THE Pirates sit proudly at the top of National
League as they preserved their 100 per cent start to the season with a thumping
43-16 victory over Westcountry rivals Exeter Chiefs at the County Ground.
Having lost narrowly to the Chiefs in the corresponding fixture last
season,
Jim McKay's side proved too hot to handle in this latest encounter,
running
in five tries and producing a performance which will have made many
in the
division sit up and take note.
Showing two changes to
the side that defeated the Earth Titans a week
previous, Kevin James and
Wade Kelly returned to the starting line-up in
place of Matt Jess and Duncan
Roke, the Pirates dominated for long periods
and by half-time were 24-6
ahead.
For the Chiefs, who had already lost to Plymouth Albion in
the season's
opening fixture, it was a day they'd probably wish to forget.
Indeed, the
end result was Exeter's heaviest home defeat since a club record
35-0
reverse against Rotherham in 2000.
For Chiefs coach Ian
Bremner it is not the kind of start to the season he
would have envisaged
but, as his side have shown in the past, they are a
team more than capable
of stringing together a run of results. Last season
they lost two of their
opening five games and still came second, while they
went down in two out
of four matches in 2002-03 and ended up third.
Injuries to winger
Alistair Murdoch and skipper Sam Blythe will have done
little to ease the
pain for the Irishman. The injuries certainly disrupted
Exeter and can partly
explain their indifferent display, but that would not
do the Pirates' performance
justice.
The Cornish outfit are top after four games - three of which
have been away
from home - after Quins failed to collect the bonus point
from their 32-10
victory at Nottingham, and, on this form, it will take
a very good side to
beat them.
Despite the early exit of Murdoch
with a hamstring injury, it was the Chiefs
who broke the game's deadlock
with a drop-goal from Adam Staniforth.
However, the young fly-half then
turned villain - after opposite number Tom
Barlow had levelled the scores
with a penalty - by telegraphing a pass and
Pirates' flanker Joe Bearman
gratefully accepted the interception and ran 65
metres to score under the
posts.
Barlow converted, and then kicked two penalties, to put the
visitors 16-3
ahead, but it was a try on the stroke of half-time that really
knocked the
stuffing out of Exeter and left them with a huge mountain to
climb.
Pirates' top try scorer Richard Welding slipped through some
poor tackles,
and when he was eventually stopped, impressive full-back Wes
Davies spun out
a long pass for centre Shaun James to score in the corner.
Barlow missed his only kick of the game with the conversion, but
then
exchanged penalties with Exeter full-back Gary Kingdom to leave the
Pirates
24-6 ahead at the break.
Whatever Bremner said at the
interval had the desired effect as the Chiefs
looked much better in the
third quarter, forcing the Pirates into plenty of
mistakes, but they had
only a Kingdom penalty to show for their efforts.
Then, as the injury-hit
home side began to tire, the Pirates took full
advantage with three tries
in the final 21 minutes. Two of them were in the
corner - from replacement
No.8 Matt Evans and winger Kevin James - while
Davies grabbed the other
after a fine blindside break from a scrum by
excellent scrum-half Gavin
Cattle.
Barlow converted the first two for a personal 18-point haul
before being
replaced by Lee Jarvis.
Exeter, to their credit,
kept going until the end and managed a consolation
try through replacement
lock Mark Gabey, which Kingdom converted, but it was
a day the Chiefs will
want to forget.
Exeter Chiefs: G Kingdom; M Fatialofa, J Fatialofa
(R Bolt 66), S Ward (C
Catling 57), A Murdoch (S Alred 3); A Staniforth,
I Wilson; D Porte (R
Liddington 66), S Blythe (capt, S Jenkins 28-39, 40+5),
G Davis; C Bentley
(M Gabey 57), J Hanks (G Willis 57),
T Walker,
T Roques, R Baxter.
Exeter Chiefs, Try - Gabey; Conversion - Kingdom;
Penalties - Kingdom 2;
Drop - Staniforth.
Pirates: W Davies;
R Welding, S James, W Kelly (M Jess 72), K James; T
Barlow (L Jarvis 80),
G Cattle; A Paver, P Ince (V Ma'asi 69), N Adams (D
Parkes 70); W James
(S Hockings 80), J Beardshaw; J Bearman, S Betty, T
Cowley
(M
Evans 40+2). Replacement (not used): N Chivers.
Cornish Pirates,
Tries - Bearman, S James, Evans, Davies, K James;
Conversions - Barlow 3;
Penalties - Barlow 4
Referee: G Ashton-Jones (RFU)
Attendance:
2,232.
