The Chesterfield Panthers under 13s travelled to Scunthorpe for their first-ever NLD Cup match. With Scunthorpe known as a “rugby town,” the team anticipated a tough challenge—but rose to the occasion with grit, teamwork, and determination.

First Half Highlights:
The opening ten minutes were tightly contested, with both teams refusing to yield. From the outset, the Panthers displayed real intent—committing strongly at the ruck, contesting scrums with purpose, and working better together as a team with improved passing and communication.

The deadlock was broken following a Scunthorpe knock-on. From the resulting scrum—won convincingly by the Panthers—George R launched an attack, feeding Tylor who powered through to score the opening try. The breakthrough gave the Panthers a much-needed confidence boost, and they capitalised quickly. A Scunthorpe kick was scooped up by Enzo S, who passed to George R. A slick offload to Enzo H saw him sprint in for the second try.

The Panthers’ cohesion and speed into the rucks were impressive, and it wasn’t long before try number three followed. After winning a ruck, Elliott spotted a gap in the Scunthorpe defence and charged through to extend the lead.

Scunthorpe pressed on in their attempt to gain ground but Enzo H and Tobi both impressed with their tackling technique—consistently going low to target the legs and showing unwavering commitment to bringing down opponents, regardless of size.

The first half continued with the Panthers in control. A Scunthorpe kick-off was caught and carried forward, only to be met with a crunching tackle from Louis. Another Scunthorpe attack was halted by a strong challenge from Tobi, who then recovered a loose ball, sidestepped two defenders, and ran in the fourth try. The Panthers went into halftime with a commanding 20–0 lead.

Second Half Highlights:
The second half began just as strongly, with the Panthers continuing to dominate play. Every member of the team worked their rugby socks off, showing excellent cohesion and relentless energy. Rucks and scrums remained solid, and the backs moved the ball with confidence to gain ground.

Try number five came after George R gained possession and linked up with Enzo H, who passed to Elliott. With great support and timing, Elliott finished the move to add more points to the board.

A George R rip of the ball from a Scunthorpe attacker kick-started the next try, with Josh and Rex combining well before Tylor ran it in for his second and the team’s sixth try. Two more tries followed—one after the Panthers won a scrum, with Ben at scrum-half passing to fly-half Archie, who offloaded to Tylor for his hat trick. Try eight came from Freddie, who, following the Panthers’ restart, made a strong tackle on a Scunthorpe player, intercepted the ball, and ran it over the try line.

A decisive 40–0 scoreline at this point reflected the Panthers’ dominance in both attack and defence. The home side continued to battle and managed to get three tries back in the final ten minutes, the Panthers’ fitness understandably waning after their commanding performance.

Final Thoughts:
A historic and memorable performance from the Panthers in their NLD Cup debut. The team showed composure, teamwork, and a growing confidence that bodes well for the rest of the competition.

Key takeaways include:

• Strong start and early dominance in key areas
• Excellent support play and quick reactions at the ruck
• Much improved communication across the pitch, especially in defence and during set pieces

Areas to develop:

• Maintaining intensity across both halves
• Continuing to build on defensive structure and communication
• Tackling lower and with more commitment to reduce missed tackles

Man of the Match: George Ratcliffe

Playing at number 8, George had an impressive game from both a defensive and attacking standpoint. He worked tirelessly with the forwards to disrupt Scunthorpe’s momentum, made key tackles, and consistently gained ground in attack.