Sombre end to season as Mansfield suffer NLD final defeat to Gainsborough

Mansfield RUFC’s season ended on a sombre note as they said goodbye to club stalwart Byron Edwards.
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And they were unable to end on a high to mark his passing as they lost the NLD Plate final 50-29 against Gainsborough.

There has been a lot to celebrate this season for Mansfield after securing promotion at the conclusion of the league.

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But not just that, the performances themselves and the dynamic and cohesion within the team has been much improved over previous years.

Final action as Mansfield lose to Gainsborough.Final action as Mansfield lose to Gainsborough.
Final action as Mansfield lose to Gainsborough.

Only one home defeat at Eakring Road and grinding out victories that may previously have slipped away, there’s a lot to be proud and happy with once the dust settles.

On Sunday, they aimed to end the cup competition on an equal high.

However, there was an atmosphere of sorrow hanging in the air as Edwards had passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the week.

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A club spokesman said: “It’s easy to fall into cliché when talking about someone like Byron, who was part of the DNA of the club for more than 60 years.

“But in this case, those clichés are not only fitting but should be reserved for this very situation.

“He was a player, a coach, a former chairman and, most recently, a former president; he fully embodied what it was to be a legend and that was just within the realm of the club, he was equally as loved and revered across Mansfield as a town. But more than that, he was a loyal friend and mentor.

“It was only a fortnight ago that he stood at the annual club dinner and spoke about his fondness for the club, its history and all those within it.

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“Mansfield Rugby Union Football Club, and the world outside it, is a colder place without Byron’s warmth and kindness.

“The romantics among us would have loved a game dedicated to our friend Byron to end in a Mansfield victory, but sadly it wasn't to be.

“These things rarely go to script and having tasted victory and defeat many times in his rugby life, Byron would have enjoyed the irony. “

It was a fitting tribute that a moment’s silence and round of applause preceded kick-off as the Blue-and-Whites took on Gainsborough, a team they had already beaten twice this season.

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However, Gainsborough were out of the blocks quickly with a mix of power and pace that Mansfield really struggled to contain.

Within the opening two minutes, despite some crunching defence, the first score of the game was registered, Gainsborough working through the phases to crash over in the corner.

A successful conversion and Mansfield were 7-0 down with barely any time on the clock.

Mansfield were dominant in the first scrum of the game but were unable to stop Gainsborough from securing the ball against the head and putting it through the phases again. This would become a recurring pattern throughout.

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There was nothing overly complex about Gainsborough’s game plan, in fact it was very simple: crash the ball through the forwards and spread it wide in the backs.

That may seem a little disrespectful considering the result but when that game plan is executed well it can be difficult to contain and, to their credit, they did this very well.

Gainsborough scored 26 unanswered points in the first half, which they fully deserved as they harried and bullied the Blue-and-Whites at every opportunity.

That’s not to say Mansfield didn’t have opportunities or that Gainsborough had it easy. Gainsborough were made to work hard for their points and had their own opportunities scuppered. Mansfield were trying to engineer their own chances to trouble the try line but the cohesion that had been evident throughout the season wasn’t quite there.

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Overlaps were missed, lineouts were lost, powerful driving mauls couldn’t be converted into points and a yellow card all served to hinder any momentum Mansfield gained.

Their defence was solid at times, with some truly shuddering hits being put in, but the attacking prowess wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

The second half was much improved overall and, in terms of points scored, Mansfield came out on top.

However, they’d left too much of a mountain to climb and were unable to claw back the initial 26 point difference.

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Gainsborough added another 24 in the second period to take their final tally to 50.

Mansfield scored five tries in the second half, each one showcasing a different strength within the team.

The first was by Rio Turner who did what he’s done best all season, receive the ball in space and expertly evade numerous tacklers. His ability to get under the posts made the conversion by Taran Elms much easier.

The second was by Finn Ogley, who was at the back of a driving maul that was expertly steered towards the line, sucking in opposing defenders and proving too powerful to halt.

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The third was by Zane Chiapetta who ran a support line that saw him the last of a chain of offloads after Gainsborough dropped the restart and were unable to set their defence to deal with the counter-attack that followed.

The fourth was a similar situation as the ball was again dropped from a kick off. This allowed another counter attack that Gainsborough were unable to stop as Elms made himself available to dot down near the posts before converting his own kick.

The last was a second for Ogley who managed to breach the line after Gainsborough gave away a series of penalties and a yellow card.

This allowed Mansfield to repeatedly pressure the line with the power of the pack and one final tap-and-go saw the final Blue-and-Whites score added to the tally.

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Despite a more competitive second half and a quintet of good tries, the final score showed the damage the first half had done to Mansfield’s chances as Gainsborough lifted the plate at the end of a fierce and aggressive encounter.

This was a good taste of what Mansfield can expect next season as they ply their trade in the league above and no doubt they will want to meet that challenge with renewed vigour and intensity.

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