Mansfield Ladies 88–0 Ashfield

With March finally upon us it’s about time we got some spring-like weather. This past Sunday gave us just that as Mansfield ran out eventual winners against local rivals Ashfield in what turned out to be a fantastic day for rugby, writes Stafford Burt.

Double digit temperatures, clear skies and a hard ground perfect for running rugby, the blue-and-whites were able to continue their impressive season by racking up 14 tries against a spirited Ashfield side. With two U18 debutants in the squad having excellent games, this team continues to find the perfect melding of youth and experience.

Head coach Dave Woodcock continues to be very happy with how his team is gelling, saying: “I thought we looked really good out there, we’ve got some real depth to the squad now and that’s showing on the field.”

Mansfield continue to develop as a team, this performance continues the run of form they’ve been having this season, continuing to impress with fluid rugby and racking up impressive scores. They currently sit second in the league with just one loss to their name, against league leaders Sheffield Tigers.

With so much disruption due to the cold weather seeing games cancelled and the last home game being under a barrage of rain, the bright skies and double-digit temperatures meant the blue-and- whites finally had some firm ground to play on. As it turns out, they play just as well in the dry as they do in the wet, the scoreboard ticking over with relentless regularity. That doesn’t mean they had it all their own way, however. To their credit, Ashfield harried and harassed at every opportunity and, but for a few dropped balls or wayward passes, would have got themselves on the scoreboard.

They definitely put Mansfield under pressure in the scrum and disrupted the ball on the floor. Their tackles were fierce and they scrambled well when under pressure. However, in the end the home team had the benefit of a stable squad that allowed them to rotate players without losing any power or pace.
That said, Mansfield could have put more points on the board. They created numerous overlaps that weren’t utilised, a recurring issue this season, and a couple of wayward passes of their own saw a handful of attacking opportunities lost. However, with a final score of 88 points, those few missed opportunities won’t weigh too heavily on the team’s psyche. In fact, the continuing presence of youth players being brought into the squad and shining will absolutely work wonders on the psyche.

This week it was the turn of Maddy Rotchell and Maisie Walter to join the growing list of youth graduates making their first team debuts. Walters was a blur when she came on, sticking herself into every opportunity she could while Rotchell capped off a tenacious performance by winning herself the player of the match award.

Mansfield’s ability to control the ball and put multiple phases together was a part of the game that saw them create a good platform to work with. The power and pace they have throughout the squad helped take that platform and turn it into points. The first try came from Lucy Payne who received the ball in space out wide and found her way to the line. The conversion was missed but nonetheless the home team were on the board.

The rest of the first half saw the scoreboard continue to be added to as the home team were able to utilise their possession well. Adding to the tally in the first 40 were Laina Corah, who continues to be a growing presence in every game; Ffion Roberts, who constantly snipes from scrum half; Cat Chambers, who scored the first of her eventual quad of tries by gathering the restart and racing 50 metres to the tryline; Marie-Anne Battersby, who was the beneficiary of a turnover and multiple phases before putting herself in the right spot to receive the final pass; Chambers adding her second with another burning run and Lilly-Mae Artliff, whose running line put her in the right place at the right time to cap off the half’s scores. With five conversions slotted by Corah, the half time score read a very healthy 45-0 to the home team.

The second half was much the same as the first, the home team having to weather a determined and dogged Ashfield team, which they did, and continue to put together phases of play to allow the scoreboard to keep ticking over, which they also did. Nancy Kirk opened up the scoring with a breakout run of her own, picking up loose ball at the bottom of a ruck and showing a clean pair of heels to get to the tryline. She was joined in this half by Corah, who continued her good game by adding another try to her tally after another restart-gathering 50 metre blitz; Chambers adding another two to her tally to take her to four for the day and seeing her also claim the player of the match award; Battersby and Roberts both adding a second to their tally as the space was utilised well and holes continued to appear in the opposition defence and Hannah Brereton, who has grown into this squad week by week and looks a constant threat whenever she has the ball. With another four conversions added by Corah, the final score read an impressive 88-0 to the home team.

This was an impressive performance that stands out in a season of already impressive performances. Ashfield will no doubt be disappointed that they didn’t get any points on the board but they will surely regroup and use this as fuel for the future. The experience that this Mansfield team has built up over the last 3 or 4 seasons continues to show and is evident in the calmness and ease with which they play. The youngsters coming up through the youth system continue to add creativity, pace and determination to ensure the squad is robust and doesn’t lose anything when substitutions happen. Overall, this has been a fantastic season so far and it isn’t over yet!