Mansfield women lose first ever final to slick champions Long Eaton

The scoreline in this NLD final went against them but, in every other way, they came out winners.

When teams suffer big defeats, it’s always hard to find the right words to recount the match itself without falling prey to hyperbole, either so negative it borders on demeaning or so positive it borders on patronising.

Of course there are a plethora of ‘what if?’ scenarios swirling around the changing room after the game that can be dissected and analysed to the nth degree

But, ultimately, the players know this, their autopsy of this game will have been swift and thorough and they know exactly what they need to do to rectify it.

The score was emphatic and nobody ever wants to be on the end of that kind of result.

And no-one will be more analytical of that score than the players and the coaching team themselves.

But Long Eaton were outstanding. Fast, decisive and expansive, they fully deserved their victory. It’s no surprise that a number of their tries came from exploiting the pace they had and burning down the wings time after time.

They had power up front that helped set a platform from which they rained down blow upon blow upon the Blue-and-White’s defence.

They had quick ball from the rucks, a steady scrum, their support lines were always available and their offloads more often than not found a willing recipient who would suck in defenders to help generate the next phase. It was exhausting watching them move.

Finding out they won their league this season without losing a game, only a solitary draw stopping a 100 per cent win record, made absolute sense.

They made mistakes, they gave away penalties and they will surely find fault with their performance as well but it takes nothing away from Mansfield to say that, today, Long Eaton were simply the better side.

Mansfield’s points came from the boot of Laina Corah, slotting a penalty in the second half to ensure her team didn’t leave with nothing on the scoreboard.

This was always going to be a tough encounter and when you’re under pressure you start making mistakes. One mistake dominoes into another and so on.

But while points may have been scarce, their integrity, commitment and tenacity was not. Mansfield were utterly tireless and determined to make every tackle.

From the forwards to the backs, they left their hearts out on the pitch. Even when things weren’t going their way their heads never went down. They chased every breakaway, even if the net result would only make the resulting conversion a touch more difficult, it didn’t matter.

The punch in the forwards that has been there all season was there today; the pace in the backs that has been there all season was there today and the general team spirit that pulses throughout the squad was there in spades.

But more than that, there was a slickness to the game at times that wasn’t there at the start of the season.

Even if not every pass went to hand there was a desire to keep the ball alive when going into contact, handling is getting much better when looking for the offload which is always difficult to defend against.

Kicking in open play was a scarcity at the start of the season, today there were probing kicks targeted at areas of space behind the defensive line. As with a quality offload it is a joy to be seen; the creativity and desire to try new things is evident.

The tackles were shuddering at times and not one player shied away from the challenge, even if the player they were tackling was twice their size.

Departing head coach Dean Blake, will be immensely proud of what his squad has achieved this season and the journey they have undertaken together in the five years since he took the job.

He has more than made his mark and can be proud that he’s handing over the reins to new head coach, Dave Woodcock, with a bright future ahead.

This will hurt, no doubt about that, but the squad now knows where the bar has been set.

All the plaudits in the world won’t take the pain of defeat away but there’s a great deal to be taken and learnt from a game like this.

To do it in just their second full season against a team as polished and well-rounded as Long Eaton is quite the achievement.