Cornish Pirates 24 Southend 0
Saturday Jauary 18th 2009

YOG's View Of the Match

There aren't many times in a season where you are likely to hear Pirates supporters grumble about a 24-0 win for their side, but some could be forgiven for thinking this was one such occasion. Perhaps there was a certain amount of over expectation facing a team propping up the bottom of Division 2, or perhaps yet more forced team changes disrupted the team, but there was an expectation that the Pirates could/should have done better.

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first. There are no two ways about it, the Pirates ball handling and ball retention, especially in the first twenty minutes, was truly dreadful. Whilst it can't be denied that the wind, rain and extremely muddy pitch had a lot to do with the poor handling, it has to be acknowledged that Southend didn't concede anywhere near as many unforced errors. The other major gripe of the afternoon was the extensive kicking ping-pong from both sides. Whilst, given the extremely slippery conditions, it might have seemed a good idea to test out the opposition backline with a few aerial bombs, however it soon became apparent that both teams had safe hands guarding the backline of defence, but still the kicking went on.

Now the better stuff. Firstly, it was a real pleasure to see Adryan "Steve" Winnan back, a player who seemed immune from the lure of aerial ping-pong, and who punished any loose kick that came his way by running it straight back at Southend, often with interest. Adryan was back and on form, and always looked inventive and determined, he would certainly have been contender for man of the match.

Both Rhodri and Iva continued to be their normal hard working and threatening selves. Paul Andrew also had a good game, who for a young 19 year old put in a lot of effort and seemed to be involved in most things during the first half. They say Props need a few years to mature into their position, if so then Andrew should really be one to watch in future seasons.

One player that would have been under a lot of scrutiny during this match would have been Blair Cowan, the Pirates latest signing. In all honesty, after about ten minutes it was hard to tell one forward from another, as all were completely covered head to foot in mud, especially the ones putting in the effort. From the few times he was recognisable from the mud, Blair certainly seemed to be putting in the effort, which considering he hasn't really had time to bed-in or learn the team plays, is the only thing he can really be judged on at the moment. He looked good, but it is really too early to tell.

Despite the large number of squandered opportunities, all four of the Pirates tries were well put together, with the second being the most satisfying, being the biggest team effort of the entire match. The forwards tied up a lot of Southend players, applying more and more pressure, luring more and more Southend players into the defence, then the ball was suddenly spun wide with speed and accuracy where the Pirates now had a decisive overlap. It was a pleasure to watch, and left me thinking that "this" is how we should be playing as a team.

Of course, two teams turned up and played at Camborne on Sunday, and Southend certainly didn't turn up just to make up the numbers. Southend competed well in all aspects of the game, from the set play, to defence and the willingness to push forward. Southend competed for everything, which at times caused the Pirates problems, and I would have to say that their tactical kicking was better as well. Southend's full back and wings were especially good, making ground and pressuring the Pirates often. The only aspect of Southend's play that stopped them really causing the Pirates difficulties was their inability to break the Pirates defensive line as often as they would have liked. Although the conditions were a great leveller, and even though Southend hardly ever threatened the Pirates line, I came away thinking that if this was what one of the lower teams Div-2 had to offer these days, then the five Div-1 teams that possibly get relegated at the end of this season might be in for a tough time.

Another team that had a good day on Sunday were the officials, especially Philip Davies the referee. It was mentioned that this was Mr. Davies first time refereeing in Div-1, if so it was a very good start. Most things were seen, communication was good, both teams were dealt with evenly, and the only instance of dangerous play was handled quickly and firmly. We've certainly seen worse officiating in the past, so hopefully this is a sign of better things to come.

In the end the Pirates experience and doggedness was enough to lift them from the mire of the pitch, and a 24-0 victory is never something to be sniffed at. The Pirates have never had a problem lifting themselves for the harder games, but sometimes, especially this season, have struggled to assert themselves against lesser competition. Hopefully Sunday's game will help remind the squad that no team should be under-estimated, and help them get in the right frame of mind for Manchester next week. A good win against Manchester would hopefully then put the Pirates in the right frame of mind for Rotherham the week after, where it would be very possible to turn around the early season loss.

Cornish Pirates:
A. Winnan, R. McAtee, M. Ireland (P. Devlin 75), S. Winn, J. Moore, S. Whatling (B. Tuohy 72)
E. Fairhurst (N. Griffiths 64), B. Cowan (W. Davey 75), I. Motusaga (T. Luke 62), C. Morgan
B. Gulliver (capt), M. Evans, S. Heard (D. Seal h/t), R. Elloway, P. Andrew (P. Cook 66).

Scorers:
Tries: Andrew, Motusaga, Griffiths, McAtee
Cons: Moore (2)

Southend:
S. Hoult (A. Frost 62), M. Billings (D. Cleare 70), L. Sloan (capt), C. Green, T. Lewis (C. Vaughan 77), B. McKeith, R. Reed, T. Stannard (L. Irvine 40+3), R. Gill, T. Kasten, C. Waring (J. Connors 35), S. Cook, I. Cook, J. George, S. North (M. Williams 57).

Yellow card: Connors.

Referee: Philip Davies (RFU)

Man of the match: Paul Andrew

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