With Premiership Cup games completed, and a useful friendly played at home against the Royal Navy the previous weekend, the Cornish Pirates should feel justifiably pleased with this well deserved bonus point victory.

Under Friday night lights at the Mennaye Field it certainly made a welcome return to Championship action for the first time since late January, as in an entertaining contest the Pirates outscored their dangerous opponents by six tries to four.

The sixth versus seventh Round 13 clash against London Scottish was expected to be close, and to a degree it was, remembering too that the exiles side won their home encounter 26-15 against the Cornish Pirates last October.

Flanker Alex Everett skippered the Pirates, who named Dylan Irvine among the replacements. A young Kiwi hooker, he had made his debut for the team off the bench against the Royal Navy.

Action underway, the Pirates soon had the home crowd up on their feet, as they applied pressure deep into the Newlyn end of the ground. A big scrum, and one that would continue to impress, followed, plus wing Matt McNab and number 8 Tomi Agbongbon were strong with ball in hand.

Scrum half Dan Hiscocks was lively, and an opening score came in the seventh minute, when always busy man of the match full-back Will Trewin touched down at the old Western National corner. The conversion attempt from wide out was anything but easy, however fly-half Bruce Houston struck his kick perfectly.

The Pirates were making it difficult for the visitors to get into the game, and they might indeed have added to their tally only for their line-out to falter on a couple of occasions.

London Scottish would though start to show glimpses of the threat they posed, and approaching midway through the first half dynamic flanker Jack Ingall, after a series of snappy pick and goes, scored to the right on the Penzance posts. Fly-half Alec Lloyd-Seed, a former Doncaster ‘Knight’, added the extra two points and shortly after also slotted a penalty from 35 metres out.

Inspired by Captain Everett, the Pirates forced their way back into the match, with it not long before Agbongbon’s converted try at the Newlyn posts saw the home outfit back in front.

The exiles responded to then nudge ahead thanks to a converted try scored by lock Harry Browne, but it was the Pirates who finished the half strongly. Slick handling led to Trewin scoring his second converted try, and after London Scottish lost centre Will Simonds to the sin bin, Houston’s successful penalty made it 24-17 at the break.

It had been a thoroughly entertaining first half, and when the Pirates emerged from the tunnel for the second forty it was evident that they were keen to waste no time in adding to their tally. Hooker Sol Moody powered over for their bonus point providing fourth try, scored at the clubhouse corner, and although the visitors hit back with a converted try scored by their own starting hooker, Austin Wallis, Moody was soon on the score sheet again.

A final excellent Pirates try from scrum half Dan Hiscocks was converted by Houston, to open a 17 points gap before, in the last minute, former Scotland international Bryan Redpath’s side secured their bonus point attaining fourth try through replacement Zach Carr. Gathering possession, he paced it down the right wing, with Lloyd-Seed’s conversion making the final score 41-31.

Commenting after the game, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“We have had a lot of changes and are inevitably a little ring rusty, but I was pretty happy with our performance throughout the team, which is something that was good to see as we commendably looked quite fit, sharp and strong.

“Helped by it being a little slippery and us making a couple of handling errors, London Scottish showed they are a dangerous team on turnovers as we witnessed in the first half. The first forty did end up a bit topsy-turvy when I thought we could have put the game to bed by halftime, so it was important that after they had a man sin-binned we started the second half fast and took advantage in what proved a crucial period.”

Gavin added:

“There are a couple of things we need to fix defensively but I think that on the whole there’s no call for panic and, overall, I was happy with the intent.

“Also, looking at things closer, I think that was the best backline performance we have put in this season and, as a team, our physicality was pleasingly very good.”

Cornish Pirates:   15 Will Trewin14 Arthur Relton 13 Charlie McCaig 12 Chester Ribbons (23 Joe Elderkin, 71) 11 Matt McNab 10 Bruce Houston (22 Iwan Jenkins, 64) 9 Dan Hiscocks (21 Will Rigelsford, 71); 1 Oisin Michel (17 Billy Young, 55) 2 Sol Moody (16 Dylan Irvine, 65) 3 Jay Tyack (18 Ollie Andrews, 57) 4 Alfie Bell (19 Charlie Rice, 51) 5 Josh King 6 Matt Cannon (20 Fintan Coleman, 65) 7 Alex Everett (captain) 8 Tomiwa Agbongbon.

London Scottish:   15 Will Talbot-Davies 14 Jonah Holmes 13 Bryn Bradley 12 Will Simonds 11 Noah Ferdinand (22 Dan Nutton, 50) 10 Alec Lloyd-Seed 9 Jonny Law (21 Lewis Barrett; 1 Will Prior (17 George Cave, 49) 2 Austin Wallis (16 Calum Scott, 63) 3 Ashley Challenger (18 Ntinga Mpiko, 63) 4 Alex Wardell (20 Bailey Ransom, 63) 5 Harry Browne 6 Will Trenholm (captain) 7 Jack Ingall (23) Roma Zheng, 55) 8 Tom Marshall (19 Zach Carr, 55).

Yellow card: 12 Will Simonds (40).

Scorers:

Cornish Pirates – tries: 15 Will Trewin (09, 35) 8 Tomi Agbongbon (27) 2 Sol Moody (41, 48), 9 Dan Hiscocks (61); cons: 10 Bruce Houston (09, 27, 35, 61); pen: 10 Bruce Houston (41).

London Scottish – tries:  7 Jack Ingall (19) 5 Harry Browne (32) 2 Austin Wallis (46) 19 Zach Carr (80); cons: 10 Alec Lloyd-Seed (19, 32, 46, 80);                         pen: 10 Alec Lloyd-Seed (23).

Referee:   George Selwood

Assistants:   James Milliner-Woodcock & Kevin Williams

‘Tribute’ Man of the Match:   Will Trewin

‘Thatchers’ Try of the Match:   Dan Hiscocks

Attendance:   1290