In
their last game of the 2008-09 season the Cornish Pirates, wearing a one-off purple
and yellow shirt in support of the 'Pirate Trust', narrowly lost a closely fought
encounter played in difficult conditions.  | | The
warmth of the sun experienced at the 'Rec' on the two previous weekends was all
but a memory as Saturday at Camborne disappointingly felt like mid-winter.
It was a pity to end what has been a frustrating campaign on such a harsh afternoon,
when the swirl of the wind inevitably made it difficult for both sets of players. Indeed,
the opening quarter of the game was particularly scrappy, but with the visitors
appearing to just have the edge against their Duchy opponents. |  | | | | When
the Pirates lost control of the ball just outside of their own '22', London Welsh
snaffled possession and moved the ball swiftly left, only for wing Ed Lewiss-Pratt
to be bundled into touch. However, by just having the edge
it was not long before 'The Welsh' threatened once more, with good work from flanker
Jonathan Mills and fly-half Aled Thomas putting them menacingly into a position
from where Wales '7's star Thomas successfully slotted a simple penalty chance
awarded. The wind certainly posed problems both with passing and at line-out
time, with the Pirates also given extra added concern at the scrummage. |  | | | Mills
was always busy for the men in red, with good support from prop Dorian Williams,
and former England wing Paul Sampson also showed that he was a dangerous runner
from full-back. For the Pirates, lock Heino Senekal was already putting
in what would ultimately prove to be another man of the match performance. During
the interval there was an on-field fun 'kicking competition' between Pirates mascot
Captain Benbow and Stuart Wilkes from Midas 'Touch'. Stuart had scored the most
points for his team at a sponsors charity kicking competition held a few weeks
back, which qualified him to take on Captain Benbow. In true sporting tradition
both were up for the challenge on Saturday, and both did well. Also during
the half-time period special guest for the day Eric Tweedale, who played for Australia
against Cornwall & Devon at Camborne in 1947, made the 50/50 Draw. | | |
On
resumption of play London Welsh soon piled on the pressure close to the Pirates
line. There were a number of scrums, where they clearly fancied their chances,
and a penalty try, which had always looked likely to be awarded by referee Luke
Pearce, duly was. Thomas added the extras, and even at an early stage in the second
period it looked that the Cornish side was staring defeat in the face. When
the Pirates, however, introduced Blair Cowan as a replacement, it was not long
before the Kiwi made an impact. Coming off the back of one scrummage he fed the
ball left, enabling full-back Marika Vakacegu and wing Aisea Havili to run a channel
to the clubhouse corner. Yes, Havili was squeezed out of room, but the play provided
a certain spark and lifted morale as the season's end approached. |  |
| | | Replacement
scrum-half Nicky Griffiths also immediately made his mark, with support from Senekal
and flanker Iva Motusaga who were both digging extra deep in their last appearances
for the Pirates. Havili was unlucky when he chased a clever
Paul Devlin kick to the clubhouse corner, as the Pirates now played their best
rugby in the match. A try was sought, and thankfully one came when Griffiths fired
a long pass to Vakacegu who hit the line to dive for a try at the scoreboard corner.
The conversion attempt from Jones missed, but with the
scoreline now reading 5-10 the Pirates were back in with a chance. |  |
| | | | Continuing
to play with acquired confidence, wing Rhodri McAtee was the next to almost break
clear. It looked as if his progress had been halted by a high tackle, and the
Pirates were then awarded a penalty in front of the posts. The decision made was
to take the immediate points on offer, which they did through the boot of Jones,
and to try and score again in the remaining few minutes. As
it worked out, London Welsh kept tight control of possession they acquired, and
suitably passed the remaining seconds with a short pick and drive game right to
the final whistle. The Pirates had done well to get back
into the match, but there wasn't quite enough time to give them a chance of ending
their season with a win. |  | | |
Following
the game the Annual Awards ceremony took part in front of the stand, for which
a separate report will follow.
Cornish Pirates:
M. Vakacegu,
R. McAtee, P. Devlin, M. Ireland (T. Luke 60), A. Havili,
S. Whatling (R.
Jones 14), E. Fairhurst (N. Griffiths 60), B. Bedes (B. Cowan 54), I. Motusaga,
C. Morgan,
B. Gulliver (capt, M. Burak 80+2), H. Senekal, S. Heard (S. Franklin
60), R. Elloway (D. Dawidiuk 72), A. Paver London Welsh:
P. Sampson,
G. Evans, P. Murchie, P. Mackey, E. Lewis-Pratt,
A. Thomas, A. Chilten, T.
Brown, T. Audley, J. Mills
M. Powell (capt), M. Corker, A. Liffchak, V. Sunia
Koto, D. Williams. Replacements (not used): D. George, R. Boot, R. Wame
Lewaravu, R. Bell, A. Jenkins, T. Rock, A. Hopkins Scorers:- Cornish
Pirates - try Vakacegu; pen: Jones. London Welsh - penalty try;
con: Thomas; pen: Thomas. Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU) Man of the match:
Heino Senekal Attendance: 2,616
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