WATCHING your team score a last-minute try to seal their first back-to-back wins of the season would make most coaches happy – but not Damian Whales.

WATCHING your team score a last-minute try to seal their first back-to-back wins of the season would make most coaches happy – but not Damian Whales.

The Stags player-coach instead hit out at his team for not showing the killer instinct to dispatch visitors Leicester Vipers long before Doug Bentley’s last-gasp effort and Matt Durrant’s crucial conversion.

Despite dominating for long stretches, Stags let too many gilt-edged chances go to waste, and were almost made to pay.

Whales said: “Good sides punish inferior teams when they make mistakes. We didn’t do that on Saturday.

“Our team are all too happy to be one per cent better than our opponents.

“If we were 10 per cent better we would have won by 30 points or more.”

Stags went ahead early, and dominated territory and possession, yet failed to turn it into the hard currency of points.

Whales, whose side moved up to eight following the victory, added: “That was one of the weakest Vipers outfits I have seen, but we will take the win.”

Stags opened the scoring in the first minute with a penalty goal from Matt Durrant, who passed up a chance to double the advantage when he skewed wide from in front of the posts five minutes later.

Playing down the hill and with the wind behind them, Stags made all the first-half play, but time and again they let their visitors off the hook.

On numerous occasions Stags broke the Vipers defensive line but too often the last pass did not stick and tries went begging.

To emphasise Stags’ profligacy, on the one occasion the Vipers got out of their half they scored a try, and reached the break with a 5-3 lead.

Vipers were aided after the interval with numerous soft penalties, which allowed them to play the bulk of the half in Stags territory.

A penalty goal to Vipers around the hour mark extended their lead to 8-3, but penetrating runs from Selim Sheik and Chris Pape put pressure back on the visitors.

In the final minute, Stags won a penalty and took it quickly, allowing Dougy Bentley to crash over the line and level the scores at 8-8.

Despite concerns over it being a double movement, the referee awarded the try, and Durrant was left with the task of securing for Stags the win that their dominance had deserved.

He held his nerve and sent the conversion through the posts with the last kick of the game.

? STAGS will be showing coverage of the Six Nations clash between England and Wales at the clubhouse this Friday from 6.30pm.