A first half try-fest proved too much for Clifton, as Cambridge racked up their sixth win in a row, by 46-7.
The first 20 minutes though, saw both sides trying to adapt to the howling winds blowing across Volac Park.
But once Cambridge closed up the gaps in the line, some clever offloads, combined with speed and some good lines, saw the deadlock broken.
After the first try from Matt Goode, the floodgates opened, and Cambridge put on an attacking demonstration for the home crowd.
The ten minutes leading up to the half-time whistle saw the Blood and Sand cross the whitewash five times to give them a 29-0 lead at the break. This included a first half hat-trick for Matt Goode.
The first was created by the powerhouse number eight Steve Hipwell, who smashed through two tackles before passing the ball to Goode for an easy opening to the scoring.
A moment later, the impressive Ben Penfold at fly-half threw in a cheeky reverse pop-pass, which tore another hole in the usually stubborn Clifton defence, and Goode had his second.
The third came from a break down the left by Jim Wigglesworth, but this time Goode had a little more legwork to do himself, as he put the burners on to score in the corner.
Two more tries came through Wigglesworth and prop Thomas Jones. For the first, Wigglesworth created his own score this time, as he showed his opposite number a clean set of heels, stepping and running round him to cross over.
The second for Jones, came through some good handling skills down the line. The ball came out to the right quickly, and Jones was the extra man over to touch down unopposed in the corner.
The second half started similarly, as Ollie Marriott broke through inside a minute of the restart to kill any hopes Clifton may have still harboured, playing with the advantage of the wind behind them in the second half.
The only trouble Cambridge faced in the game was when they received two yellow cards, and for almost ten minutes, were playing with 13 against 15. The defensive line was tested for the only prolonged spell of the game, and to Clifton’s credit, they did manage their only score of the game from a driving maul, as the Cambridge pack struggled to cope minus two forwards.
Once Cambridge were back up to full strength, the game seemed to just peter out, as both sides knew the result was already beyond doubt, and Cambridge would be keeping the full five points at Volac Park.
But, right on the whistle, there was one more try for the home fans to cheer, as James Stokes latched on to a Wigglesworth grubber-kick to score a well-deserved try. The final whistle then blew as Stokes struck the conversion attempt, and Cambridge had won 46-7 at a canter.
The hard work that Cambridge have put in is paying dividends on the pitch now, the only disappointing thing, is that there are only three games left this season, the next of which is away to Old Elthamians on the 11th April. But, with the bulk of the squad having already signed on for next season, the future is bright.
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Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club 