Mansfield 10 – 31 Ilkeston

With the weather having done a number on the Eakring Road pitches over the last few weeks, causing a number of games to be called off, it was good to see them in good condition this past Saturday as Mansfield took on 2nd place Ilkeston. Having suffered a heavy defeat earlier in the season, Mansfield had a point to prove on home ground. At times, they were clinical and worked well together. However, some unforced errors combined with Ilkeston’s pace in the backs meant saw a defeat the order of the day.

Head coach Nathan Hill was happy with a much improved scoreline: ‘It’s a disappointing result overall but considering the score the last time we played, there’s some reason to be happy.’

The story of Mansfield’s afternoon was written very early on, a penalty attempt at goal pushing just wide.
Ilkeston enjoyed a large share of the possession and territory in the first half but were never quite able to fire on all cylinders, the home team doing their best to frustrate at every opportunity. However, with all the possession they had, it wasn’t long before the opening try was scored. A Successful conversion saw a 7-0 lead open up to the visitors.

Penalties would be the bane of the blue-and-whites’ existence, both in the number they conceded and not being able to take advantage of the ones they got. It was a quick tap and go from a penalty that saw Ilkeston carve open the home defence and add to their tally, a conversion bringing the score to 14-0. The stodgy conditions underfoot made it difficult for both teams to really put any extended phases of play together. Solid defence, particularly in the rucks and mauls, also caused problems as turnovers were a regular occurrence. Mansfield initially struggled in the scrum but were able to largely retain their own ball. Their defence at times was outstanding and while Ilkeston were able to make serious yards with the pace they had in the backs, the blue-and-whites managed to scramble well. The only other points in this half came from the boot of Taran Elms who slotted a penalty. At half time, the score read 14-3.

The second half saw Ilkeston’s pace really start making the difference in getting them into good field position. However, while the visitors were able to turn the home team and force them into scramble defence, the blue-and-whites were up to the task and soaked up huge amounts of pressure, with joint matchday sponsors the family of Tony Skillington and AIPS insurance’s man of the match Zak Walters chasing anything that moved. So much so that the visitors opted to kick 3 points when given a penalty. 17-3 was still a big ask but not unassailable. While the scrum had been a struggle for Mansfield in the first half, it shored up in the second, to the point that Ilkeston opted for a 5 metre scrum from a penalty and were summarily held up over the line. The dam did eventually break as Mansfield were penalised and couldn’t stop another score. A conversion saw the visitors extend to 24-3.

Mansfield did get themselves on the scoreboard, eventually able to work through some phases and retain control of the ball. A penalty in the visitor’s 22 saw a quick tap taken and Elms crash over the line to register his side’s first. A monster kick from the touchline saw Elms convert his own try and bring Mansfield up to 10.

At this point, with the score at 24-10 and Ilkeston 1 try short of a bonus point, the home team had done well to stop the visitors leaving with a full complement. However, a penalty missing touch saw the home team lose possession and, ultimately, cough up the bonus-point try. With time still remaining, Ilkeston used up every available second of the allotted time to kick the conversion. That was the last play of the game with Ilkeston winning 31-10.

This was a coherent and cohesive performance from the home team at times. The pitch was heavy underfoot and they were often put on the back foot out wide but they were able to absorb swathes of pressure and, at times, stifled the ball from an Ilkeston team who were intent to run everything. Mansfield were their own worst enemy at times with some lost lineouts and missed touch-finders but when they were able to keep possession and build some phases, they were tricky to deal with.