Mansfield 14-15 Nottingham Moderns

With the Christmas break fast approaching, Mansfield needed a victory against local rivals Nottingham Moderns in front of a home crowd to raise some much needed festive cheer. Unfortunately, despite coming from behind to take the lead with only minutes to go, the home team were unable to hang on and conceded a late try that saw them lose the game by a single point, reports Phil Foster.

While the on-field result left little to cheer about, the festivities before the game were in full swing as the club wished a happy 80th birthday to former player and long-time club contributor Colin Massey. Colin also sponsored the game and, while the result may not have been what he wanted for Christmas, the general cheer and warmth felt in the room was a clear sign of how much his contributions have meant to the club.

The first half was a largely even game. While the temperature started in double digits, a cutting wind that swirled around made for a high level of unpredictability with regards to the trajectory of the ball.

Neither team were willing to kick possession as it was a lottery as to where it would land, evidenced by both teams missing kicks to touch from penalties. That didn’t mean both teams didn’t half give it a go. Moderns had the majority of possession for the first quarter and were camped in the home team’s half for much of that time but a solid blue-and-white defensive wall made sure the visitors remained scoreless.

In fact, the only major aspect that separated the teams in the first half was the scrum, which Mansfield had full control of. It was this dominance in the set piece that allowed Mansfield to break the deadlock and open up the scoring. A handful of penalties saw the home team finally gain some much needed consistent possession and make tracks up the pitch. The scrum was a big part of that, the team not wanting to risk a kick at goal meant that the set piece became a useful and necessary tool for advancement.

A powerful driving scrum deep inside the visitor’s 22 saw Tom Newton emerge from the pile of bodies dumped over the line to register the first score of the game. A successful conversion by Taran Elms took Mansfield into a 7-nil lead.

Despite the abundance of space opening up on both wings, neither team really exploited their full potential out wide, instead keeping it largely to the centre of the field. The home team were beginning to exploit the wind well but were unable to add to the score. Despite some ferocious power plays and fleet-of-foot running, the score would remain 7-nil as the half time whistle blew.

At times the game bubbled over as both teams’ frustrations grew. If not contained it risked putting a 0in on what was otherwise a very entertaining game. These frustrations were largely caused by a desire to come out on top, exemplified by Nathan Hind, who was selected as the aforementioned birthday boy’s player of the match due to his tireless commitment around the park.

The second half saw Mansfield struggle to hold on to their lead as their indiscipline attracted the ire of the referee numerous times, halting their progress and giving the visitors a solid platform to work with. While Mansfield’s defence still largely held strong, there were chinks appearing that the visitors were able to exploit as they launch numerous attacks.

A penalty attempt bought the visitors into the game, 7-3, before a number of other penalties, most of which were taken quickly, saw them finally break the wall down and put themselves in front. A successful conversion from the touchline saw that lead extend to 10-7.

The home team were able to put some attacking plays together, one attempt crucially being held up in the corner, before some sustained possession and territory saw Charlie Mason sneak through a gap at a ruck to once again put his team in the lead. A successful conversion from in front of the posts by Elms meant the home team had the advantage in the final minutes, 14-10.

Unfortunately, as so often happens in rugby, having spent so much effort to get themselves back in front, the scoring team concedes a penalty shortly after kick-off, handing advantage and field position back to the opposition. After putting some phases together and stretching the blue-and-white defence to breaking point, Moderns added a second try to their tally by squeezing in at the corner. A difficult conversion was missed but it didn’t matter, the visitors had edged into the slenderest of leads, 15-14.

There was just enough time left for the kick-off with the blue-and-whites valiantly working their way back into the visitor’s half of the field. Sadly, another penalty, the bane of Mansfield’s afternoon, meant Moderns only had to clear the ball off the pitch to claim victory.

This brings an end to the first half of the season as we enter the festive break. After a promising start though, things have not gone the blue and white’s way and frustratingly often by slender margins. Mansfield’s scrum was again powerful and earned them a good try. The defence was also solid against a barrage of attacking play and they managed to utilise the wind well during the first half.

However, more work needs to be done to utilise the speed and pace available to them out wide. They will come back stronger after the break as they have a lot left to fight for in the second half of the season.