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Unwanted hat trick for Mansfield

Powergen Midlands One

SCUNTHORPE  48   MANSFIELD  7

Mansfield continued their steep learning curve of life in Midlands One at the weekend going down to their third defeat of the league campaign. There will be some solace in the fact that the opening games have been against sides tipped to be in the promotion shake up and the Blue and Whites can point to nine names sidelined from Saturday through injury. However, the whole squad needs to step up a gear, improve their support play and eliminate the unforced errors so cruelly punished at this level.

The opening half started brightly and after the home sides initial thrusts halted by the tackles of Taylor and Smedley full back Robinson moved Mansfield onto the attack. A probing kick from Rutter saw Williams and Smedley pressurising the back line and twice Stringfellow was involved as Mansfield drove for the line.

Solid scrummaging had the Scunthorpe set piece on the retreat and Pike and Pritchard were presenting clean line out ball. Once in the open, however, Scunthorpe were gaining too much turn over ball and turning their own scrappy ball into decisive attacking moves especially from their centres.

On eleven minutes despite try saving tackles from Arnold, Wayne Robinson and Jones the wave of cross field attacks finally breached the Mansfield line in the right hand corner. Straight back to the attack Scunthorpe thought they were adding to their lead only for Wayne Robinson to put in a shuddering tackle and Newbould rip the ball clear for Rutter to move play out of his own half.

Lindsay developed a threat off the back row, McGaffney made a half break and Williams made ground down the wing before turning the defence with a flighted kick. Consistently Scunthorpe used the wind, and faultless kicking from every one of their backs, to return Mansfield to their 22 and pressure. With two minutes to the interval and only five points arrears Mansfield were looking to having that wind at their backs and only a score in the game. A final flourish dashed those hopes as a good line out for the home side set up a rumble and missed tackles allowed the number eight a touch down by the posts.

Scunthorpe kicked off but failed to make 10 metres and heralded six minutes of sustained Mansfield pressure. Lindsay recovered loose ball, Pike took line ball as Mansfield edged up the touchline. Karl Robinson and Kirk led drives and with warnings for the home side for killing the ball Mansfield opted to scrimmage a five metre penalty. Quick heel and Lindsay and Taylor combined, the drive hovered across the Scunthorpe line before Pritchard applied the telling downward thrust. Rutter’s conversion made the score 12-7 and home and neutral observers were questioning if Mansfield were about to take control of the game and the points.

In fact what unfolded was the epitome of Mansfield’s opening month. The next ten minutes saw Mansfield fail to clear ball from their 22. Twice players ran isolated in front of their own line and the ball was tuned over. Twice the opportunity to clear the lines with kicks to touch found Scunthorpe hands and set up penetrating runs. Twice instead of seeing Scunthorpe trudging back half the length of the field to defend they were skipping back with converted tries to celebrate. Five point arrears and ascendancy had become a nineteen point deficit and despondency.

In keeping with the season Stringfellow limped out of the game and his replacement Stevenson, having shown speed to cover and tackle was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder. The final quarter took its toll on the scoreboard. Despite Davies in the unfamiliar wing position and Longmate coming on and contributing attacking half breaks Mansfield could not break the shackles. Even when they did have openings an obvious overlap was spurned and passes dropped.

The closing stages saw four more tries conceded and a defeat none would have forecast after 50 minutes. That anchors Mansfield to the foot of the table but Mansfield have home advantage this Saturday when Walsall are the visitors to Eakring Road for a 3 p.m. kick off. The stuttering start to the season sees the visitors with just one win but that was an impressive 19-0 over Luctonians away. Some of the Mansfield support who travelled to the World Cup and were in the same hotel as the Georgian national side last year will recognise a familiar face as Bidzina Samkaradze lines up at scrum half. Mansfield will be more preoccupied with their own line up and a side closer to full strength to pick up the first points of the season.

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Mansfield U16s open their season with an emphatic 51-0 win against visitors Matlock. No.8 Danny Spencer bagged 4 tries, flanker Alan Symcox a brace and added 3 conversions. One try a piece for scrum half Jonathan Repton, centre Andreas Zacharia and hooker Samuel Johnson completed the nine try haul which saw loose head prop John Kingswood named as 'Man of the Match'.

Mansfield U15's, using their full squad of players, secured a hard fought battle at Matlock Rugby Club with a 22 - 10 victory. The first period saw Mansfield dominate territory and possession but, a strong Matlock defence limited Mansfield to two tries.  The first a well worked scrum allowed the ball to pass down the line for Sam Cordin to score in the corner.  The second followed a break from Joe Kimberley, the ball being recycled from the resulting ruck to enable Jim Smith to break through between the posts, Tom Clark’s conversion to taking the score to 12 - 0.

 The second half was more evenly contested with the first score, after good forward pressure, a try in the corner from Lee Hardman.  Matlock’s reply from a drive, after Mansfield conceded a penalty 5 yards from the line, took the score to 17 - 5.  Mansfield extended the score when Sam Cordin caught a 22 yard drop-out near the 10 yard line and ran the ball back to score near the posts.  Matlock ended the match driving over in the corner for a last minute try.

 

 

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