Honours even as Mansfield Ladies draw against Burton

Burton had taken the victory earlier in the season so there was a desire for the home team to not only blow off the festive cobwebs but redress the earlier loss.

Burton themselves showed why they are currently sitting third in the table with a daunting mixture of speed and power. Ultimately the draw was a just result and both teams can be content with their performances.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

While not a high scoring game, and being completely scoreless in the second half, both teams left everything out on the field in what were turgid and heavy conditions.

Head coach Dean Blake said: “The team deserve a huge amount of credit, our penalty count was too high but if we solve that problem we give ourselves a better chance of securing the victory.”

A good start in rugby is essential for helping to create momentum and make a mark on the game early and that’s exactly what the home team did.

Almost immediately powerhouse Emily Bingley crashed over to open the scoring, but the conversion was missed.

Burton quickly redressed themselves and forged their own game plan.

They were able to control the conditions to secure a lineout, put some punishing phases together and even up the scores with a try of their own. This conversion was missed but the scores were tied.

This would be the beginning of a repeated pattern throughout the rest of the game. The first half saw two more tries that ultimately became the final score.

Mansfield managed to take the next score, Sarah Payne this time dotting the ball down to put the home team back in the lead. The conversion was missed, the score read 10-5.

The visitors once again regrouped and it was a credit to the home defence that the visitors were only able to score one more try, impressive as it was, again the conversion missed.

The second half was something of an anomaly in rugby terms, a scoreless 40 minutes that was more exhilarating than the first.