A summary of the 2008-2009 league season
This page summarizes the league games involving Cornish clubs in National League 1, National League 2, and SW2 (W) that have taken place so far this season. (There are no Cornish clubs in National League 3 South or SW1 this season.)
Cornish Pirates' head coach Mark Hewitt insists there is still "plenty to work on", despite seeing his side kick off their National One campaign with a 48-5 victory over Newbury at the Recreation Ground.
Although content with large parts of his side's showing, Hewitt knows the Pirates could – and should – have inflicted a much heavier beating on the Blues.
Seven tries on your first run-out of the new season is without doubt a healthy return, but at least six more scoring opportunities were squandered by Hewitt's side.
"We got five points, so that was pleasing," said Hewitt at the final whistle. "There are, however, lots of little areas we can work on. We probably blew four or five opportunities in the first half, so that was a little disappointing.
"That said, lots of things worked well and let's give credit to Newbury as well because they didn't give up. They played for the full 80. As I said, we're pleased with the five points, but there is plenty to work on."
That fine tuning work will begin in earnest over this coming week as the Cornish club will ready themselves for action at Coventry this Saturday.
"I watched Coventry at Plymouth on Saturday and they are another team, like Newbury, who have gone through a bit of turmoil over the summer," added Hewitt.
"They made Albion work very hard and they'll be competitive. For sure next week will be a lot sterner test for us, but if we are patient then we should be able to go up there and get the correct result."
Ahead of kick-off yesterday, Hewitt was forced to make a late change to his starting line-up when summer signing Aisea Havili was forced to drop out because of injury.
With the Tongan international sidelined, Rhodri McAtee was promoted from the bench and the Welshman did not disappoint as he turned in a highly impressive display on the right wing.
It was, however, fly-half Doug Sanft who set the ball rolling for the home side as he struck a seventh-minute penalty to break the game's deadlock .
Four minutes later and the Pirates were adding to their tally with the first of their seven tries. A line-out on the right touchline saw the ball worked along the line to Winnan, whose burst created a yawning gap in the Newbury defence.
As the cover closed on Winnan, the Pirates' skipper cleverly chipped the ball back inside for winger Marika Vakacegu to collect and dot down for the try.
Further chances came and went for the home side, before they finally added a second try on 33 minutes through French powerhouse Bertrand Bedes.
The imposing No.8 – who scored tries in the pre-season games against both Redruth and Almaviva Capitolina – picked up from the base of a five-metre scrum before easily brushing aside the attentions of Newbury fly-half Gareth Griffiths to touchdown.
The score signalled the now obligatory blast of 'La Marseillaise', whilst Sanft added to Newbury's misery by bagging the conversion to make the score 17-0.
Although down, Newbury were far from beaten and straight from the restart they hit their Cornish hosts with a clever counter-attack, which saw Griffiths send an inch-perfect grubber kick in behind the home defence for winger Matt Humphries to dive on in the left-hand corner. Sadly, that would be Newbury's one and only joy for the afternoon as the Pirates underlined their superiority either side of the break.
Former Newbury flanker Morgan added a second converted try on the stroke of half-time, before McAtee got the all-important fourth score on 54 minutes when he jetted in off the wing to finish off a slick move from the home backs.
With the five points assured, the Pirates used the final quarter of the game to rub salt into Newbury's already gaping wounds.
Another scything McAtee break helped lay the foundations from which the Pirates recycled another attack at pace to send replacement hooker Darren Dawiduik over in the right corner to make it 36-5.
Winnan bombed another certain try on 64 minutes, before the home side wrapped proceedings up with late efforts from James Moore and Winnan, the latter of which was converted by Moore.
All in all it was a sound start for Hewitt's men, but the Pirates are well aware they will face much stormier seas in the coming weeks.
Redruth thrilled their supporters with a well deserved win over one of the pre-season favourites for promotion to National League 1 -- Birmingham & Solihull Bees, one of the fully professional teams in the league this season -- getting their season off to the best possible start.
There were many in the Redruth side who caught the eye, none more so than winger Nathan Pedley, who helped himself to four tries in a man-of-the-match performance. Pedley, who has fought his way back to fitness after injury last season, was quick to play tribute to his team mates, especially full back Rob Thirlby whose pace helped create three of Pedley's tries. The former England 7's star was back to his brilliant best; he gratefully took the opportunities that came his way as the visitors persisted at kicking the ball towards him, to launch rapier like counter-attacks, linking up time and again with wingers Pedley and Lewis Vinnicombe, creating havoc in the visitors' defence. The Bees persisted with the tactic, eventually paying a heavy price for it!
The forwards also shone: the front row of Darren Jacques, Owen Hambly and Ashley Morcom helped secure the platform and a steady stream of possession at the set piece, with the confidence to go forward in the loose play as well. It was good to see James Mann back in the side at No. 8 after his long-term injury problem; he also shone on the day.
Redruth kicked-off playing up the slope, taking the game to the visitors. However, they had an early blow when second row Richard Carroll was injured after only 3 minutes. Despite returning after treatment Carroll was eventually forced to retire, Neil Corin taking his place.
Redruth got the early score they sought as fly-half Mark Scrivener landed a drop goal, via an up-right, after 5 minutes. It got better, when 2 minutes later scrum-half Mark Richards was on hand to score the Reds' opening try following a powerful drive from a line out in the scoreboard corner. Scrivener couldn't add the conversion.
Stung by the Reds' bright start the Bees stormed back, earning a penalty, which former Doncaster Knights fly-half Mark Woodrow kicked to pull back 3 points. The game ebbed and flowed one way and then the other as both sides looked for an opening, Richards clever kicks time and again earning the Reds promising positions to attack. From one of these the Reds were awarded a penalty after a Bees player was penalised for dangerous use of the boot. Scrivener's attempt sailed towards the posts as the Bees' players stood seemingly transfixed, the ball cannoned off an up-right back into play, to be gleefully gathered by Pedley, who had followed up to score the Reds' second try of the game to thunderous cheers from the home crowd; Scrivener's conversion giving the home side a 15-3 lead after 24 minutes.
The visitors pressed until half-time and were rewarded with a couple more penalties, kicked by Woodrow, to leave the Reds 15-9 up at the break
The Bees started the second half in a determined mood. However, the Reds' defence held firm under the tough examination. Indeed it was the home side who stretched their lead after 48 minutes when they turned the ball over near their own line to launch a blistering counter-attack through Thirlby, leading to Pedley scoring his second try of the match in the Piggy Lane corner to put the Reds 20-9 up. Redruth then rammed home their advantage as Pedley scored his third and fourth tries of the afternoon, with Scrivener adding a conversion to put the home side in what appeared a commanding position of 32-9 up with only 15 minutes left to play.
To their credit the Bees never let their heads drop, scoring three tries in that period through winger Simon Hunt, lock Ed Orgee and full back Reece Spee, Woodrow kicking two of the conversions. Suddenly the Bees were in touching distance at 32-28 as the game slipped into time added on. Home nerves were calmed as Scrivener kicked a penalty to confirm the Reds' opening day success.
A delighted Nigel Hambly was pleased with his side's opening day performance, especially against a full-time outfit like the Bees. He was full of praise for his team's defensive display when they were under the cosh and had to tough it out; equally that they took their chances to score when they came along. Hambly also paid tribute to the crowd's support. He will now focus on next Saturday's "Cornish derby" down at the Mennaye, when Redruth take on Mount's Bay it what is sure to be a pulsating encounter.
Redruth 35 pts: Tries Pedley (4), Richards; Conversions Scrivener (2); Penalty Scrivener; Drop-goal Scrivener.
Birmingham & Solihull Bees 28 pts: Tries Hunt, Orgee, Spee; Conversions Woodrow (2); Penalties Woodrow (3).
Redruth: R. Thirlby, L. Vinnicombe, C. Bonds (P. Thirlby 51), PJ Gidlow (capt, B. Priddey 68-72), N. Pedley, M. Scrivener, M. Richards; D. Jacques, O. Hambly, A. Morcom (P. Joyce 49), R. Carroll (N. Corin 3-11, 30), L. Collins, N. Pascoe (B, Priddey 80), C. Fuca, J. Mann (D. Roberts 58).
Birmingham & Solihull Bees: R. Spee, S. Hunt, S. Young, C. Mitchell, J. Aston (M. Culpin 78), M. Woodrow, S. Brown (R. Petty 66); M. Long (A. Lawrence 77), B. Phillips (T. Collett 66), C. Voisey, A. Davidson, E. Orgee, R. Connolly (capt), J. Preece (J. Jenner 36), R. Earnshaw.
Referee, Mr. N. Higginson (RFU)
When Cornish Pirates' captain Adryan Winnan stated during pre-season: "I never again want to come off a pitch having lost because we have played poorly" he probably did not expect his resolve to be tested quite so soon into the new campaign.
You cannot blame Winnan for this dire National League One performance by the Pirates in the mud bath which passed for the Butts Park Arena and you certainly cannot blame the thoroughly unseasonal elements for they were the same for both teams.
But this unexpected reverse against the kind of side which head coach Mark Hewitt has repeatedly warned must stop was nothing short of an embarrassment as they now focus on a huge clash with Exeter Chiefs next Sunday.
Afterwards Hewitt said: "We set our stall out to come away and not lose this type of game. Fair play to Coventry, they played the conditions far better than us. We went out there in the first half and the players did not execute what we had set out to do so consequently we ended up chasing the game after the break. They scored a late try off an interception because we were chasing the game but we should never have been in that position.
"We turned the ball over too often, played in the wrong areas and played into their hands effectively. We were very naive and a few players need to be accountable for their actions."
Indeed in a game in which very little happened it was a surprise that the Pirates suffered their first "nil" since the infamous 56-0 drubbing at Brickfields against Plymouth Albion in April 2004. The contest for the most part was marked with frequent and aimless aerial bombardments punctuated with futile foot races to secure small tracts of territory. This coupled with protracted hand to hand struggles in midfield did little other than run down the clock and frustrate the referee – Mark Wilson.
After a bright opening five minutes for the visitors Coventry edged ahead in the tenth minute as centre Ronnie McLean-Dents slotted a routine 20-metre penalty between the posts. The Pirates were handed an immediate opportunity to respond as Coventry were penalised for an offence on the floor but Samoan fly-half Doug Sanft wasted his kick from a similar distance, drifting it wide of the far post.
McLean-Dents increased his team's lead mid-way through the half with another penalty as Bruce Cumming strayed offside and with the Pirates struggling to string together any coherent phases of meaningful possession, it took them until three minutes from the break to seriously threaten the Coventry line. Only an unfortunate knock-on by scrum-half Nicky Griffiths denied a rampage to the posts inspired by Sam Heard and Heino Senekal.
The Pirates attempted to up the pace after the break, but Jimmy Moore, on as a replacement for the injured Rhodri McAtee, missed a second penalty attempt for the team.
Despite near total dominance in the line-out, where Senekal, Ben Gulliver and Bertrand Bedes reigned supreme, and a scrum only ever troubled by the whistle of Wilson, the frustrated Cornishmen were unable to gain the upper hand.
Wasteful tactical kicking by Griffiths prompted his replacement, whilst Sanft never managed to put distance on his kicks during a performance he will want to forget. And with eight minutes to go McLean-Dents completed his hat-trick of penalties with a 30-metre effort.
In a last desperate finale the Pirates went for broke but were held at arms length by a determined home side. Myles Dorrian's interception try deep into stoppage time as the Pirates counter-attacked from their own 22, simply rubbed more salt into the wound and McLean-Dents' conversion with the final kick of the match put the lid on a thoroughly forgettable performance from the Cornish Pirates.
Their big weapon, a super-charged pack, did the business in Essex, giving the All Blacks the best possible start to their season in National Division Two – a five-point win.
Joint head coach, Chris Brown, said: "We got the bonus point – that is very pleasing. I feel that the game was won in the pack, where we had control of the set-pieces and of the ball and that gave us the platform for attack.
"The conditions were very difficult, it was very windy, so we knew that if we could play the conditions and hold on to the ball, we would take points. I knew the conditions were not conducive to running rugby.
"There were some very good performances, not the least from No.8 Mike Myerscough, who had his best game for the club and was dynamic in the loose, in his ball-carrying and in the line-out. And the debutants too played well – hooker Glenn Cooper, centre Mal Roberts and fly-half Adam Staniforth."
The visitors looked to have the match sewn up by half-time when they led 20-5, but in the second period with the wind against them and Southend desperate to come back and trying to run the ball, the All Blacks saw their advantage whittled down to five points with just minutes to go.
Then almost on time they launched the crucial attack – a penalty kick to touch, a line-out won by lock Steve Pape, the ball spun out to the backs and replacement flanker Josh Lord waiting wide out. When wing Marc Dibble fed him, he crossed in the corner to increase his side's lead to ten points.
Southend did manage a long-distance, injury-time penalty goal from fly-half Ben McKeith but the final whistle sounded straight after and the All Blacks had a valuable win in the bag.
The Cornish pack were soon in familiar rolling, rumbling, recycling mode, but it was the Essex boys who opened the scoring, with an 18th-minute try from wing Mark Billings after a recycled move.
The All Blacks hit back immediately, driving upfield to allow Staniforth to slot a good penalty. Seven minutes on and the visitors had stretched their lead to 10-5, the forwards driving a good 35 metres constantly recycling to send in flanker Sam Hocking for Staniforth to add the extras.
In a match littered with penalty awards, Staniforth landed his second, and just before the break Myerscough scored. The pack drove 25 metres to the line, for the No.8 to touch down. Staniforth kicked the conversion and at half-time the All Blacks had a useful 15-point advantage – despite Myerscough (backchat) and lock Tim Collier (illegal use of foot) having earned yellow cards.
Home full-back Andrew Frost landed a simple penalty early in the second half but the game was then stalemated for 20 minutes before the Cornish moved further in front. Their pack now looked to be on top and they mounted yet another unstoppable recycling drive.
Within striking distance, the ball was released wide and the astute Lord was waiting to round things off with a try in the corner. There was no conversion but the All Blacks led 25-8 with ten minutes left.
Southend gave their visitors a late fright, aided by a lot of wind-assisted possession, and their replacement wing Danny Cleare crossed on the end of a backs move. Frost converted and the hosts seemed to be getting on top.
With three minutes left on the clock Southend played the All Blacks at their own game and drove strongly forward, recycling, and No.8 Tim Stannard went over, so there were just five points in it.
The All Blacks realised their victory was under threat and decidedly reimposed their dominance with Lord's second try.
Mounts Bay endured a rare losing start to the season as their Division Two debut ended in defeat, 14-7 at distant Tynedale.
The Bay endured an exhausting ten-hour drive to the far north east corner of the realm, and then took on their newly-promoted counterparts in atrocious conditions, where the elements tended to favour the hosts when it mattered.
Tynedale were indebted to a freak bounce of the ball out of a puddle for their first try and took advantage of a slip by the Bay cover for their second before the Cornishmen mauled over for a try of their own late on to at least gain a bonus point for their troubles.
"It was the same for both teams but their tries were fortunate and I would like to think that on a drier day we would have beaten them. I know we will have harder games than this," said head coach Adrian Bick.
"It was frustrating in the conditions and there were a lot of mistakes but we're on a learning curve," added Bick. "Some of the boys have only lost two or three times playing for Mounts Bay so it's a winning culture and we've maybe got to get into a different mindset."
Tynedale scored first on 23 minutes when an innocuous kick ahead barely bounced out of the sodden pitch, wrong-footing onrushing Bay full-back Josh Matavesi and allowing winger Robert Miller to hack on and win the race for the line. Rob Miller converted to give the home side a 7-0 lead going into the second half, with the rain getting heavier by the minute.
The Cornish forwards had been more than a match for a meaty home pack but their early dominance after the break counted for nothing when Miller scored on 53 minutes after new boy Dan Hawkes slipped in the tackle, allowing the Tynedale full-back to skip over from ten metres.
Mounts Bay got their bonus-point try with minutes remaining after flanker Steve Dyer claimed the first touch as the Cornish packed rumbled over the line for Hawkes to convert.
Bick accepts that his side's failure to adapt to the conditions contributed to defeat against a side that seldom looked worth their seven-point margin of victory.
He said: "We should have kept the ball and played the phases but at the same time, Tynedale may also have thought they didn't perform because of the conditions."
The Penzance club face another 1,000 mile round-trip in October when they travel to Blaydon but before then face tough matches against Birmingham and Stourbridge after next week's historic showdown with Cornish rivals Redruth.
"That will be a massive game for us, with personal battles between people who know one another. It's going to be interesting," said Bick.
Played in glorious late summer sunshine on an excellent playing surface in front of a good-sized crowd, the first of this season's "Cornish Derbies" went the way of the visitors, Redruth, who travel the short distance back up the A.30 with all five league points safely secured. Mounts Bay will have been left in no doubt, as they probably already realise, that this season is likely to be about survival as they come to terms with life in National League 2.
One of the main areas giving Mounts Bay cause for concern is their lineout, as coach Adrian Bick readily acknowledged after the match, having lost as many as seven line outs during the first half before finally securing some ball after nearly 37 minutes! However, he was much happier with his side's scrumaging, as he should be with his scrum-half Greg Goodfellow, as well as his back three Josh Matavesi, Mika Mua and Billy Harriss, who when given ball are a potent threat to any side.
Also of concern will be the penalty count his side conceded during the match. Mounts Bay will no doubt have a good look at the video this week and then seek to re-group as they travel to Stourbridge for next Saturday's league match, another side to have lost their opening two matches.
It was perhaps an omen of things to come as fly-half Dan Hawkes' kick-off failed to go the required ten meters, immediately handing the advantage to Redruth. The visitors were soon on the attack deep in the Bay 22 as scrum-half Mark Richards found a good touch in the clubhouse corner. Bay's hooker Danny Clackworthy's throw failed to find his man. Redruth snaffled the ball, moving it out wide at pace, allowing full back Rob Thirlby to come into the line and score in the scoreboard corner the Reds' first try after only 2 minutes, Scrivener's excellent touchline conversion adding the extras.
Mounts Bay, urged on by the home support, tore into the Reds from the re-start, though play remained largely scrappy, as both sides were guilty of errors. Eventually the home side were awarded a penalty after 9 minutes as Redruth failed to stay on their feet at a ruck. Unfortunately for Mounts Bay, Hawkes' effort re-bounded from a post and Redruth cleared their lines.
Redruth suffered a setback when winger Lewis Vinnicombe was forced to leave the field, having suffered a knock to his head after 18 minutes. Mounts Bay continued to concede further penalties, with Scrivener increasing the Reds' lead to 13-0 after 29 minutes. Mounts Bay finally got on the board after 31 minutes when Redruth again went off their feet, Hawkes kicking the penalty. Almost from the re-start Redruth upped the pace and struck, a break by Scrivener, who found skipper PJ Gidlow bursting up through the middle before off loading to fellow centre Craig Bonds, who scored under Bay's posts. Scrivener's conversion put Redruth 20-3 up.
Yet again Mounts Bay tore into the visitors with Ben Hilton claiming the re-start ball and charging towards the Reds' 22, but errors again stifled Bay's attack. At long last Mounts Bay started to get some joy in the lineout, especially through flanker Brett Stroud. There was some recompense before half-time for Mounts Bay as Hawkes kicked a second penalty to leave his side trailing 20-6 at the break.
It didn't get any better for Mounts Bay early in the second half as Redruth extended their lead with Scrivener kicking his third penalty as Mounts Bay were guilty of not rolling away from the tackle area. Hawkes' mixed day with the boot, as with much of his play, continued as another penalty attempt sailed wide of the posts after 47 minutes.
Redruth appeared to switch off momentarily as Bay's Scottish scrum-half Greg Goodfellow, who had a fine match and was deservedly named Bay's man-of-the-match, carved a great line through the Reds' defence to create a try for winger Mika Mua on 51 minutes. Hawkes' conversion gave the home support hope of a possible comeback.
Stung by the score, Redruth upped the pace. However, handling errors continued to blight the Reds' domination. Their task was made slightly easier as Mounts Bay's prop Tim Mathias was yellow carded on 58 minutes as Mr. Gammage's patience finally ran out.
Both sides brought on bench players to freshen up their attacking options. Paul Thirlby thought he was in at the Newlyn Gate corner, only to be brought back for going into touch.
With the return of Mathias Bay chipped away at the Reds' lead with a third Hawkes' penalty after 73 minutes to trail by just 23-16.
Any worries that the Redruth supporters had that their team would throw away the result were quickly smoothed as their side ran in two tries in the last few minutes: first Paul Thirlby, this time making sure of a try in the Newlyn Gate corner which Scrivener converted, before scrum-half Mark Richards made a blindside break following a scrum down in the same corner to score his side's fourth try, thus securing the all-important bonus point.
Reds' coach Nigel Hambly was a reasonably happy man with his side's second win of the season, although he was disappointed at the number of chances (at least six, he felt) that his side had "bombed". He felt that his side hadn't reached the heights that they had set themselves, and was disappointed with the try they conceded. It's a measure of the standards that Redruth have set themselves this season that, despite taking maximum points from their opening two league games, they feel that they can perform even better.
Next up for the Reds, Blaydon make the long trip down to the Recreation Ground. They too have won both their opening games and taken maximum points, so something will have to give next Saturday.
Mounts Bay 16 pts: try Mua; conversion Hawkes; penalties Hawkes (3).
Yellow Card Mathias 58 minutes.
Redruth 35 pts: tries Rob Thirlby, Bonds, Paul Thirlby, Richards; conversions Scrivener (3); penalties Scrivener (3).
Mounts Bay: J. Matavesi, B. Harriss, S. Parsons, A. Birkett (C. McCrae 61), M. Mua, D. Hawkes, G. Goodfellow (M. Malloy 77); T. Mathias, D. Clackworthy (B. Taylor 70), B. Pow, B. Hilton, J. Griffiths (capt), B. Stroud, S. Dyer (A. Filde 62-68, D. Seymour 77), F. Cliverd.
Redruth: R. Thirlby, L. Vinnicombe (P. Thirlby 18), C. Bonds, PJ Gidlow
(capt,), N. Pedley, M. Scrivener, M. Richards; D. Jacques (A. Morcom 77), O.
Hambly, P. Joyce, R. Carroll (D. Cook 70), L. Collins, N. Pascoe (N. Corin 70),
C. Fuca, J. Mann.
Replacement not used: B. Priddey.
Referee Mr. D. Gammage (RFU)
The Cornish All Blacks maintained a perfect start to their National Division Two season with a four-try 22-20 victory over Cinderford, but joint head coach Jon Hill realises they must up their game if they are to win through tougher challenges ahead.
The All Blacks found themselves 10 points behind within 15 minutes at Polson Bridge, but the home side accelerated into a 12-point lead with four tries in the middle third of the match through Mike Myerscough, Tony Roques, Mal Roberts and Tim Collier, with one Jon Fabian conversion.
However, two late tries from the visitors set up a nervy end to a game that appeared to be in the bag just past the hour mark as Cinderford came close to punishing the All Blacks for a series of missed opportunities.
Hill said: "We caused problems for ourselves through some sloppy errors, some quite strange decisions when we had numbers. But at the end of the day, if you can play that badly and still get five league points our supporters would accept that every time – although as coaches it's hard to take.
"When we raised the intensity and had a quick and effective breakdown we blasted them and they couldn't live with it. There's plenty of things to work on but we'll take the five points knowing we can be a better side than that. The schoolmaster's report will be that we could do better."
Cinderford, in contrast, took their chances well and began the scoring when centre Tim Stevenson slipped through the All Blacks' line for a try converted by winger Danny Trigg.
Trigg then extended their lead in the 15th minute with a 30-yard penalty moments after fly-half Adam Staniforth missed a similar opportunity for the hosts.
However, a turning point arrived in the 25th minute when prop Andy Deacon was shown a yellow card for killing the ball. Roberts exploited the extra space with a piercing run from midfield, with Myerscough eventually finishing after the ball arrived through further good play from Staniforth and full-back Fabian.
And just as Cinderford got 15 men back on the pitch after the interval, lock Rob Fidler was sent to the sin bin, again for killing the ball. Ten minutes of All Blacks' pressure was finally converted into points when Roques crossed after following up Fabian's superb run for the line to the right of the posts.
Staniforth was unable to convert, but more points soon followed as the All Blacks camped near the Cinderford try-line. A third home try arrived when Roberts found a rare gap through to the line for a try skilfully converted by Fabian from the touchline.
The bonus point was won when Collier forced his way over after Roques had won line-out ball in the far right corner for another unconverted try.
However, the jitters started when Paul Knight brought a try back for Cinderford moments later. And the situation was compounded when home skipper Keith Brooking was ordered off for having hands in the ruck.
Replacement George Evans later finished a fine Cinderford move in the left corner, leaving Freddie Burns a tricky pressure kick to level the scores.
Fortunately for the Cornish side, that kick floated wide and the points were secured. And although Hill was impressed by the endeavour of both sides, he hopes to see his own side develop a more clinical edge in the coming weeks.
He said: "Cinderford were a good side, they were well drilled and played the percentages, but we made them look better than they were. Fair play, they exploited us at times. They deserve more than one league point but we could have killed them off if we'd been more successful kicking at goal. We've missed out on nine points which would have put us in the clear, and if the other missed opportunities had been taken, the scoreline would have been very different. We showed a lot of guts and endeavour throughout the game, it was just our poor execution at times."
Mike Myerscough stretches to score the first All Black try. Photo by Paul Farrington/Fishnik.com.
At half-time on Sunday I was sure I could hear the sharpening of cutlasses' down in the Pirates' dressing room, whether it was coach Mark Hewitt preparing his side to walk the collective plank or the crowd about to mutiny, whatever was said appeared to have desired effect to bring about (almost) a remarkable turnaround.
It looked pretty dire for the Pirates. Trailing their visitors by 22-3, it seemed that the home side had not fully digested the manner of their defeat at Coventry the previous Saturday. The second half performance apart, it looks as though coach Mark Hewitt is going to have to re-think the role of his principal play-maker -- on yesterday's performance Doug Snaft looks short on confidence in another less than average display. The Pirates mid-field had trouble dealing with the Chiefs inside-centre Matt Cornwall, who sliced through the cover at times with alarming ease, only last ditch cover saving the day. Under such pressure the Pirates infringed, allowing former Camborne favourite Gareth Steenson six successful penalties to add to his two conversions for a 22-point haul on his return to Cornwall. To cap it all the Chiefs have probably got the deadliest finisher in the league in winger Josh Drauniniu: once again yesterday he exhibited his silken skills.
After initial domination by Exeter during the opening moments the Pirates earned a penalty after 6 minutes about 40 meters out, but Snaft got under the ball and his effort fell well short of the sticks. Exeter were soon back down field attacking towards the score board corner. An Exeter penalty was reversed as another former Pirate flanker Chris Cracknell was reprimanded for illegal use of the boot.
The deadlock was broken after 16 minutes with Steenson's first successful penalty kick after Pirates' centre Paul Devlin was caught holding on. The Irishman doubled the score seven minutes later with his second penalty. Three minutes later, Cornwall once again broke the line, slipping the pass to his on-rushing full-back Sean Marsden who scored the Chiefs' first try to the right of the posts. Steenson was on target with the extras and the Chiefs had daylight on the scoreboard at 13-0. Steenson added a third penalty before Snaft finally succeeded with a penalty from in front of the Exeter posts after 33 minutes. However, it was the Devonians who through Steenson with his fourth and fifth penalties headed for the changing rooms 22-3 to the good.
Steenson missed with an early penalty chance at the beginning of the second half, before Snaft managed to double the Pirates' score with his second penalty on 46 minutes. The Pirates changed their flankers with Matt Evans and Chris Morgan making way for Bruce Cumming and Iva Motusaga.
The Pirates began to lift their game as the Chiefs came increasingly under pressure. A catch-and-drive in the clubhouse corner saw the Pirates rumble towards the line, with Motusaga crashing over for the try on 55 minutes. Snaft's conversion gave the crowd hope as they roared their side on. Further Pirates' pressure saw Exeter's skipper No. 8 Richard Baxter sent to the bin for deliberately slowing the ball at the tuck. Snaft slotted the resultant penalty and the Pirates were within striking distance at 22-16.
The Pirates then saw a promising attacking scrum in front of the Chiefs posts lost as defending scrum-half Kevin Barrett desperately kicked the ball out from the base of the scrum. Pirates No.8, Frenchman Bertrand Bédès, looked open mouthed at Mr. Kitt, who incredibly waved play on. "Merde alors!"
Rankled, the Pirates sensed their prey as they drove remorselessly at the Chiefs, especially Bédès who tore into the Chiefs as he gave a man-of-the-match performance with his powerful drives. The Pirates got a penalty following a dangerous tackle on one of their players, which should have seen the Exeter player expelled from the field. Another lineout in the clubhouse corner saw the ball moved infield before Motusaga powered over to score his second try of the afternoon. After Snaft's conversion suddenly with just over five minutes to play the Pirates led 23-22.
Hopes of an improbable win lasted barely a few minutes as Cornwall picked up a loose ball, finding Drauniniu tearing down the touchline as he brushed aside the tackles to score in the park gate corner of the ground. Steenson's conversion together with a penalty left the Pirates with nothing from a remarkable second-half showing. If only they could have played like that in the first half!
The Pirates now face a long trip up to Yorkshire when they take on promoted side Otley next Saturday, looking for a performance and a result to get their season back on track.
Cornish Pirates: A. Winnan (capt, R. McAtee 80), M. Vakacegu, P. Devlin,
T. Luke (S. Winn 62), A. Havili, D. Snaft, E. Fairhurst, A. Paver, R. Elloway
(D. Dawiduik 67), S. Heard (D. Seal 44), H. Senekal, B. Gulliver, M. Evans (I.
Motusaga 21-28, B. Cumming 44), C. Morgan (I. Motusaga 51), B.
Bédès.
Replacement not used: N. Griffiths.
Pirates' scores: tries Motusaga (2); conversions Snaft (2); penalties Snaft (3).
Exeter fly-half Gareth Steenson kicked his former club into touch as his 22-point haul helped the Chiefs to a hard-fought 32-23 victory over the Cornish Pirates.
On his first return to Camborne's Recreation Ground following his move east this summer, the Irishman plundered six penalties and converted tries from Sean Marsden and Josh Drauniniu to ensure the Devon club got back to winning ways following their home defeat to Leeds a week ago.
The Chiefs, though, were made to sweat as their Duchy hosts turned around a 22-3 half-time deficit to lead 23-22 with just seven minutes remaining. However, no sooner had the Pirates brought themselves back into contention, they shot themselves in the foot as a missed tackle by skipper Adryan Winnan allowed Fijian flyer Drauniniu in for a match-winning score.
Steenson banged over the extras to that score, plus a late penalty, to thwart his former employers from a deserved bonus point.
Understandably, Chiefs' Director of Rugby, Pete Drewett, was thrilled with the outcome of yesterday's derby tussle. He said: "This is my third season at the club and every game we've had against the Pirates is always a cracker.
"You would have thought after that first half we had an element of control, but you have to give great credit to the Pirates. They know this pitch very well, they played intelligent rugby, and they got back into the game and were winning by a point. What a game!
"Their ball retention was very good in the second half. They maintained possession and put us under real pressure. Every time we got the ball back we gave it away too easily, so it was only when we got more control and started playing more sensibly that we got the try, which in the end was crucial."
Drewett hailed Drauniniu's late touchdown, adding: "Josh can make something out of nothing. You can hear the crowd thinking that nothing is going to happen, but then a moment later he's run 30 metres, beaten three people and scored a try. He's a special talent."
But whilst Drewett and the Chiefs were left to celebrate a memorable victory, opposite number Mark Hewitt bemoaned a disappointing opening 40 in which his side were simply not at the races.
Had the Pirates played like they did in the second period for just part of the opening half, then Hewitt could today be reflecting on a notable scalp for his troops.
Instead, poor decision-making, a lack of discipline and a failure to take charge up front, ensured the visiting Chiefs were able to take full command.
Home fly-half Doug Sanft – who, it has to be said, had a mixed display – had the first chance of the game, but his penalty effort on six minutes fell well short and the Chiefs were able to clear without too much alarm.
At the other end, the Chiefs saw a penalty chance reversed by referee Rowan Kitt four minutes later for illegal use of the boot by former Pirate Chris Cracknell. However, Steenson was finally awarded his first shot at goal on 16 minutes when centre Paul Devlin was penalised for holding on.
Steenson made no mistake with the 25 metre attempt, then repeated the dose on 23 minutes when home prop Alan Paver was penalised for not binding at a scrum.
Worse followed for the Pirates as a searing break from Matt Cornwell through the heart of the Cornishmen's midfield saw him offload to the onrushing Marsden, who dotted down just to the right of the sticks for Steenson to convert.
Steenson's deadly right boot administered three further telling blows before the break as the Chiefs turned round 22-3 up – the Pirates' sole reply coming from a Sanft penalty.
With the wind at their backs in the second period, and no doubt a few home truths still ringing in their ears, the Pirates emerged early for the second half determined to put up some kind of fight.
A second Sanft penalty cut the deficit on 46 minutes, before the home faithful were brought to their feet on 55 minutes when – following a lineout on the left – the home pack combined to send flanker Iva Motusaga over for their opening try, which Sanft converted.
The try ignited the Pirates both on and off the field and as the half wore on, so did the pressure on the those from across the other side of the Tamar.
Finally, one indiscretion too many led to referee Kitt banishing Exeter skipper Richard Baxter to the cooler for ten minutes. Although team-mate Kevin Barrett could consider himself lucky not to be punished for blatantly kicking the ball out of the base of a home scrum just five metres out.
With Baxter sidelined, Sanft dispatched the resultant penalty to make it 22-16 to the Chiefs.
As the verbal jousting amongst the supporters increased on the sidelines, on the field the Pirates cranked up the gears a little more. Now with the ascendancy, another lineout move on the left saw the ball worked back inside before it was slipped back to Motusaga on the blindside and the Samoan barged his way to the line.
Now just a point in it, Sanft cooly stepped up to deliver a sublime touchline conversion to put his side in front for the first time.
Even then, the drama had not subsided as the Chiefs snapped up a loose ball to release Cornwell who in turn fed Drauniniu on the left. With men still to beat, the Fijian simply applied the gas before brushing aside the attentions of Winnan to score with five minutes remaining. Steenson's late blows merely did the rest.
A disappointed Hewitt remarked: "You can't give a side of that quality a 22 point start and we did. Our tactical decision making and our kicking game in the first half were poor. We also infringed too much around the breakdown and it gave Steenson soft shots at goal.
"After the break, though, we were smart and we had total control of the game. We did the right things and we took our opportunities. But then we go and miss a tackle and they get back into the game.
"Like I said, losing always hurts. We'll go away again this week, do a bit more soul searching because we have another tough game again next week at Otley. There will be an expectation on us to win that game, but it will be a hard assignment for us. We are under pressure for sure to get a result."
The Cornish Pirates may have returned to winning ways, but head coach Mark Hewitt pulled no punches following his side's 31-25 victory at Otley.
With an hour of this exciting National One encounter at Cross Green gone, the visiting Pirates looked as if they had finally hit their straps and were about to inflict some serious damage on their Yorkshire hosts.
What followed, however, in a hectic last quarter clearly infuriated Hewitt.
"I'm not happy at all," said the Pirates' chief at the final whistle.
"We got five points, but that is about all I can say. The performance was well below what we expect it to be and a few of the players need to be honest with themselves.
"Some of them have to ask themselves whether they can put it in. We played against a team none of whose players would have got in our team, but their enthusiasm was far more than ours.
"In games you have to kick the ball properly and find field position. You have to play the game in the right areas. Our kicking game was poor, we didn't do what we set out to do and they showed us how to kick the ball in the first half. Second half I thought our kick game was much better."
Although the Pirates will have settled for their second league win of the season, Hewitt knows his team must show a marked improvement against Nottingham this Sunday.
"We have got a good squad and people have got to take responsibility," added Hewitt. "When they don't perform we are furious. They need to take a real hard look at themselves. Today was way below the level we strive for."
Having taken flight earlier in the day, the Pirates jetted into Otley having made four changes to the line-up from that which lost to Exeter Chiefs the week previous. Bruce Cumming and Iva Motusaga returned on the flanks, whilst full debuts were awarded to Canadian international Mike Burak at lock and Rhys Jones at fly-half.
However, on a glorious sunny afternoon in Yorkshire, the Pirates struggled in the opening stages to assert their authority. With too much possession being gifted back to the home side, they paid the price in the 12th minute as Rob Baldwin scored a try in the corner after good work by Rob Kitching.
Tom Rhodes missed his conversion just as he had an early penalty and the Pirates were spared some serious early blushes.
It took the Pirates fully 20 minutes to find some cohesion and momentum in attack, but when it came a try was the instant result. A good set play from an attacking scrum saw winger Aisea Havili released down the left flank to charge home for the first of his brace of tries. Jones converted well after a shaky start and suddenly the Pirates were ahead 7-5.
Rhodes responded with a penalty after an obstruction by Sam Heard to restore Otley's lead, only to miss again minutes later. However, the Pirates went back on the offensive and after a move in which lock Ben Gulliver should have scored, the pack quickly re-grouped and drove Burak over for his first converted score for the team.
Another Rhodes penalty pegged the Pirates back briefly, before tremendous strength from hooker Rob Elloway saw him force his way under the posts on the stroke of half-time for Jones to convert to make it 21-11 at the interval.
Despite a scrappy restart to the game, the Pirates took control up front where once again their set-piece was king. Otley were in trouble at the scrum long before persistent infringing led to flanker Nathan Bland being carded by referee Tim Wigglesworth.
Only sporadically, though, did the Pirates use the ball they were winning to the full.
Havili's second try at that point, as he finished off an attack inspired by Paul Devlin and Ed Fairhurst, should have been enough to kill off a limited opponent such as Otley.
The Pirates, however, sat back and two late tries from replacement wing Stephen Parsons, both converted by Rhodes, rang alarm bells loudly in the visitors' camp in a frantic finale.
Thankfully, Marika Vakacegu did round off a splendid move with a try in the corner for the visitors, but the match finished with Otley's pack crashing over the Pirates line only to be denied by Wigglesworth.
The finale made a great spectacle for any neutrals in the crowd, but with only the referee's full-time whistle thwarting Otley, Hewitt's anger was understandable.
He may well have taken this result so far from home before the game, but once again the Pirates' performance against supposedly weaker opposition has posed more questions than it has answered.
Redruth head coach Nigel Hambly is refusing to get too carried away despite seeing his side maintain their unblemished start to the new season with a 38-12 victory over Blaydon at the Recreation Ground.
Hambly watched on as – for a second successive week – the Reds produced another late, late show to claim all five points against their visitors from the North East, who earlier in the day had flown into the Duchy riding high at the summit of National League Two.
And whereas the week previous it was scrum-half Mark Richards who claimed the all-important fourth try at neighbouring Mounts Bay, this time it was diminutive winger Nathan Pedley who raced over in injury time to rock the Rec.
Pedley's last-gasp touchdown not only brought about yet another deserved maximum haul for Hambly's troops, but it helped underline Redruth's credentials as genuine challengers at the top of the table.
Unlike others within the division who have openly stated their seasonal objectives, Redruth have quietly spent the summer months keeping their counsel to themselves.
According to Hambly, it's the way he and his team want it. Instead the Reds' chief would rather his team do their talking on the pitch, not through column inches or on internet messageboards.
Against high-flying Blaydon, his team did just what he asked of them as they bossed proceedings from start to finish. Fly-half Mark Scrivener – who went on to score 18 points in the game – fired them in front on four minutes when he slotted the first of four penalties.
Although the visitors replied just moments later through a converted Chris Mercer try, that would be the only time Blaydon held the advantage as the home side stormed back in some style.
A second Scrivener penalty on 14 minutes was followed just a minute later by the first of two tries for full-back Rob Thirlby. The England Sevens international was able to dot down when he timed his run to perfection to latch onto a well-crafted handling move.
Scrivener obliged with the necessary extras before adding a third penalty just two minutes before the break to make it 16-7 to the Reds at the turn.
Despite looking the brighter on the resumption, Blaydon were unable to find a way through the Redruth defensive wall and, having happily soaked up the initial threat, the Cornishmen turned defence into attack to set-up yet another scoring opportunity.
Again at pace, Thirlby's electric burst through the middle caused no end of problems and as Blaydon did their best to recover, a blatant professional foul from visiting scrum-half Chris Clark saw him dispatched to the bin for ten minutes.
Scrivener fired over the resultant penalty to extend Redruth's advantage yet further, before lock Damian Cook got in on the scoring act when he burrowed his way over following some smart approach work from the home pack.
Pressing home their authority, Redruth made the most of a second yellow card for the visitors – replacement Andrew Fearn the culprit this time – to add a third try. A lineout move was worked back inside along the line where skipper PJ Gidlow delivered a timely pass to the onrushing Thirlby to race over once more.
Spirited Blaydon briefly countered with a late consolation score through No.8 Jason Smithson, but by then the game was lost and Redruth put the shine on another polished performance when Thirlby set-up Pedley for his late heroics.
"Three out of three and 15 points, you can't do anymore than that," said a happy Hambly afterwards. "We are real happy with the way things have gone and the way we played. There were a few mistakes out there again today, but you can accept that when you see the type of rugby we are trying to play.
"At the moment, touch wood, everything seems to be going well for us. On the field the boys are delivering the goods and off it we've got a great set-up.
"It's a good start, for sure, but we're not going to get carried away. It's still very much early doors and we've got a very tough game up at Wharefdale next week. I know a lot of people will be thinking about the derby with Launceston in a few weeks, but that's not even in our thoughts at the moment. Our focus is solely on Wharfedale next week and we'll worry about that game as and when."
The Cornish All Blacks motored to the summit of National League Two after easily brushing aside the challenge of Waterloo 58-9 at Blundellsands.
Having played three, won three, all with bonus points, the Launceston club posted half a ton of points and eight tries, as well as keeping their line intact throughout.
Joint head coach Chris Brown was more than satisfied with his side's showing. He said: "Our pack set things up and dominated possession at both scrum and line-out and were very much a cohesive unit – and because of that we were able to starve Waterloo of possession.
"We knew that if we could get on top of a side that had already lost twice, we were in business. We were guilty of putting down some try-scoring chances in the first half, but our patience and tenacity reaped rewards in the second half.
"I thought Jon Fabian excelled behind the scrum and there were some good performances in the forwards which provided the plentiful possession. Most pleasing of all is that they didn't cross our line. I'm very pleased. I feel that we raised the bar significantly and we will be looking forward to putting on a similar performance, while tightening some screws, in front of our own fans this week.
"Fifteen points from 15 is very heartening, but we know we can do better with some stiff challenges to come".
The All Blacks were superior in every department and, if they had taken every first-half chance, would have been ahead at the interval by more than 22-9. However, they really got their act together at the restart and clobbered the northerners with 36 more points without reply.
By the end, Waterloo must have been longing for the whistle to sound as they desperately but vainly sought to stem the relentless Cornish attack. Their only points came from the boot of fly-half Frank Lynch, who landed three first-half penalties.
The All Blacks, on the other hand, had a try bonanza. The ubiquitous Fabian, who was always popping up in the right place at the right time, got a hat-trick. Right wing Marc Dibble and centre Jamie Semmens claimed two apiece, with Dibble's replacement, Jon Marlin, touching down for the final score.
Fly-half Adam Staniforth's metronomic boot added eight extras – to all but the first of the opening five tries – with Fabian landing two more conversions late in the game.
The All Blacks, it has to be said, had a field day. Dibble crossed in the first minute from a scrum, and would have gone over again but for a foot in touch.
Staniforth then kicked a penalty, and, after Waterloo had mounted a rare attack down the wing, Lynch kicked two goals in quick succession. However, towards the end of the first quarter came one of the All Blacks' best tries, the ball passing through at least six phases before Fabian crossed wide out.
Lynch kicked his side's final three points and then the All Blacks went to town. Scrum-half Lewis Webb broke neatly from a scrum, linked with Tim Collier and the lock put Dibble in at the flag.
The second half saw the visitors growing ever stronger. Collier broke again, lock Mike Myerscough and centre Ryan Westren joined the move and sent Fabian in for his second. That was the bonus point in the bag.
Staniforth kicked a penalty and after a fine run by Westren, Jamie Semmens raced in under the posts and then for good measure took a ball from the pack on halfway and cut clean through the defences to touch down at the sticks again.
The try blitz ended with a flourish: a move the length of the pitch with almost every player getting a touch of the ball gave Fabian his hat-trick, and Marlin was unselfishly gifted a score by Fabian who had run the length of the field to set it up.
Mounts Bay's tough introduction to life in National League Two continued on Saturday as they slipped to a 44-13 defeat at Stourbridge.
The first-half dismissal of skipper Nick Burnett – for an alleged headbutt – capped what was another disappointing afternoon for the newly promoted Cornishmen, who must now ready themselves for the visit of Birmingham-Solihull to the Mennaye this Saturday.
Despite the setbacks, however, head coach Adrian Bick is refusing to get too downbeat, believing that it will not be too long before his side finally show what they are capable of.
"Of course we are disappointed to lose again, but I thought there were a number of encouraging signs to take out of this game," said Bick. "For large parts of the first half I felt we were the better side and felt it could be our day. But then we lose Nick to a red card just before half-time, then Griff [John Griffiths] gets a yellow early in the second half and we are up against it.
"To be honest, I'm didn't see the incident involving Nick, but I've spoken to him and he's adamant he did not headbutt anyone. I know he's quite an abrasive player, but doing something like that is not in his character."
Bick says he will review the DVD of the game in the coming days and the club will make further submissions once Burnett is summoned to appear before an RFU disciplinary panel.
Despite falling behind to an early try from Stourbridge winger Tom Hughes, the Bay hit back with a double blow inside a minute. First Dan Hawkes slotted a penalty, before Burnett and Greg Goodfellow combined well to send full-back Andy Birkett over for a try on eight minutes.
It was a lead Bay were to hold until just before the break when the home side claimed their second try, centre Oliver Groves finishing off a good break inside from Ben Barkley, which full-back Alistair Bressington converted.
With the half all but up, Bay appeared to have been awarded a penalty. However, the intervention of a touch judge saw referee Richard Parker-Sedgemore reverse that decision and in turn dismiss No.8 Burnett for foul play.
Things did not get any better for Bay after the break as first Griffiths was sin-binned for a technical offence, then Bressington extended the home side's buffer with a penalty on 44 minutes.
Although Bay competed valiantly in the second-half exchanges, Stourbridge pressed home their advantage by adding further tries through Martin Freeman, Duncan White and two for Bressington, who also bagged three conversions.
All Bay could muster in reply was a touchdown for prop Adam Flide just past the hour mark.
"We always knew this was going to be a tough start for us in this division," added Bick. "At half-time we were still very much in the game, but in the second half we let things slip away a little bit. Next week against Birmingham will be just as tough, but out of adversity could come our finest hour."
On an Indian summer afternoon the Cornish All Blacks retained their 100% record with another bonus point win. But for the third time in four matches they almost gave victory to the opposition by relaxing when the victory appeared secure.
After being on the back foot for the first fifteen minutes, the All Blacks seemed to have the match won with tries for Sam Hocking, Ryan Westren and two for man of the match Lewis Webb. But everything fell apart after 65 minutes as the visitors came back and almost won a thrilling match at Polson Bridge.
Four yellow cards for Tynedale could be said to have done for them as the All Blacks took advantage of the short numbers to dominate the middle forty five minutes. But they took their foot off the gas and allowed the game to get away from them and they only just managed to regain control in the final five as Tynedale looked as though they could have made the long trip a victorious one.
For his two tries, All Blacks' Scrum Half Lewis Webb was justifiably named man of the match. Both were scrappy scrum half tries, the first a back peel when Tynedale flanker Grant Beasley left his post to cover for the absent Harrison and Webb only had to finish. The second a tap and go from a penalty for a score under the posts.
Webb sped the game up and his skills from the base of the scrum and open play were too quick for his opposition. Whilst teammates Fabian, Roques and Lord had another good game and the scrum was dominant, the remainder of the team play in the second half was scrappy and many passes failed to go to hand when total dominance could have been achieved.
A yellow card for Tim Collier on 67 minutes resulted in a loss of control up front as Sam Hocking was sacrificed to allow Steve Pape to come into the second row and provide alternatives in the line out where Mike Myerscough ruled supreme. Pape was his usual strong self despite recent injuries, but the All Blacks had become disjointed.
All Blacks Joint Head Coach Chris Brown was adamant that his side had played a 'get out of jail free' card for the third time this season. "We went ahead but let our foot off the gas and Tynedale, to their credit, took full advantage. We are scoring tries but our application needs to be improved. We let a side back into a game when they shouldn't have been there and sooner or later we are going to get caught out. We know we can and should do better."
Sam Hocking is congratulated by team mate Mal Roberts after scoring the All Blacks' first try. Picture by Alex Folkes/Fishnik.com.
Redruth's fine start in National League Two continued on Saturday when an 18-15 triumph against Wharfedale made it four wins in as many games and saw them record their first ever victory up in the Yorkshire Dales.
Head coach Nigel Hambly had mixed feelings, however, saying: "I feel pretty elated. We did not play particularly well but we gave 100 per cent. It was a good game of rugby, end to end stuff. We started at a frantic pace and carried on at a frantic pace and never got any structure into our game.
"It is difficult to be over critical, this is the first time [in five visits] that Redruth has ever won at Wharfedale. This is a tremendous achievement. We said we are coming for the win. We did that, but from a coach's point of view there is a lot to work on. We went away from what served us really well in the first three games. I can't wait to get stuck into the DVD."
Wharfedale played a fast and loose game with their talented backs and looked to be heading for a win as they took a four-point lead into the closing stages of the game. However, when the Reds turned the screw the Yorkshiremen conceded consecutive penalties in their 22.
As full-time approached, the Redruth forwards made ground with a couple of powerful drives. As the ball came out England sevens international Rob Thirlby, picked his spot, pinned his ears back and glided over in the right-hand corner.
A superb Mark Scrivener touchline conversion gave the Reds a three-point cushion to take into an agonising seven minutes of stoppage time during which Wharfedale launched a series of desperate attacks.
Hambly acknowledged that it made for a tense finale. "It felt like 20 minutes injury time!" he said. "I thought we showed tremendous courage and tenacity to stay in there at the end. The only thing that we did today that we do at training was defend, we kept our shape. I was really pleased to come away from home and keep our try line intact."
From the outset, Redruth showed grit and took an early lead. In the first minute they applied pressure at a scrum that led to a penalty which Scrivener duly booted from 35 metres.
Wharfedale half-backs James Doherty and Luke Gray put pace and width on the game to prevent the Reds settling and England counties player Chris Malherbe, playing on the left wing, frequently came into midfield, asking many questions of the Redruth defence.
The line kicking to the right hand touchline of Mark Bedworth also drove Redruth back, but he was off target with two penalty attempts before putting over kicks in the 25th and 32nd minutes to give the hosts a 6-3 advantage at the break.
Scrivener levelled matters with another well-struck penalty in the 49th minutes as Wharfedale lost Andrew Hodgson to the sin-bin for a late obstruction.
A man down, Wharfedale raised their game. Bedworth struck a penalty to put the home side back in front three minutes later.
A great individual effort from hooker Owen Hambly put the Reds two points back in front after 57 minutes. He seized on a loose ball after Redruth had lost a line-out and in a 30-metre run to the line beat off two defenders: first with a wicked hand-off and then a nifty bit of footwork to roll over in the right corner.
Bedworth hit back with a massive penalty from near halfway minutes later and when Redruth lost another line-out the England counties centre dropped a goal from 30 metres and the Reds looked to have blown their chance. Until Rob Thirlby pulled the game from the fire.
"A touch of class won it at the end," reflected Hambly. "Ironically that was what we were lacking all game."
If Newcastle United are currently football's club in crisis, then Mounts Bay could be rugby's equivalent after they were thumped by visiting Birmingham-Solihull 61-3 at the Mennaye Field.
Having endured a tough introduction to life in National League Two so far this season, things went from bad to worse for the Cornish club in this latest encounter.
For a second successive week, the Bay were forced to play much of the game with 14 men following the first-half dismissal of flanker Brett Stroud for stamping.
Stroud's red card means he will join team-mate Nick Burnett in facing an RFU disciplinary hearing in the not too distant future. However, the former Plymouth Albion forward could yet face even more trouble after he was also cited for foul play by Stourbridge.
Even had Stroud lasted the course, there was no way Mounts Bay were going to hold the impressive Bees, who stung their Duchy hosts with a nine-try blast.
Despite a bright opening to the game, one in which they bossed the early exchanges, Bay's lack of first-phase ball and attacking firepower meant they were always beating their heads against a brick wall.
There were bright points – youngsters Josh Matavesi and Richard Bright both impressed in the back division, while Fraser Cliverd was the pick of the forwards – there were, however, too many of the current Bay squad who were found wanting.
Indeed, once the visitors finally found their rhythm a healthy flow of points soon followed. They opened the scoring on 13 minutes when a pass from Mark Woodrow released Simon Hunt on the charge, the winger burst through from halfway before chipping over the top of the home midfield. However, as he looked to close in on the try-line, he was illegally taken out by centre Sam Parsons and referee Terry Hall did the rest by awarding a penalty try, which Woodrow converted.
Bay replied moments later with a sublime 30-metre drop-goal from Matavesi, but that was to prove one of the rare highlights of the game for the home side, who fell further behind on 20 minutes when the Bees claimed their second try with a superb counter-attack move.
Deep inside their own 22, powerhouse centre Cameron Mitchell barged his way through the heart of the Bay defensive line, before offering a simple offload to onrushing captain Rob Connolly to cross by the sticks, Woodrow again converting.
If that was a setback for the home side, worse followed just minutes later when Stroud was dismissed – on the intervention of a touch judge – for stamping on Bees lock Alex Davidson. It was the last thing Mounts Bay needed and the Bees made them pay with a strong finish to the half.
Poor midfield tackling allowed Mitchell to ease his way over for a try on the half-hour, before he produced a repeat performance in stoppage time when he was able to finish off following good work from Connolly. The deadly left boot of Woodrow converted both scores to make it 28-3 at the break.
On the resumption, the visitors quickly picked up from where they left off as they added two more tries in as many minutes. Connolly claimed his second on 46 minutes when he galloped in from the 22, before an excellent burst through the middle from Reece Spee saw the ball shipped to the right wing where Hunt did the rest with an easy finish.
To their credit, Mounts Bay kept plugging away and their endeavour caused the Bees problems. Referee Hall was also losing patience with their blatant infringements and brandished yellow cards to Shaun Pemmenter and Tom Collett to go alongside the first half sin-binning of Adam Clayton.
Sadly, the Bay could not capitalise and once the visitors were back to full quota, they wrapped up victory with hat-trick tries for both Mitchell and Connolly, whilst Hunt squeezed over for his second. Woodrow booted all three conversions to put the seal on a decent display.
The final word, however, would go the way of Mounts Bay who, in a late show of defiance, worked the ball deep into the visiting 22 before a sniping break from Greg Goodfellow saw him feed Ollie Faulkner to dive over in the right-hand corner.
For Mounts Bay, things will not get any easier this weekend as they face a testing trip to Cambridge.
Head coach Adrian Bick remarked: "We are disappointed, of course. I don't mind losing to sides who are better than us – and they were a better side than us. You could see they had the edge on us, they had the gas on us and had the skills to finish and I can't see too many sides beating them this year.
"Silly mistakes though are costing us. There were gaping holes in the midfield at times, but when we look back at the DVD we'll see that there was a massive mismatch between Cameron Mitchell and Mike Molloy. He has got to be the biggest player on the field, up against a guy who normally plays scrum-half. We asked Mike to do a job there today and he did his best."
As well as individual errors, a costly red card did little to help Bay's cause. Bick added: "You could see the whole team were deflated after that card. For 20 minutes we were playing rugby and we had them on the back foot. We were camped in their half; Josh showed a lot of maturity dropping a goal in their half; then that happens and it's a huge body blow for the side. I am going to look at the video of it, but it's stupid mistakes like that which are killing us.
"There were positives, I thought Josh did well at fly-half, Richard Bright did well on his debut, plus another positive was we scored last – we didn't give up. Everyone kept pushing away until the end and, perhaps, we could have had one or two more tries. But playing a man down for as long as we did, it's always going to be a tough ask and their defence was well organised as well."
Cornish Pirates' head coach Mark Hewitt was left to rue a "mad 10 minutes" as he watched his side slip to a second successive home defeat against Nottingham yesterday.
As was the case against Exeter Chiefs a fortnight ago, the Pirates dug deep into their reserves to find a way back into another enthralling contest, only to gift their rivals a winning lifeline right at the death.
It's a problem Hewitt admits he and his squad need to eradicate sooner rather than later, as once against the Duchy's leading club side were left pointless despite another determined showing.
"I'm disappointed," said Hewitt following the 31-20 defeat. "I can't sit here every week and make excuses, we have to address certain things. At times today I felt we played some good rugby in patches – far better than what they did – and when we started to move the ball we looked really good.
"The problem is, however, we have to get the balance right and start turning these games where we play well in patches into a full 80 minute performance."
Hewitt added: "I thought for the first 20 minutes we controlled the game, we played some really good football, then for the next 20 they had total dominance and I was disappointed we leaked the try at the end of the first half.
"In the second half, we started with a man in the bin and then we had what was a mad ten minutes. We kicked the ball poorly, which piled the pressure back on us, and we gifted them two opportunities, which they took."
At 19-8 up, Nottingham had turned the tie around and were seemingly cruising to victory. But, just as they did against the Chiefs, the Pirates regrouped with some style and hit back with a quality spell that saw them regain the initiative at 20-19 with 13 minutes remaining.
However, another crucial missed tackle – this time by winger Aisea Havili – allowed Nottingham to regain the lead and it was the visitors who finished with aplomb, adding a fifth try in injury time.
"Errors we are making are costing us at the moment," added Hewitt. "If people keep offending and giving away penalties – or people keep missing the same tackles week in, week out, they are making decisions for me.
"At the moment it's taking us a while to get things right, but we will get it right. I'm really confident we have a good squad here and you can see that at times. I don't think anyone in the league plays the brand of football we do and when we get it right, we are devastating. At the moment though, we are having these 10 minutes spells where we fall asleep."
No doubt Hewitt will be hoping to address such issues this coming week as he readies his side for a trip to bottom club Manchester on Saturday.
In truth, the Pirates should certainly have too much for the Northerners, who have accrued just one point from five starts this term.
As Hewitt pointed out, the Pirates showed in glimpses yesterday just what they are truly capable of. In a bright start to the game, they quickly set about their visitors who, having lost their opening fixture of the season to Leeds, had notched up victories over Plymouth Albion, Esher and Sedgley Park in the following weeks.
Nottingham were sluggish in the initial exchanges and having trailed to an early Doug Sanft penalty, the home side extended their tally on 19 minutes when Fijian full-back Marika Vakacegu was able to finish off a flowing move in the corner following some excellent approach work involving Tom Luke and Havili.
Centre Luke – who enjoyed his best game yet in a Pirates jersey – was a constant threat in attack for the home side, whilst midfield partner Paul Devlin was equally prominent both offensively and defensively.
But whilst the Pirates offered a series of genuine attacks in the opening quarter of the game, they were unable to add to their score and it was Nottingham who grew stronger as the half wore on.
The normally reliable Dave Jackson fired two penalty attempts wide of the sticks, before they finally made the breakthrough. Capitalising on the sin-binning of Chris Morgan – who had earlier come on for Bruce Cumming [dislocated shoulder] – they made their pressure tell when winger Jack Cobden burrowed over in the right-hand corner.
On the resumption, what had been a sleepy Nottingham display in the opening 40 minutes was replaced in the second 40 by a more tenacious showing full of skill and guile.
A slick passing move allowed Jackson over for a second try on 43 minutes, before fly-half Tim Taylor added a third effort five minutes later when he was able to snipe through a gap following a great steal by former Plymouth Albion lock Nic Rouse. Jackson – now with his kicking boots on – converted both to put his side 19-8 in front.
Up against it, the Pirates knew they needed a swift response. It did come, but not before Sanft failed to hit the mark with an easy penalty chance.
On the hour, a lightning break from Welsh whizz Rhodri McAtee cut through the Nottingham midfield and as he was just about to be felled, he offloaded to Vakacegu who showed a clean pair of heels to the chasing visitors as he dived over just left of the posts. This time Sanft did not fail with the additional kick.
Buoyed by the score, the Pirates sensed a way back into the contest. Launching wave-upon-wave of attacks, the pressure was mounting and finally it told on 67 minutes when the ball was worked from one side of the field to the other and replacement hooker Darren Dawiduik was able to release Vakacegu for his hat-trick score to make it 20-19.
The contest, though, was far from finished and with just eight minutes remaining it was Nottingham who stunned the home faithful when a move down the left created space for Andrew Savage. With what seemed plenty still to do, the replacement winger shrugged off a helpless attempt at a tackle from Havili to restore his side's slender advantage.
Even then the Pirates had opportunities to grab the headlines, but sadly it did not materialise. Instead it was Nottingham who wrapped up the win with a last-gasp converted try from Rob Harris, the prop trundling over following a clever steal by Sam MacDonald.
Despite the changes to the team made by coach Mark Hewitt, the Cornish Pirates slipped to a third defeat in five games as they lost to Nottingham 31-20 on a beautiful late September afternoon at Camborne on Sunday. Defeat also came with a heavy price as powerful flank forward Bruce Cumming left the field after 34 minutes with a dislocated shoulder and is likely to be absent for some time. For the visitors it was a second successive win on the Recreation Ground. Another performance to leave the Pirates coach both frustrated and disappointed.
It started brightly for the home side as they established an early lead. A Doug Snaft penalty for a trip on scrum-half Ed Fairhurst after 7 minutes, which also led to Nottingham's loose-head Matt Parr visiting the sin-bin, was followed on 14 minutes by the first of full-back's Marika Vakacegu three tries of the afternoon: the ball was moved right with a long miss-pass thrown out by inside centre Tom Luke which found winger Aisea Havili, who fed Vakacegu to score in the Hubert's Hill corner. Snaft couldn't add the extras.
Nottingham's goal kicker, full-back Dave Jackson, wasn't having the best day with the boot as three chances went a-begging.
The writing though was on the wall as Nottingham enjoyed possession and field position for long periods of the opening half. Pirates, under pressure and forced to defend, gave away too many penalties -- eventually paying the price as Chris Morgan, on for the unfortunate Cumming, was yellow-carded. Nottingham took full advantage with an opening try scored by winger Jack Cobden down in the scoreboard corner just prior to half-time to leave the Pirates 8-5 up.
Early pressure from the visitors at the start of the second-half saw them establish a healthy lead with tries from Jackson, in the Park gate corner on 42 minutes, and then from fly-half Tim Taylor after 48 minutes, Jackson adding both conversions. Just as in their previous home game against Exeter, the Pirates found themselves up against it. To their credit they again responded.
For the second time in the game Nottingham found themselves down to fourteen men as prop Nigel Hall was sin-binned for elbowing an opponent.
The home side lifted their game, taking play to the visitors. Fairhurst, Luke, Rhodri McAtee and Iva Motusaga all caught the eye as the Pirates looked to get back into the game. Snaft was wide of the posts with a penalty attempt before Vakacegu gave the home support hope as he crossed for his second try of the game after 61 minutes, following a break by McAtee. Snaft was successful with the conversion.
Six minutes later and the crowd were on their feet as Vakacegu grabbed his third try following a delightful flip pass from Darren Dawiduik to scamper in at the clubhouse corner.
Incredibly the Pirates led -- not for long though. Nottingham pressed, stretching play from one side to other. The breakthrough for the Merry Men came as Havili crucially missed a tackle on Andrew Savage, allowing him to dive in to score in Hubert's Hill corner to secure a bonus point for Nottingham.
The Pirates pressed for another score. McAtee looked to be tackled high in the Nottingham 22 following a fine run, yet it was Nottingham who sealed their win with a fifth try as the Pirates were driven off a ruck on their own 22, allowing replacement Rob Harris to pick up and scamper in under the posts, Jackson's conversion leaving the Pirates pointless and with more questions than answers from another mixed performance.
A good win at Manchester will do much for the players' confidence and mindset and hopefully kick-start a disappointing season start.
Cornish Pirates 20 pts: tries Vakacegu (3); conversion Sanft;
penalty Sanft.
Yellow card: Morgan
Nottingham 31 pts: tries Cobden, Jackson, Taylor, Savage, Harris;
conversions Jackson (3).
Yellow cards: Parr, Hall
Cornish Pirates: M. Vakacegu, A. Havili (M. Ireland 76), P.
Devlin, T. Luke (S. Winn 74), R. McAtee, D. Sanft, E. Fairhurst ; A. Paver, R.
Elloway (D. Dawiduik 62), D. Seal (S. Franklin 56), M. Burak (H. Senekal 45),
B. Gulliver (capt), B. Cumming (C. Morgan 34), I. Motusaga, M. Evans.
Replacement not used N. Griffiths.
Nottingham: D. Jackson, J. Cobden (A. Savage 64), R.
Nirmalendran, T. Molenaar, A. Dodge, T. Taylor, T. Usasz (C. Pilgrim 68); M.
Parr, J. Duffey, N. Hall (R. Harris 64), L. Morley (S. MacDonald 64), N. Rouse,
C. Hammond (capt), L. Sherriff (N. Harris 11-21), D. Montagu (R. Harris 60-62).
Replacements not used: J. Clarke, C. Eggleshaw, B. Thompson.
Referee: Mr. L. Apgeraint-Roberts (RFU)
Crowd: 2729
If there was anybody in the crowd expecting the Cornish Pirates to finally break their shackles of inconsistency against National Division One's bottom club and register a comfortable win, they left Manchester's Grove Park once again mightily disappointed following a less than impressive 12-6 victory.
In fairness to Pirates' head coach Mark Hewitt, he had refused to be drawn into any speculation prior to the match as to how many the Cornishmen would win by. Instead, he concentrated after the final whistle on reflecting upon a vital victory earned in difficult circumstances.
"It was very difficult out there today with a gale blowing down the pitch which made it difficult for both sides to play," he said. "First half I thought we were poor, but in the second we were outstanding.
"That is the first time we haven't conceded a try this season and we got a win on the road. I know a lot of people thought we should come up here and win by 60 or 70, but I tell you now they are a tough side and I'm pleased with the result."
Hewitt made ten changes to his starting line-up following defeat to Nottingham the week previous, but once again a team performance for the full 80 minutes eluded him.
"We opened up opportunities for everyone and I'm really pleased that Rhys Jones had a good game which will give him confidence to build on," added Hewitt. "Steve Winn was a real handful defensively and distributed the ball well, whilst Nicky [Griffiths] took his opportunity well. Now we have to work harder and put on a good performance for our own fans next week. We have got great supporters and they deserve it."
However, after just four minutes of this latest encounter it would have been fair to expect a rout from the visitors as quick thinking from Griffiths with a tap penalty led him on a sniping break through the Manchester 22 to score at the foot of the posts. Jones added a simple conversion with the wind at his back and the Pirates were off to a flyer.
Yet as the half progressed the whistle of referee Michael Tutty took centre stage, with the tackle area becoming a lottery of confusion and inconsistency for both sides. A total of 37 penalties and two yellow cards were awarded during a match which was never dirty, yet it was effectively destroyed as a spectacle.
Unable to build on their early advantage, the Pirates found themselves having to defend in increasing numbers as the half progressed. With lock Heino Senekal sin-binned after 21 minutes for an offence in the loose, Manchester turned the screw, using their pack as a solid platform and the dangerous running of wings Rob Wellock and Gareth Wynne to pin the Pirates back.
Crucial tackles from Rhodri McAtee, Winn and Iva Motusaga kept Manchester – who had scored 58 points in their two previous home fixtures – at bay and a scrappy, error-strewn half ended with the home side camped on the Pirates' line but unable to find a way through.
Playing down the slope after the break, the Pirates suddenly looked much sharper. The injured McAtee was replaced by Paul Devlin, who had a lively afternoon, whilst the under-performing front row duo of Darren Dawidiuk and Scott Franklin made way for Dan Seal and Rob Elloway.
Shortly after the introduction of flanker Chris Morgan for the largely anonymous Sam Betty galvanised the Pirates' pack, who quickly secured a strong territorial advantage.
With Jones and Griffiths busy behind the forwards, plus the strong running of Fijian full-back Vakacegu clearly worrying Manchester, a second score looked inevitable. Not for the first time this season, poor decision making in try-scoring positions again proved costly.
Instead it was Manchester who, having lived on scraps of possession after the restart, began a fight back in the 56th minute. Penalised for not rolling away at the tackle, the Pirates conceded a penalty and Wynne took his season points tally to 35 with a straightforward kick.
The Pirates went immediately back on the offensive but were again frustrated by errors and the referee. Wynne then missed a long-range penalty before slotting a further effort from 45 metres with just 12 minutes remaining.
Trailing now by just a point, the home side scented an unlikely victory. For once, though, the cool heads belonged to the Pirates.
The finale was a tense, yet ugly affair, but when superb approach play by Devlin, Jones and Griffiths released Vakacegu down the left wing with eight minutes remaining, the Fijian flyer made no mistake.
The try was no more than the Pirates deserved and, despite Jones missing a difficult conversion into the gale, they were able to play out the remaining minutes in Manchester territory.
The second half ended with the Pirates camped on the Manchester line. Their collective sighs of relief at the final whistle must have been heard all the way back in Cornwall.
Redruth withstood a tense final onslaught by the men in black, to finally record a first ever win over the Cornish All Blacks in league encounters in the driving rain at the Recreation Ground in this latest Cornish derby, a result which also propels them to the top of the National League 2 table.
Keeping discipline was always going to be a paramount key to success in such conditions: the yellow card of Cornish All Black's lock Tim Collier on 45 minutes proved to be pivotal as Redruth scored eight points during his enforced absence, putting them into a 16-3 lead.
From the start both sides found controlling the ball difficult, and the game was littered with handling errors.
Redruth had an early penalty chance after 5 minutes when the visitors were penalised for holding on just inside their own half. With the wind at his back, fly-half Mark Scrivener's attempt sailed to the left of the posts.
To their credit both sides looked to put width on the ball in the appalling conditions. Lewis Webb at scrum-half, another youngster to have learnt his trade at Penryn, caught the eye for the visitors as he looked to get his side on the front foot. But he was up against a formidable opponent in Mark Richards in the Reds' number nine shirt, well-versed in playing in such conditions on the Recreation Ground.
Eventually the deadlock was broken on 20 minutes following a fine passage of play as the Reds attacked deep in the Cornish All Blacks' half, with lock Damien Cook, skipper PJ Gidlow and prop Darren Jacques to the fore. The visitors were penalised for not rolling away, giving Scrivener a shot at goal from in front of the posts, which he slotted.
Redruth looked to make use of the wind, putting up high balls that tested the Cornish All Blacks' back three to the extreme. Redruth secured a scrum near the visitors' line, up in the scoreboard corner on 26 minutes. The Cornish All Blacks went for an eight man shove, but the Redruth pack controlled the ball well despite going backwards, allowing Richards to pick up and go. With the Cornish All Blacks back row tied up, Richards was able to make ground and time his pass winger Lewis Vinnicombe, who crossed in the corner to tremendous cheers in the packed grandstand. Scrivener was unable to add the extras from his touchline conversion attempt.
Despite further pressure on the visitors' line Redruth couldn't add to their lead before half-time.
A bright opening by the Cornish All Blacks in the second half saw a powerful drive by No.8 Sam Hocking, named this week as Cornwall player of the year by the Trelawny's Army Supporters' Club. Redruth countered with an attack by full-back Rob Thirlby and winger Nathan Pedley. Jacques was also soon to the fore once more as he drove on, with flanker Chris Fuca and Cook, to the visitors' 22. The ball was moved left, with Thirlby coming into the line, and the Cornish All Blacks were caught offside. It was this incident that saw Collier yellow-carded for silly verbal abuse, and Scrivener kicked his second penalty of the afternoon to put his side 11-0 up.
Despite cutting the deficit on 53 minutes with a penalty by fly-half Adam Staniforth, as Redruth came in at the side, the Cornish All Blacks crucially conceded a second try on 55 minutes. Following a turnover, a powerful run by Pedley down the Eastern Bank touchline set up skipper Gidlow to cross in the Piggy Lane corner. The Redruth crowd erupted as they sensed that this might just be their day. Scrivener's conversion attempt faded against the elements.
Staniforth kicked a second penalty for the visitors after 58 minutes as both sides brought on fresh legs for the final quarter of this absorbing tussle. Redruth pressure saw the visitors concede a five-metre scrum from a charged down clearance. Redruth pounded away at the line with No.8 James Mann, who put in a tremendous amount of work around the park, and props Peter Joyce and Jacques before the ball was put out wide only for Rob Thirlby to be forced into touch. Redruth continued to press and were rewarded with another penalty as the Cornish All Blacks went off their feet, Scrivener coolly adding three more points.
With time running out the Cornish All Blacks threw everything they had at the Reds, little errors costing them dear. Eventually, though, they crossed the whitewash after a big drive by replacement Steve Pape after 75 minutes, with Staniforth's conversion at the very least securing a losing bonus point.
Despite further pressure from Pape, Redruth held firm to secure a famous victory, although the win was soured slightly by the sight of Scrivener being stretchered off near the end with a knee injury.
Redruth 19pts: tries Vinnicombe, Gidlow; penalties Scrivener (3)
Cornish All Blacks 13pts: try Pape; conversion Staniforth;
penalties Staniforth (2)
Yellow Card Collier
Redruth: R. Thirlby, L. Vinnicombe, C. Bonds, PJ Gidlow (Capt),
N. Pedley, M. Scrivener (P. Thirlby 76), M. Richards; D. Jacques (A. Morcom 69
- 77), O. Hambly, A. Morcom (P. Joyce 52), D. Cook, L. Collins, D. Roberts, C.
Fuca (R. Carroll 58), J. Mann.
Replacements (not used): J. Tresidder, N.
Corin
Cornish All Blacks: M. Roberts, M. Dibble (H. Smales 68), R. Westren, S. Perry, J. Fabian, A. Staniforth, L. Webb; K. Brooking (Capt), G. Cooper (D. Semmens 58), D. Porte (J. Bolt 69), T. Collier, M. Myerscough, J. Lord, T. Roques (G. Remnant 45), S. Hocking (S. Pape 67).
Referee: Mr. T. Hall (RFU)
Crowd: 2008
Cornish All Black try-scorer Steve Pape charges at the Redruth line. Photo by Alex Folkes/Fishnik.com.
After the match Cornish All Blacks' joint head coach Chris Brown was in a philosophical mood: "It's a bitter pill to swallow and something I've not experienced before. At half-time I was very pleased going in at 8-0 down playing into the wind and the rain. Possibly if Mark (Scrivener) had had his kicking boots on we would have been 11-14 points down and chasing the game. They hustled and harried."
On the yellow card incident that saw his lock Tim Collier spend 10 minutes on the sidelines, Brown remarked, "Critical moments in games like this where we needed to keep our mouths shut, we chirped up and the referee punished accordingly. The yellow card was coming I think for either side, I could see that, it was a yellow card that was in all probability deserved."
Brown congratulated the Reds on their win and conceded that this had been their toughest test to date: "The forward battle was pretty even, but Redruth came out on top in the kicking game this afternoon. I look forward to my side putting matters right next week (at home to Stourbridge)."
A beaming Reds' coach Nigel Hambly praised his side for being brave against a quality side like the Cornish All Blacks. "We wanted to be brave today, to step up and meet the challenge front on, not take a backward step in the forward battle, neither in the backs battle. We're happy with the win but at the end it could have gone the other way".
Hambly also felt it had been a great advert for Cornish rugby played in a fantastic atmosphere. "Proper Cornish rugby played by proper Cornish boys," he remarked.
Mounts Bay will begin rebuilding their battered team morale knowing things can only get better after hitting rock-bottom of National Two this weekend.
The Cornishmen endured another confidence-sapping afternoon during a 76-3 loss at Cambridge. Fly-half Dan Hawkes scored their only points with a first-half penalty and could only watch and admire the hosts who made ten tries at the other end.
Bay's difficulties were exasperated by more disciplinary problems with yellow cards for Ben Hilton, Adam Flide and player-head coach Adrian Bick, leaving them little hope of a competitive display against highly rated opponents.
Bick said: "We knew we were going to be up against it. We're in the eye of a storm at the minute. We've got Blaydon next week but we'll go with a much stronger side and after that we're looking to target some games – Wharfedale at home for starters in two weeks' time.
"No-one likes getting beaten by 70-odd points, your pride is hurt. We got yellow cards galore today and we're not getting the rub of the green at the moment – I'm not criticising the referee because if we'd had a different one we still would have lost.
"I had to go on the bench at the last minute and Duke Seymour went off with a blood injury and I was on the field no more than about 30 seconds before I was yellow carded for a repeat infringement.
"We were down to 13 men and they ran in three tries. Everything seems to be conspiring against us but we're our own worst enemy at times."
An early Ben Patston penalty started the rout and the full-back soon added the extras to the opening try from flanker Tom Powell. Hawkes' strike brought some hope but yellow cards for Hilton and then Bick proved costly.
The hosts scored three more tries before the interval through Christoff Lombaard, Mike Guess and Dan Legge – Patston adding the conversions, as well as a penalty.
Promotion candidates Cambridge continued to apply the pressure in the second half, scoring six more tries, all of which were converted by Patston.
Powell got his second of the game before James Knight added another. Bay held out ten minutes before conceding a penalty try with Lombaard crossing for his second soon after. The scoring was completed by David Archer and Craig Evans.
Despite the comprehensive scoreline, Bick feels his side will have their day and rise from the bottom of the division. He added: "We'll just work on our defensive systems a bit, but we've not been able to put out the same 15 players from one game to the next, it's constantly in a state of flux – we need to get a bit of continuity.
"We're going to pick up some games later in the season, but it's been a really tough start. The guys have got to learn some hard lessons. People at Mounts Bay have been in the privileged position of not losing much in the past. The sides that have beaten us have all been at the top end of the table."
Bick also reaffirmed the club's ambition to reinforce the squad in the coming weeks. He said: "There are two or three irons in the fire and we're looking to close some of these deals pretty quickly. We're in negotiations with several players.
"We did lose some very experienced players in the summer. And when you lose Callum McCrae, Andy Birkett and Mika Mua we end up with a very inexperienced back line. There were naive errors today, but we did the best we could. Teams aren't really building tries -- it's just or three missed tackles and we're getting found out."
Just like a recurring nightmare, the manner of this latest home defeat was all too familiar. Give the opposition a good head start and then spend the rest of the match trying to play catch-up rugby, a recipe for disaster, and a habit the Cornish Pirates need to get away from quickly. Head coach Mark Hewitt pulled no punches after the match: you can read his post-match comments in Mark Stevens' Western Morning News report that immediately follows this one.
Jaws visibly dropped as the Titans went 17-0 up in the space of 13 minutes at Camborne on a beautiful mid-October Sunday afternoon. An early try scored by skipper and full-back Mike Whitehead after barely 2 minutes, and before the Pirates had even touched the ball, followed by a second try on 13 minutes by winger Jon Feeley, an interception as the Pirates pressed in the Titans 22; both scores converted by fly-half, Pirate old boy, Tom Barlow, who also kicked a penalty after 10 minutes, left the home crowd visibly bewildered and audibly frustrated.
Having to chase the game from such an early stage the Pirates pressed too hard, committing basic errors hampering their cause.
An early strike back came when following initial good work from centre Tom Luke, who stood out as ray of sunshine, No.8 Bertrand Bédés powered over near the posts to score the Pirates' opening try. Luke's conversion cut the deficit to 10-points.
Frustratingly, the Pirates conceded a penalty moments later as hooker Rob Elloway was adjudged to have popped out of the scrum near the half-way line. Long-range kick specialist Whitehead slotted the penalty to extend his side's lead once more.
The Pirates stormed back, earning another penalty attempt in-front of the posts that Luke, who was not assigned kicking duties pre-match but assumed following an early knock to fly-half Doug Sanft, successfully kicked.
Further pressure from the home side saw the Pirates earn a penalty just outside the visitor's 22, which Sanft kicked towards the Hubert's Hill corner. Skipper Ben Gulliver secured the lineout with the ball moved left, pressure finally telling as winger Brian Tuhoy made a fine break, outpacing the cover to score in the Park gate corner of the ground after 35 minutes. Luke's touchline conversion improved the score to 17-20. Just before half-time Barlow missed with a penalty for Rotherham as Bédés was caught holding on.
The start of the second-half was a case of déjà-vu as the Pirates switched off. Whitehead, from nothing, chipped a kick a few meters in-front, attacking the Pirates' 22. The ball was re-gathered, Whitehead fed Feeley, who found support from back row forward Jon Skurr, who motored up to take the pass and score in the Hubert's Hill corner, Barlow's conversion putting the visitors 10 points up again at 27-17.
Luke missed with a further penalty chance before kicking his second to bring the home side back to a seven-point deficit. Fresh legs were on trying to inject pace into the game. A marvellous break by Nicky Griffiths came to nought as his pass to Adryan Winnan failed to find the club captain, with the line begging!
Further pressure from the Pirates gifted Luke another penalty kick in-front of the posts, which he took to add three more points.
In a frenetic finale the Pirates were camped on Rotherham's line. It looked certain that they would score, yet incredibly the ball was turned over, allowing Rotherham to break out and kick deep into the Pirates' 22 leaving, Winnan with no choice but to run the ball into touch. From the lineout Rotherham scored their fourth try, sealing the game as flanker Ryan Burrows burrowed over in the Park gate corner.
The Pirates needed two scores, and there wasn't enough time. To their credit they pulled back five points as Dan Seal, who celebrated his 200th appearance for the club, crashed over with the final play to at least earn a losing bonus point for his side.
It was the flag of the white rose, which flew proudly over Camborne on Sunday evening.
CORNISH PIRATES 28 pts: tries Bédés, Tuhoy, Seal; conversions Luke (2); penalties Luke (3)
ROTHERHAM TITANS 32 pts: tries Whitehead, Feeley, Skurr, Burrows; conversions Barlow (3); penalties Barlow, Whitehead
Cornish Pirates: M. Vakacegu, B. Tuhoy, P. Devlin, T. Luke, A.
Havili (R. McAtee 60), D. Sanft (A. Winnan 67). E. Fairhurst (N. Griffiths 60);
A. Paver (D. Seal 72), R. Elloway (D. Dawidiuk 70), D. Seal (S. Franklin 64),
H. Senekal (M. Burak 64), B. Gulliver (capt), C. Morgan, I. Motusaga, B.
Bédés
Replacement not used: M. Evans
Rotherham Titans: M. Whitehead (capt), J. Feeley, B. Hunt, C.
Briers, E. Classens, T. Barlow, N. Chivers (C. Erskine 80); S. Corsar (A.
O'Donnell 74), N. Conroy (H. Horn 51), B. Prescott (A. O'Donnell 5-15) G.
Hayter, M. Challinor, (L. McGowan 60), R. Burrows, T. Du Plessis (A. Barnes
80), J. Skurr
Replacements not uses: T. Allen, J. West
Referee: Mr. G. Garner (RFU)
Crowd: 2,488
Whilst there remains great debate over the leadership credentials of a certain gent at 10 Downing Street, so it appears Cornish Pirates' supporters are beginning to adopt a similar stance to that of their own man at number ten.
Having been blessed in recent years with proven playmakers such as Lee Jarvis, Tom Barlow, Alberto di Bernardo and, more recently, Gareth Steenson, the absence of a gifted fly-half – someone who can rule the roost in a game – is something of a glaring omission from the current Pirates' make-up.
Summer signings Doug Sanft and Rhys Jones have both been offered the lead role at various stages so far this season, but as yet neither player has been able to make their mark on the grand stage.
Yesterday, against visiting Rotherham, it was Samoan international Sanft who was entrusted with the key role. Not for the first time this season, the 29-year-old did not enjoy a great day at the office.
It was an assessment backed up by unhappy head coach Mark Hewitt, who pulled no punches following his side's 32-28 reverse at the Recreation Ground.
"We have worked hard this week, but I can't account for people missing tackles and people making poor decisions," said Hewitt. "People keep making the same mistakes week after week. At times today, I felt there was a lot of endeavour from a lot of the guys, but as far as I'm concerned, fingers need pointing at those people who keep making the same errors.
"My head is on the block, but players are also accountable at the end of the day. There are some people here who are letting the rest down by not doing the basics well. We can't keep going on like this. We can't keep sitting here and saying we are a great side because at the moment we're not a great side.
"Individuals let us down because they miss the same tackles each week. I can't have that. They get paid a lot of money to make tackles and they don't make tackles. Someone else gets paid a lot of money to put the ball in the right areas and run the game, but he doesn't do that. We are just making it hard for ourselves.
"We have got some very good individuals out there and when we play and put bits and pieces together, we look outstanding. The game, though, is played over 80 minutes."
The disappointing Sanft was certainly at the heart of Hewitt's verbal volley at the final whistle, but winger Aisea Havili was another to get the public tongue-lashing.
"Sanft isn't good enough," admitted Hewitt. "I can't put it any blunter than that. If anyone is accountable, I must be because we brought him in. That's life.
"Other people have come with reputations, but can't tackle. That's not good enough either. You know the people I am talking about, Havili. He's missed three tackles. One today, another one up at Otley that cost us a try, and he missed one against Exeter that cost us a try. There is nothing I can do about that."
It is, according to Hewitt, those kind of mistakes that are crippling his side, who were left stunned by a devastating opening to the match from the visiting Yorkshiremen.
Titans skipper Mike Whitehead set them on their way to victory when he crossed after just two minutes, the full-back finishing off a clever move which had been well crafted by Neil Chivers and Ernie Classens.
Former Pirate Barlow slotted the conversion, plus an 11th-minute penalty as Rotherham swept into a 10-0 lead.
With the home faithful somewhat shell-shocked, things got decidedly worse as Craig West's side went further in front on 13 minutes with an interception try from Jon Feeley, who raced from his own 22 to glide in under the sticks for Barlow to convert again.
A response was needed and – from their first notable raid into enemy territory – it was No.8 Bertrand Bedes who was able to barge over after Tom Luke had sniped round the side of a ruck for the converted score.
Whitehead and Luke exchanged penalties midway through the half before the home side rallied once more. With half-time fast approaching, Brian Tuohy – a former Clifton Lane favourite – made the most of an opening in the visiting rearguard to touch down, Luke's conversion making it 20-17 to the visitors at the turn.
The second half, however, started just as the first period had done. Just two minutes were on the clock when the Titans claimed try number three.
Collecting the ball deep inside his own half, the impressive Whitehead chipped over the head of Paul Devlin and reclaimed the bouncing ball before feeding Feeley who in turn drew in what feeble cover there was from the home side, before offloading to Jon Skurr who was able to race over once more.
Two Luke penalties helped the Pirates cut the deficit to four points, but just as the home side positioned themselves for a final fling, a crucial turnover on their own line saw Rotherham break downfield and from recycled ball it was Ryan Burrows who crossed for their all-important fourth try.
Even then there was still time for the Pirates to claim a scant consolation point when prop Dan Seal – who earlier was acknowledged by the masses for racking up his 200th appearance for the club – bundled over from close range.
By then it was all a little too late.
James Mann's hat-trick of tries ensured Redruth maintained their unbeaten record and their supremacy at the top of National League Two.
Head-coach Nigel Hambly has seen his team overpower all opposition so far and despite the announcement that assistant coach Jim McKay is to leave the club for a new role at Premiership side Leicester Tigers, Hambly was concentrating on his latest victory.
"Coming to Blackheah is a daunting task," he said. "Never easy. They are a pretty decent team with people who have operated at Premiership level and just below and people who have been around the National 1 scene for a long time. So to come here and get five points is very satisfying indeed.
"We didn't control the game too well today, I thought a lot of it was played between the two ten-yard lines and neither side really imposed themselves with a kicking game. We could have been 12 to 15 points up, then we had to defend bravely for a long period.
"First 20 and last 20 we played in the right places and did not make any silly errors and the team worked for each other. We stayed on our feet, we are being smart at the tackle, the players are listening to what the referees say the same as they are listening to the coaches at training."
Redruth started well with skipper PJ Gidlow, Rob Thirlby and Lewis Vinnicombe all finding big gaps in the Blackheath defence before a powerful scrum opened up the blind side for Mann and Vinnicombe to exchange passes before Mann touched down wide out on the right in the 12th minute, Brett Rule converting on his debut.
"In the first ten minutes we had four clean breaks and we only converted one of them, we could have had a nice lead after 15 minutes."
Blackheath scrum-half James Honeyben took advantage of some slack defence around the fringes of a ruck and touched down near the posts four minutes later but Matt Leek was wide with the conversion.
Twenty-year-old Rule played with composure, kicking close-range penalties from both sides of the pitch in the 24th and 32nd minutes to open up an eight-point gap.
Hambly had praise afterwards for the fly-half stepping into Mark Scrivener's boots. "Brett Rule is another player off the Colts conveyor belt," he said. "They are the things that really put a smile on my face. Simon Blake and his helpers, what they do – the boys have enough about them to stay with the club and give it a go. It is easy these days to go off and play in a lower league. They show a bit of bottle and we repay that by giving them the opportunity to play at this level."
In the 15 minutes leading up to the break and the ten minutes after it, Blackheath dominated possession and asked serious questions of Redruth's desire and defensive organisation.
As the pressure grew it was a bad mistake at the back of a scrum that led to full-back Martin Olima going over in the right-hand corner, Leek converting with a beauty from the touchline.
Leek had a chance to put the home side in front on the stroke of half-time with a penalty in front of the posts, but luck smiled on the Reds. The ball hit an upright and Rule cleared the rebound down field as Redruth clung to a one-point lead at the break.
Redruth began the second half without the giant Hayle man Damien Cook and had a torrid time as the home pack dominated and the Reds could not get