Lydney 84 Stevenage Town 8 There was some honour in defeat for the Stags in this cup mauling. Town were handed the prestige of playing in the EDF Energy National Trophy, rugby s equivalent of the FA Cup, having reached the final of the county cup at the e

Lydney 84 Stevenage Town 8

There was some honour in defeat for the Stags in this cup mauling.

Town were handed the prestige of playing in the EDF Energy National Trophy, rugby's equivalent of the FA Cup, having reached the final of the county cup at the end of last season.

Stags visited Lydney, three leagues higher, and top of the table after winning against most of their National League opponents by an average of 40 points.

The task was huge but Stags took to it manfully from the start.

Their heroic defensive line broke after torrid tackling practice as the Lydney all stars broke through.

However the Stags front row had their own masterclass to demonstrate to a startled Lydney trio, as Stevenage dominated the set piece all day.

This possession provided the back row the platform to set up second and third phase ball, often providing sniping runs for the second row.

Occasional excursions into the Lydney half gave the Stags the reward of a penalty kick at goal, scored by Gareth Lewis.

Alex Willcox scored a try in the corner for a Stevenage consolation.

The tie ended in a thumping 84-8 defeat which simply did not reflect their effort or application.