Cornish Pirates 13 Plymouth Albion 26
By Dick Straughan
January 5 2007
The result will be a bitter disappointment for the Pirates who last season completed a league double over their fierce rivals, and were confident of extending that winning streak.
January 5 2007
The result will be a bitter disappointment for the Pirates who last season completed a league double over their fierce rivals, and were confident of extending that winning streak.
The Pirates, welcoming back Centre Henry Barratt and Flanker Stan McKeen, started brightly. Roared on by a season best crowd of nearly 5,500 both teams battled for the early advantage and the tackling was fierce. Albion settled into a routine of containment and counter-attack denying the Pirates time and space to operate.
From a rare foray into the Pirates half Albion took the lead somewhat controversially. A threequarter movement broke down with repeated knock-ons only for Referee Richards to award the visitors a penalty. Regardt Van Eyk slotted the simplest of kicks adns to the joy of their large contingent of travelling supporters, Albion were off and running.
The Pirates fought back immediately and there followed a period of twenty minutes in which Albion rarely escaped from their own twenty-two. Repeatedly the Pirates drove at the Albion line only to be continually thwarted by desperate defence and repeated infringements by the visitors. The succession of penalties in favour of the Pirates begged for the award of a penalty try but Mr Richards would have none of it, and their failure to capitalise on this sustained pressure when Albion were hanging on ultimately proved the turning point of the match as the Pirates ran out of steam and ideas.
Albion fought back and profited again from the quirkiness of Mr Richards` performance in the middle. A first-half devoid of notable stoppages lasted a full 51 minuted during which time Albion turned the screw with ten more points. Another penalty for Van Eyk and an opporunist try for Sestaret after the ponderous Di Bernardo had seen yet another kick charged down, put Graham Dawe`s men 0-13 up at the break and the Pirates wondering just what had happened.
Whatever was said at the break was of no consequence as Albion struck again with their first attack of the second half and sealed the win. A trademark driving maul caused mayhem in the home defence and Sestaret crashed over to bag his second try. Van Eyk converted.
The Pirates may have been down but they were not out yet. They fought for everything in a desperate final half hour only for poor decision making, individual errors, fierce defence and the whistle of Mr Richards to deny them at every turn. Di Bernardo found his range with two penalties only for indiscipline to reward Van Eyk with another simple three points.
With just ten minutes remaining Pirates winger Jonny Hylton finally crossed the Albion line only for the try to be cruelly ruled out for a forward pass. Again the Pirates rallied, stole Albion ball deep in their half and a scything diagonal run from Hylton set up a try in the corner for Vinnecombe. Trailing by 13-23 a precious losing bonus point was now in sight but Albion had the last laugh. Despite a lengthy delay for a worrying injury to flanker Federico Genoud the boot of Van Eyk completed the scoring on a thoroughly demoralising day for the Cornish Pirates.
Plymouth Albion deserved their win. Graham Dawe`s men played like a pack of hunting dogs and fought as a team from the first minute to the last. They gave up nothing and put their bodies on the line for each other. The Pirates cannot be faulted for their work rate but too often played as a collection of individuals. Now off the pace in 5th place in Division One next week`s trip to Pertemps Bees is now a must win fixture.
PIRATES:- Roke, McAtee, Barrett, Bell, Hylton, Di Bernardo, Cattle, Evans, McKeen, Cracknell, Beardshaw, Senekal, Heard, Ma`asi, Paver, REPS:- Moore, Vinnecombe, Winn, Motusaga, Cowley, Makin, Seal.
From a rare foray into the Pirates half Albion took the lead somewhat controversially. A threequarter movement broke down with repeated knock-ons only for Referee Richards to award the visitors a penalty. Regardt Van Eyk slotted the simplest of kicks adns to the joy of their large contingent of travelling supporters, Albion were off and running.
The Pirates fought back immediately and there followed a period of twenty minutes in which Albion rarely escaped from their own twenty-two. Repeatedly the Pirates drove at the Albion line only to be continually thwarted by desperate defence and repeated infringements by the visitors. The succession of penalties in favour of the Pirates begged for the award of a penalty try but Mr Richards would have none of it, and their failure to capitalise on this sustained pressure when Albion were hanging on ultimately proved the turning point of the match as the Pirates ran out of steam and ideas.
Albion fought back and profited again from the quirkiness of Mr Richards` performance in the middle. A first-half devoid of notable stoppages lasted a full 51 minuted during which time Albion turned the screw with ten more points. Another penalty for Van Eyk and an opporunist try for Sestaret after the ponderous Di Bernardo had seen yet another kick charged down, put Graham Dawe`s men 0-13 up at the break and the Pirates wondering just what had happened.
Whatever was said at the break was of no consequence as Albion struck again with their first attack of the second half and sealed the win. A trademark driving maul caused mayhem in the home defence and Sestaret crashed over to bag his second try. Van Eyk converted.
The Pirates may have been down but they were not out yet. They fought for everything in a desperate final half hour only for poor decision making, individual errors, fierce defence and the whistle of Mr Richards to deny them at every turn. Di Bernardo found his range with two penalties only for indiscipline to reward Van Eyk with another simple three points.
With just ten minutes remaining Pirates winger Jonny Hylton finally crossed the Albion line only for the try to be cruelly ruled out for a forward pass. Again the Pirates rallied, stole Albion ball deep in their half and a scything diagonal run from Hylton set up a try in the corner for Vinnecombe. Trailing by 13-23 a precious losing bonus point was now in sight but Albion had the last laugh. Despite a lengthy delay for a worrying injury to flanker Federico Genoud the boot of Van Eyk completed the scoring on a thoroughly demoralising day for the Cornish Pirates.
Plymouth Albion deserved their win. Graham Dawe`s men played like a pack of hunting dogs and fought as a team from the first minute to the last. They gave up nothing and put their bodies on the line for each other. The Pirates cannot be faulted for their work rate but too often played as a collection of individuals. Now off the pace in 5th place in Division One next week`s trip to Pertemps Bees is now a must win fixture.
PIRATES:- Roke, McAtee, Barrett, Bell, Hylton, Di Bernardo, Cattle, Evans, McKeen, Cracknell, Beardshaw, Senekal, Heard, Ma`asi, Paver, REPS:- Moore, Vinnecombe, Winn, Motusaga, Cowley, Makin, Seal.
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