks, and pulled the home side to within a converted try of the mother of all upsets. But, although they huffed and puffed, they were unable to break out of their own half before time ran out.

Nottingham: D Jackson (D Blake 5-20, 67); J Cobden, T Streather, P Eggleshaw, A Savage; G Tonks, D White: M Parr (N Fowkes 65), G Sammons, P Du Plessis (B Buxton 72), S Raven (I Nimmo 72), N Rouse, C Hammond, L Sherriff, J Baird (D Marshall 74). Reps not used: N Carter, M Everard.

Scorers: Tries – White. Cons – Jackson. Pens – Jackson 2, Tonks.

Bristol: L Arscott; L Robinson, L Eves, S Giddens, T Arscott; A Jarvis, J Spice (R Shaw 76); M Irish (M Vunipola 72), R Johnston (D Blaney 65), W Thompson, M Sambucetti (R Winters 58), N Budgett, J Miller, R Pennycook, J Phillips. Reps not used: D Crompton, J Merriman, J Adams.

Scorers: Tries – Giddens, Phillips, Pennycook. Cons – Jarvis 2. Pens – Jarvis.

Att: 1,796 Ref: Keith Lewis (RFU).