After losing the physical battle in the first half against an Ampthill side that were looking to record their first home victory since October, Nottingham rallied well in the second period to get their noses in front as the game entered its final quarter. However, the sending off of Jack Shine with fifteen minutes remaining turned the tide decisively in the home side’s favour and the Archers were left with just a try bonus point and a burgeoning injury list to take with them back up the M1.
Winger Harry Graham described the emotions at the end of a bruising encounter: “We’re bitterly disappointed by that. They’re a good team, very physical and they deserved it. The boys worked really hard but there were a few yellow cards that are within our control and a few injuries that weren’t.”
Nottingham struck within 25 seconds of the start of the match. Ampthill muffed the opening kick off, the Archers picked up the loose ball, worked it wide to Kegan Christian-Goss and he crossed in the right hand corner. Matthew Arden’s conversion from the touchline went narrowly wide right.
Ampthill nearly hit back immediately but were held up as they reached for the line. The hosts kept up the pressure, however, and scored 15 unanswered points in the first 15 minutes. After Jack Shine had gone to the bin for a dangerous clear out, the home side loaded their lineout and pushed over Rhys Marshall to level the scores.
Josh Barton edged Ampthill ahead with a penalty after Nottingham were pinged for wheeling the scrum. Barton then extended his side’s lead when he intercepted an Arden pass inside while attempting to clear up a long kick and subsequently converted his own try.
It wasn’t until midway through the half that Nottingham managed to get any meaningful possession in Ampthill territory. With a penalty 10 metres out in front of the posts the Archers opted for the tap and, after a series of pick and goes, an advancing Jack Stapley bounced like a pinball between two Ampthill defenders to score.
The home side soon restored their ten point lead, however, as number eight Tino Mapapalangi scored following a Nottingham lineout on the 22 that was not straight. Just over five minutes later Marshall drove over to score his second in an almost identical position.
With time running out in the first half Josh Goodwin cutely won an offside penalty on halfway. He took a quick tap, broke through the Ampthill backfield and released Arden to run it in from 20 metres. He converted his own try to make the half time score Ampthill 29-19 Nottingham.
Nottingham had the upper hand in the opening exchanges in the second half as they started to exhibit their trademark brand of free-flowing rugby. Graham described the instructions from coach Craig Hammond at the interval: “He told us to stick to our processes because we know we’re a good side. We were fourth in the table coming into today so we know what we can do. We just needed to come out and put it down because in the first half we weren’t quite there.”
With Mapapalangi yellow carded Ampthill put up some resolute goal-line defence but the Archers were able to reduce the arrears through the boot of Arden.
On 54 minutes, Nottingham were back within two after lovely fast hands by James Cherry, amongst others, released Harry Graham wide on the left to cross near the corner. Arden couldn’t convert.
Not long afterwards Nottingham were in front for the first time since the eighth minute. As the hosts attempted to run it out of their 22, a dominant tackle by the Archers led to a loose ball that was fed to Graham to repeat his try-scoring act. While pleased to be on the scoresheet, the winger commended his teammates’ efforts “I was happy to help us get back into it but it was the boys inside me that did the work, I only needed to run them in.”
Nottingham had to play the final 14 minutes with only 14 men after Shine received his second yellow card. Ampthill made the extra man count by finding space wide left to run in their first score of the second half with just over 10 minutes remaining. Barton added the extras to put the hosts back in front by four.
And in the final two minutes, as Mason Cullen looked bound to score, Will Yarnell tried to prevent him crossing the whitewash by way of a no arms tackle that resulted in a penalty try and Nottingham down to 13. The Archers battled in vain to rescue a losing bonus point, with the hosts ultimately running out 43-32 winners.