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The outcome for the Cornish Pirates was naturally disappointing, but there was also rightly deserved credit due a slick London Scottish side whose blend of gifted youth and experience proved a little too much against the below par visitors.
All in all, this contest under lights at the Richmond Athletic Ground always promised to be an interesting and competitive one, as both sides were looking to put aside the disappointment of narrowly losing their matches the previous weekend.
London Scottish had run Hartpury very close away before losing 34-33, whilst the Pirates, of course, succumbed to a last minute 29-24 defeat at home to Ealing Trailfinders.
The Cornish Pirates side showed four changes in their starting line-up from the one that ran out against the Trailfinders. Scrum half Dan Hiscocks, who was an early replacement the previous week for the injured Cam Jones, got the nod in the the number 9 shirt, and the experienced propping pair of Billy Keast and Jay Tyack were ready to make their first league starts of the league campaign, along with lock Matt Cannon. On the bench, forwards Ollie Andrews and Tomiwa Agbongbon, the latter having arrived in the week on loan from Ealing Trailfinders, were keen to make their first Championship appearances for the Pirates, as were backs Charlie McCaig and Will Rigelsford.
Returning to the ground where the Cornish Pirates, at the very end of last season, secured their highest ever 2nd place in the Championship, it was London Scottish fly-half Alec Lloyd-Seed who got the game underway.
Territorial advantage was achieved by the Pirates in the first few minutes, and in the early stages there was a chance for them to score after fly-half Bruce Houston opted to kick for the corner following a penalty award. Hooker Morgan Nelson’s throw from 10 metres out found the hands of flanker Josh King, and with a maul set the ball was then moved along the line only for a lack of fluency in passing gifting the home side possession.
London Scottish winger Hayden Hyde posed a danger with an excellent run, and taking play to the line the opening try was scored on the quarter of an hour mark by lock George Hammond. Lloyd-Seed added the extra two points.
A young player of considerable potential featuring for London Scottish, and one of several budding Harlequins stars in their line-up, was 18-year-old scrum-half Lucas Friday, who is the son former England sevens player Mike Friday. Indeed, Friday junior was initially influential ahead of the home team’s second converted try scored by their skipper and flanker Bailey Ransom.
Things were not going well for the Pirates, who suffered another setback when Eoin O’Connor had to depart injured, with his place in the second row taken by replacement Charlie Rice.
Maintaining dominance, the exiles side was quick to score again. Hyde was hauled down just short on the Pirates line, and shortly after, following referee Mr. Walbaum consulting one of his assistants, it was man of the match Friday who was awarded a try, with Lloyd-Seed again adding the extras.
The Pirates appeared to up their efforts, with skipper Bokenham to the fore. Overall, however, his team’s play was a little too untidy, despite a rally in the approach to halftime. A score would eventually materialise though when, after backs added weight to a driving maul, a cross-field kick by fly-half Bruce Houston was snaffled by wing Arthur Relton, who wriggled over at the corner. Houston’s conversion attempt from wide drifted to the left of the posts, for the score to read 21-5 at the break.
So, it was a case of full credit to the London Scottish team, whose dominance thus far posed the Pirates something on an uphill task when the second half got underway. In simple and brief terms, there was work to do.
Bokenham and Hiscocks provided some early pep to the Pirates, but 10 minutes into the second period the home side won a penalty for Lloyd-Seed to kick threateningly to the corner. From the resulting drive to the line it was Harlequins hooker Sam Riley, who has played for England A this year, who scored a bonus point providing fourth try for London Scottish.
The Pirates now introduced a handful of replacements to proceedings, including among them debutant Tomiwa Agbongbon. He was quick to impress, and another replacement in hooker Harry Hocking then scored the team’s second try. Replacement fly-half Iwan Jenkins was luckless with his conversion attempt, as he was when after good play from centre Joe Elderkin led to a try from Hiscocks that made it 26-15 with 12 minutes to go.
There was still time for the Pirates to spoil the party for the London Scottish faithful, but it wasn’t to be. Agbongbon showed again what a strong runner he is with ball in hand, centre Matt McNab defended well, and a charge down and burst from Bokenham provided hope for a fourth try to be scored, but when from a line-out the Pirates were held up, a goal line drop out followed, and the team would fall short of getting anything out of the match.
The Cornish Pirates have enjoyed worthy success away against London Scottish in the past three seasons. Overall, however, it was the exiles team who had taken the spoils at home on most occasions in the past decade, so getting back on track their Director of Rugby, former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath, was a happy man.
For the Pirates, who have had better days, and will again, post-match their joint head coach Gavin Cattle gave his usual open and honest assessment, saying
“In the first half our level of performance was nowhere near it, and we were too easy to beat in all honesty. Physically Scottish got the better of us on both sides of the ball and they were also very clinical. and to their credit I think they left us with too much to do after the first half hour.
“It all felt like a bit of a hangover from the Ealing game when we played very well, though we spoke all week leading into this contest that you have to front up week in and week out.
“I was disappointed and there were some choice words at halftime because we didn’t look like a Pirates side DNA-wise in the first forty. In the second half we fronted up but there were a lot of uncharacteristic errors, and we just couldn’t get any foothold in any facet of the game.
“Yes, we went close to scoring again near the end which would have made it interesting. However, it didn’t happen and Scottish deserved the win.”
London Scottish: 15 Will Talbot-Davies (22 Will Brown, 70) 24 Hayden Hyde 13 Sean Kerr 12 Will Simonds 11 Noah Ferdinand 10 Alec Lloyd-Seed 9 Lucas Friday (21 Dan Nutton, 65); 1 George Cave (18 Ntinga Mpiko, 73) 2 Sam Riley (16 Austin Wallis, 80) 3 Will Hobson (17 Caleb Ashworth, 80) 4 Matt Wilkinson (19 Harry Browne, 65) 5 George Hammond 6 Bailey Ransom (captain; 20 Zach Carr, 80) 7 Jack Ingall (23 Jake Spurway, 19) 8 Tom Marshall.
Cornish Pirates: 15 Will Trewin 14 Robin Wedlake (23 Charlie McCaig, 50) 13 Matt McNab 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Arthur Relton 10 Bruce Houston (22 Iwan Jenkins, 44) 9 Dan Hiscocks (21 Will Rigelsford, 78); 1 Billy Keast (17 Billy Young, 51) 2 Morgan Nelson (16 Harry Hocking, 50) 3 Jay Tyack (18 Ollie Andrews, 51) 4 Matt Cannon 5 Eoin O’Connor (19 Charlie Rice, 26; 20 Tomiwa Agbongbon, 50) 6 Josh King 7 Will Gibson 8 Hugh Bokenham (captain).
Scorers:
London Scottish – tries: 5 George Hammond (15) 6 Bailey Ransom (25) 9 Lucas Friday (29) 2 Sam Riley (50); cons: 10 Alec Lloyd-Seed (16, 26, 30). pens:
Cornish Pirates – tries: 11 Arthur Relton (40) 16 Harry Hocking (58) 9 Dan Hiscocks (68).
Referee: Harry Walbaum
Assistants: James Clarke & Calum Howard
Attendance: 991