Northampton Old Scouts Colts - 19 v Mansfield Colts - 19
Mansfield Colts travelled to Northampton Old Scouts for the second round of the National Colts Cup on Saturday and despite coming away with a 19-19 draw, both sides scoring 3 tries apiece, it is Mansfield as the away team who go through to the next round. Mansfield made an uncharacteristic slow start and allowed Northampton to dominate the early phases but without ever really threatening the Mansfield line. The visitors finally got their game together mid way through the half and were unlucky not to be awarded a try when wing Michael Weston chased a kick through, beat the defender to the ball and touched down only for the referee to adjudge he had in fact knocked it on. Mansfield did get the reward their pressure deserved just before half time when stand in Lock Michael Lowery broke off the back of a maul to score under the posts. A 7-0 half time lead didn't truly reflect the pattern of the half but Mansfield started the second period as they had finished the first and soon extended the lead to 12-0 when captain Aiden McGregor picked the ball up from a 5-metre scrum to crash over in the corner. There then followed 15 minutes of Mansfield madness when they somehow managed to turn a comfortable 12 point advantage into a 7 point deficit conceding 3 tries in the process to make the score 19-12 to the home side. Having dug themselves into a hole and to their immense credit, Mansfield then proceeded to put things right and laid siege to the Northampton line for the last quarter of the game, only a superb defensive effort from the home team, another apparently perfectly good try disallowed by the referee and poor decision making from Mansfield prevented them levelling the scores. Their persistence was however rewarded 5 minutes from time when Fly Half Jordan Bailey went over in the corner following a series of excellent drives from the forwards, Bailey then superbly bisected the posts with the conversion from the touch-line to tie the scores at 19 apiece. The remainder of the game passed without further incident and it was Mansfield as the away side who progress and set up a prestigious third round tie with reigning National Cup Champions Bedford Blues at Eakring Road on Sunday November 18.
Derby U17 - 5 v Mansfield U17 - 35
Mansfield returned to league action at the weekend with a visit to Derby and won 35-5. The conditions were excellent for rugby and the game against the team that ran the blues and whites so close in last year’s NLD semi-final didn’t disappoint. The game was evenly contested for the first twelve minutes. However, a clever kick through was grounded by the Derby defence and from the resulting 5m scrum Mansfield broke the dead lock. The ball was secured and Jonathan Cordin finished a blind side move in the corner. A further ten minutes saw both sides battling for superiority but, it was Mansfield who were again decisive. Ross Elms chipped the defence collected his own kick, beat the full back to score and give the visitors a 10-0 lead. This was followed with two quick tries before half time. A cross field kick from Elms was collected by Ryan Hough who powered his way through to place the ball over the line. His second came when the forwards secured the ball at a ruck, released it swiftly down the line for a score in the corner and a 20-0 half time lead. The second half again started with even exchanges but, Mansfield were able to extend the score to 25-0 when a clearance kick from the 22 was caught by Jordan Bettridge who ran it back, evading Derby’s desperate tackles before diving over. The game was effectively put beyond the home team when the ball was swung wide from a scrum to give Cordin his second score and Mansfield a 30-0 lead. Derby then enjoyed a period of pressure in the visitors 22 and eventually reduced the deficit when the winger collected a loose ball and ran it into the corner. Mansfield regained a 30 point advantage, when the forwards drove Derby back 20m with a rolling maul, before releasing the ball for Jonathan Fox to join the line and beat the defence to give Mansfield a deserved 35-5 victory.
