We’re not in September anymore! While the first month of the new rugby season usually gifts us with good weather, October decided it would lay its cards on the table pretty early and just be miserable. While there were patches of light and warmth, most of this past Saturday afternoon was a gloomy mixture of wind and rain. That said, Mansfield displayed impressive defence and adventurous attack to overcome a spirited Coalville team and claim a bonus point victory.

Head coach Anthony Jones was happy with the win and aimed for consistency: ‘That bonus point was really well earned and we did well to keep them from getting their own, now we have to keep this level consistent.’

Coalville actually started the brighter team, their pace and offloading game really stretching the home team across the pitch and testing the strength of the defence. To that end, the home defence held up superbly for as long as it could, but with the relentless pressure unabating it became harder for the home team to manage. A quick tap penalty saw the visitors play a couple of phases before crashing over for the game’s opening score. A missed conversion saw Coalville take a five-nil lead.

This seemed to galvanise the blue-and-whites, who began to assert themselves more into the game and force the momentum to swing. The set pieces were largely even, both teams enjoying periods of dominance in the scrum and neither team being able to fully dominate the lineout. This meant opportunity was created through quick phase play and offloads. This worked well for Mansfield as they pushed the ball all the way to the left, then back to the right, unlocking space for Sam Blackwell to race down the wing and score. A superb touchline conversion from Ollie Smith saw the home team take the lead, 7-5.

The next try came against the run of play, a speculative pass by the blue-and-whites was deftly pinched out of the air by the visitors, who managed to evade any chasing defenders to cover 50 metres and score. A successful conversion put them back in the lead, 12-7. Mansfield regrouped from this well and were able to spend the rest of the half keeping the scoreboard ticking and getting themselves back in the lead. First, some good phase play and quick possession saw Reece Flowers-Lane take advantage and crash over the line. A successful conversion, and a successful penalty a few minutes later, saw Smith increase his team’s score, and the lead, to read 17-12 at half time.

The second half saw Mansfield’s confidence rise. As the weather deteriorated, the passes became a bit more speculative and the ball became a bit more slippery but the ambition was still there. This was no more evident than with the efforts of Flowers-Lane, whose tireless work in the middle of the park saw him claim matchday sponsor AIPS Insurance’s player of the match award. The blue-and-whites were made to work hard though, Coalville’s defence was excellent throughout, they were able to close down space on the wings, disrupt ball on the floor and twice were able to hold the blue-and-whites up over the line. That said, the amount of defence they were having to do saw their discipline begin to drop. Numerous penalties eventually saw them receive a yellow card. The blue-and-whites were able to take advantage of this, first with Smith slotting a second penalty to add three more points to the tally, then with Paul Taura taking advantage of the relentless waves of pressure to stamp his mark on the game, scoring two tries. These were both converted, taking the blue-and-whites final tally to 34.

However, an ugly and unnecessary brawl midway through the second half saw both teams reduced by one player and left an indelible stain on what was otherwise a competitive affair. Coalville did get another score towards the end of the game, their doggedness paying off as they were able to find their form from the opening exchanges again and slice through the home defence. A successful conversion saw the final score read 34-19 to the home team. A confident and assured performance by the home team saw them grow throughout the game and take advantage of their opportunities. Some stellar defence by the visitors ensured the score wasn’t bigger but with a try bonus point will be a welcome reward as the blue-and-whites aim to keep their climb up the table going.