Mansfield 21 – 22 Nottingham Moderns
Report by Phil Foster

With the end of the league season having come and gone, this past Saturday saw the beginning of the Papa John’s Cup and Mansfield taking on local rivals Nottingham Moderns. With a win apiece so far this season, victory here would not only see the team through to the next round but also claim bragging rights overall. Mansfield started well and dominated most of the first half.

The lineout was solid and the scrum was a devastating force, allowing the blue-and-whites to amass a healthy lead going in to the break. Unfortunately, the second half saw a role reversal, Moderns being the ones to take advantage of the opportunities they created, not only closing the deficit but then taking the lead.

Ultimately, this lead would be too much of a mountain to climb and the visitors, despite a late try from the home team, progressed to the next round.

An early penalty to the visitors saw them take a three-point lead and claim some of the early advantage. However, Mansfield soon managed to find their rhythm and spent the rest of the first half on the front foot. While Moderns were no slouches, the home defence held firm and kept them to just the solitary penalty kick. Mansfield were much slicker here, powerful in midfield and more adventurous out wide, exploiting space that had been left unexplored in previous matches. They were able to win penalties in the rucks and, with a solid lineout, kicks to touch were a viable option to keep piling on
the pressure. The scrum was a powerhouse, dominating each set piece, whether for or against the head, putting Moderns on the back foot even if they were able to win the ball. Oliver Avison was right in the middle of all of this, earning him the player of the match award for his efforts.

Two tries came in this period of dominance, each one showcasing a different skill. The first came from some good interplaying and offloading, keeping the ball alive and punching through a solid defensive wall. The second came from a powerful scrum drive from the forwards, the ball being controlled nicely at the base before being dropped on over the line.

With both tries converted and the home team very much in control, a half time score of 14-3 was a welcome sight indeed.

Unfortunately, the second half will be one many want to consign to the shadows of the past. Mansfield had acres of territory and plenty of possession but couldn’t do anything with it. Credit to Moderns, their defence held up well and they were able to scramble well but Mansfield were their own worst enemy at times. Moderns found the key to unlock the home defence, three tries all coming from good distribution, pushing the wide channels, cutting back inside and shearing through gaps left in the defence. Two of those tries were converted and Mansfield went from being in control to chasing the game, 22-14 behind.

Mansfield had opportunities but as momentum began to swing away from them, mistakes crept in. A missed touch-finder here, a dropped ball there, a quick tap being turned over lead to growing despair. Despite some stellar work, all came to naught. This was not helped by an ugly off-the-ball incident that saw both teams reduced to 14 players for 10 minutes.
There was still one bright moment left though, a crossfield kick with mere seconds left on the clock wasn’t initially gathered by either team but Mansfield reacted quickest, gathered the bounce and then gladly covered the remaining ground to score. A successful conversion saw Mansfield get within a point, so desperately close, 22-21. But, that was the final play of the game, the referee’s whistle bringing proceedings to a close and, with it, so too Mansfield’s season.

As the old adage goes, this was a game of two halves. Unfortunately, the lead Mansfield built up in the first half wasn’t enough to compete with the lead Moderns built in the second. As has been the story for much of this season, Mansfield’s highlights were glowing, the scrum was awesome, the lineout functioned well and when the ball was spun out wide there were real opportunities created. However, those highlights need to be just the regular narrative. Consistency eluded them and ill- discipline again cost them when they needed to be focused. The players and coaching staff will no doubt be frustrated with the way this season has gone, but they now have some time off to rest, recover and regroup over the summer.