This
final match of the season started as brightly as the welcome warmer weather, the
Pirates notching up two unconverted tries in just as many minutes, before reality
then set in.
London Welsh
have improved dramatically in the second half of the season, and as the match
unfolded they showed due reason why, since January, they had climbed from twelfth
to seventh in the league.
Having to end the season
and once again play without injured influential performers such as skipper Tim
Cowley, Heino Senekal and Ed Fairhurst, the Pirates side also showed a number
of changes from the one that disappointingly lost at Moseley the previous week.
In the backs, James Moore was selected at scrum-half, reversing roles with wing
Rhodri McAtee who wore the number '9' shirt against 'Mose', whilst Vunga Lilo
started on the other wing ahead of Brian Tuohy. Changes of personnel in the pack
saw Matt Evans move up to the second-row in place of Scott Hobson, with Sam Betty
joining Iva Motusaga and Chris Cracknell in a re-jigged back-row. There was also
a fresh prop pairing in Sam Heard and Alan Paver, who started ahead of Dan Seal
and Peter Cook.
Having
enjoyed a range of pre-match entertainment, including a visit by the hugely popular
Falmouth Marine Band, the large 'Trevithick Day' crowd was already buzzing even
before the Pirates went 10-0 up thanks to tries scored by wing Vunga Lilo and
scrum-half Jimmy Moore. 'The Welsh' were surely shell-shocked,
but they didn't show it, as they came back steadily into the match with a confident
and authoritative display. Pressure created, prop Aaron Liffchak stretched to
score a try on the left in the seventeenth minute, it converted by fly-half Matthew
Jones. Two minutes later the visitors were over the line
again, former England wing Paul Sampson, playing at full-back, stepping his way
to a converted try on the right. |  |
Falmouth
Marine Band & Betty Stoggs |
From the
restart, Pirates' fly-half Ollie Thomas kicked a penalty chance on offer to bring
the Pirates back within a point, but without time to blink London Welsh extended
their lead with a try scored by flanker Simon Etheredge, which was again converted
by Jones.
Ollie Thomas went close with a long-range drop
goal attempt, and was then similarly unlucky with a penalty strike, as the crowd,
which included among it Dicky Evans and former England fly-half Richard Sharp,
witnessed a cracking game of rugby.
There were concerns
when prop Paver was yellow-carded, but this was balanced out when London Welsh
No. 8 Hywel Jenkins was then similarly directed to the sin bin by Scottish referee
Graham Knox.
Approaching half-time, pressure told once more
on the Pirates, good play by London Welsh captain Jonathan Mills leading to a
try scored by wing Noah Cato, a star performer in this season's England U20s 'Grand
Slam winning side. Jones added the conversion to make it 13-28 at the break.
During
an action-packed afternoon both on and off the field, the Pirates now needed a
good start to the second half, with prayers answered when man of the match flanker
Iva Motusaga ran determinedly to score on the left. Moore,
taking over the kicking duties, was unlucky not to slot the difficult conversion
from out wide .Jones shortly after kicked a penalty goal
for London Welsh, which proved to the last score of the game, and although the
Pirates tried desperately to break through the London Welsh defence, the chance
to finish the season on a something of a high was not to be . |  |
Man
of the match flanker Iva Motusaga |
Replacement
Brian Tuohy went mightily close to scoring a try which would have given the Pirates
a bonus point, but he was hauled down just short of the line, and as the final
whistle eventually sounded there was absolutely no argument about the final result.
Following
the game the presentation of the club's Annual Awards took place at the front
of the main grandstand (see separate report), with there also singing and a version
of the 'haka' performed by guest young rugby players from Kasselsvlei School,
Cape Town.
Cornish Pirates:
A. Winnan, R. McAtee, P. Devlin, S. Winn (capt - M. Ireland h/t), V. Lilo, O.
Thomas (G. Steenson 46), J. Moore (B. Tuohy 58), C. Cracknell, I. Motusaga, S.
Betty, B. Cumming, M. Evans, S. Heard (D. Seal 61), R. Elloway (D. Dawidiuk 73),
A. Paver (P. Cook 46)
Replacements
(not used): S. Hobson
Yellow card: Paver
Scorers:-
Tries:
:Lilo, Moore, Motusaga
Pens Thomas 1
London
Welsh:
P. Sampson, N. Cato, R. Jewell, P. Mackey, A. Cadwallader, M.
Jones (T. Marks 73), M. Wilson, H. Jenkins, S. Etheredge, J. Mills (capt - K.
Burke 67), W. Lewaravu, H. Quigley (B. Thomas 54), A. Liffchak (P. Dorian Jones
58), S.K. Vuli (A. Kwasnicki 76), D. Williams.
Replacements (not used):
A. Chilten, N. Taylor
Yellow card: Jenkins
Scorers:-
Try:
Bornman
Pen: Laidlaw 4
Referee: Graham
Knox (RFU)
Man of the Match: Iva Motusaga
Attendance:
4,682
Match
Day Sponsor: Burdens
Match Ball Sponsor: Barn Club
