Charlie Bargh and Laguna ‘Pita’ Fisiihoi grabbed a brace of tries apiece as Lincoln’s 3rd XV booked their place in the semi-finals of the NLD Junior Plate with a 34-5 home win over Mansfield.

David Beveridge and Max Adams also scored tries for Lincoln and captain Ryan Tinsley successfully slotted over two conversions.

Not only was it a fantastic result for Lincoln, but the match also showcased the strength of the club’s junior section with no fewer than seven Colts impressing in the third team - Stan Matthews, Finn Clements, Al Seaward, Max Cartwright, Zane Redfern, Bargh and Adams.

Before kick-off both sides came together and observed a minute’s silence in memory of Southwell Rugby Club player Jacob Hardwick who sadly passed away recently. It was a touching moment that showed the strength and unity of the rugby family.

Lincoln opened the scoring when their powerful Tongan forward Fisiihoi jumped to win the lineout and offloaded to Matthews. Matthews then passed to Seaward who carried the ball in before offloading to Bargh on his inside, who powered over for his first señor try for the club.

The hosts extended their lead when Daz Rorie collected an overthrown lineout at the back and carried the ball forward. The ball was then recycled to Beveridge and, after a ruck, Fisiihoi powered over for a try. Tinsley added the extras.

After pressure inside Lincoln’s 22, a pick and go from a ruck set up an unconverted try for Mansfield to cut the gap in the score to seven points.

Lincoln ended the first half strongly and, after a great turnover by Tinsley in his own half, Seaward carried to ball into contact. Seaward then offloaded the ball to Adams who ran 45 metres to score his first senior try for the club.

Tinsley slotted over the conversion to give Lincoln a 19-5 lead going in at the break.

Lincoln moved further in front shortly after kick-off when Beveridge turned over the ball in the middle of the park. After great work by Beveridge and Callum Houlden, the ball was offloaded to Bargh, who set set up Fisiihoi for a try in the corner.

After more good forward carries, club stalwart Beveridge dived over for a try to put Lincoln a step closer to the semi-final.

Lincoln were reduced to 14 players when captain Tinsley slipped and ended up head-on-head with a Mansfield player, leading to a yellow card.

However, that didn’t stop Lincoln from scoring another try on a great afternoon at Longdales Park. After Adams caught a lineout on the five metre line, a driving maul set up Bargh to power over for his second try to complete a fantastic day for Lincoln.

POST MATCH COMMENT

After the match Lincoln’s 3rd XV Team Manager Tom Wilson said: “A big thank you to Mansfield for travelling over. It was a competitive match played in great spirit.

“It was great to see several Colts stepping up into senior rugby again, and they all put in strong performances, and were able to learn from some club old boys.

“The lads were clinical and made the most of their chances, which proved the difference.

“We are looking forward to the semi-final of the cup on the 14th of March.”