Cornish Pirates 54 Royal Navy 14

After a four-week break, match action for the Cornish Pirates returned on Friday evening when the Royal Navy were welcome visitors to the Mennaye Field. In perfect conditions the two fully committed sides both entertained, but with the hosts ultimately emerging comfortable victors.

The popular friendly fixture, a third ever between the two sides, formed part of the Cornish Pirates’ 20^th Anniversary celebrations, when special shirts were worn by the home team and many former star players from the past 20 years were in attendance.

Returned to fitness backrower Alex Everett skippered the Pirates, and their bench included several guest players who were keen to impress. They were Kiwi hooker Dylan Irvine, young Cornish prop Ben Woodmansey, UK-born lock/flanker Mike Etete, and Irish back Sam Cahill.

Quick out of the blocks, the Pirates got off to a fine start, when slick handling and a burst on to the ball by centre Charlie McCaig saw him score near the Penzance posts. Fly-half Iwan Jenkins added the extra two points.

In response the Navy team, with two former Pirates, namely number 8 and skipper Jarrard Hayler and fly half Jordan Gott, plus present-day squad members in scrum half Will Rigelsford and flanker Chris Mills, in their ranks, were in no mood to roll over.

A try from Gott, which he also converted, levelled matters, as the Pirates were finding it difficult to break their opponents down. However, when extra exerted pressure was applied at the clubhouse corner, they were awarded a penalty try, and in the process the visitors lost the services of lock Dan Macadams to the sin bin for 10 minutes.

In the build to halftime the match continued to be keenly contested, before a converted try scored by hooker Sol Moody made it 21-7 at the break.

Both sides made personnel changes into the second forty, and play was again closely fought, though during a spell of dominance the Pirates added to their account with three tries which were all well converted by replacement fly-half Bruce Houston. The powerful figure of number 8 Tomi Agbongbon got the first, and then man of the match wing Arthur Relton scorched down the right to score. The third try, from close range, was a debutant effort from replacement Mike Etete.

The Navy side hit back with a try from replacement Dec Johnson and a conversion by fellow bench man Jake Hanley, but it was the Pirates who had the final say with two more tries, which were firsts in Pirates’ colours for replacements Chester Ribbons and Milo Hallam. Houston converted the first of these two scores.

Speaking at the end of Friday’s contest, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“It was a competitive match, and I thought the Navy kept possession well in the first half, and at one stage went through 20 or so phases which their coaches will be pleased with.

“We were naturally a bit ring rusty, a little passive in defence, and at times we slowed the ball up when perhaps more pressure could have been applied, and that was the message delivered at halftime.

“Our attack needs sharpening up and there were a lot of turnovers and unforced errors, and a lack of patience, although we ultimately dominated events in what was a good workout for both teams.”

Gavin added:

“Overall, it has been a bit of a challenge these past few weeks, but we have now got some fit bodies back, with others expected, so we will need to quickly integrate and get up to speed ahead of an expected tough contest at home to London Scottish next Friday night.”

Cornish Pirates:   15 Iwan Price-Thomas 14 Arthur Relton 13 Matt McNab 12 Charlie McCaig 11 Will Trewin 10 Iwan Jenkins 9 Dan Hiscocks; 1 Billy Young 2 Sol Moody 3 Ollie Andrews 4 Charlie Rice 5 Josh King 6 Matt Cannon 7 Alex Everett (captain) 8 Tomiwa Agbongbon.

Replacements (all used):   *Dylan Irvine, Oisin Michel, James French, *Ben Woodmansey, *Mike Etete, Alfie Bell, Barnaby Elderkin, Fintan Coleman, Milo Hallam, Cam Jones, Bruce Houston, Chester Ribbons, *Sam Cahill (* denotes guest player).

Yellow card:   Irvine.

Royal Navy:   15 MNE Rory Dingemans 14 MNE Henry Gliddon 13 MNE Jamin Hoffman 12 LAET Adam King 11 MNE Craig Duncan 10 AET Jordan Gott 9 ETME Will Rigelsford; 1 POAET Kyle Beasley 2 AET Jack Wright 3 LA (AH) Ben Watson 4 LPT Scott Makepeace 5 LETWE Dan Macadams 6 LAET Chris Mills 7 MNE Ben Mallett 8 Capt Jarrard Hayler (captain).

Replacements (all used):   16 MNE Alex O’Brien 17 LS Tam Lindsay 18 LETME Dom Cleverley 19 Lt Dec Johnson 20 Cpl Rory Mitchell 21 ETWE Lewis Roxby 22 AET Jay Toogood 23 LS (AWW) Jake Hanley 24 SET George Edson 25 POAET Ben Chambers 26 MNE Freddie Elliot 27 AET Matt Hall.

Yellow card:   Macadams.

Scorers:

Cornish Pirates – tries:  McCaig, Penalty Try, Moody, Agbongbon, Relton,, Etete, Ribbons, Hallam; cons: Jenkins (2), Houston (4).

Royal Navy – tries:  Gott, Johnson; cons: Gott, Hanley.

Referee:   Jamie Parr

Assistants:   Iain Kiy & Kevin Williams

‘Tribute’ Man of the Match:   Arthur Relton

‘Thatchers’ Try of the Match:     Milo Hallam

Attendance:   1017