Cornish Pirates vs Hartpury – Match Report

Comeback Pirates Fall Just Short

By Phil Westren

Cornish Pirates 21 – Hartpury 22

For the Cornish Pirates, this game on Saturday marked the start of a new league season, the Championship also having rebranded under the name of ‘Champ Rugby’.

First up for the Cornish Pirates was this a home encounter against Hartpury, who were expected to provide strong opposition, which they did. Indeed, the Gloucestershire side who nowadays has Cornishman Martin Haag as their head of performance, impressively built up a 22-0 halftime lead, before the home side ultimately showed character to claw their way back into the game only to fall short by a single point.

Under newly named Pirates’ captain Alex Everett, he led a team out that welcomed back fly-half Arwel Robson and hooker Morgan Nelson to their ranks, whilst lock Milo Hallam, who last season made six appearances for the club, was making his first start.

📷No quarter given in a hard-fought encounter. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

Four squad players keen to make their league match debuts for the Pirates off the bench, were young fly-half/full-back Louie Sinclair who is dual registered with Exeter Chiefs, wing Matty Ward, Irish prop Alessandro Heaney, and Australian backrower Rory Suttor.

Kicking the game off for the visitors, who playing towards Penzance had advantage of the strong wind, was Hartpury’s fly-half Harry Bazalgette. He was one of three former Pirates in their ranks, the others being hooker Will Crane and number 8 Jarrard Hayler. All would perform well.

It was a sunny afternoon but with a strong wind which, it was felt, would inevitably make it difficult for the kickers. However, after Hartpury opened the scoring with a try scored at the old scoreboard corner by former Wales under 20s full-back Alex Morgan, Bazalgette made light of the conversion.

📷Pirates' fly-half Arwel Robson was on target with his three conversion attempts. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

Playing with passion and control, a second try was engineered by the visitors following a penalty award, and after Bazalgette fired the ball into the clubhouse corner it was Crane who found his man at line-out time and scored from the resultant catch and drive.

The Pirates were finding it difficult to make any impact, despite impressing in the scrums, where it appeared that batteries in the pack were at least well and truly charged.

Pirates’ skipper Everett carried with determination, but Hartpury extended their lead before the break thanks first to a Bazalgette penalty and then a second converted try from Crane. The Cornish side also lost the services of centre Joe Elderkin who was shown a 20 minute red card.

📷Matt Cannon carries strongly for the Pirates and has Josh King in support. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

It was important for the Pirates to showed spirit in their play when they returned to the field for the second half, and they certainly looked much sharper. They also continued to be dominant at scrum time, whilst in broken play their first score of the game would ultimately be achieved. Scrum half Dan Hiscocks ran with determination, his efforts well supported by man of the match prop Billy Young and replacement hooker Sol Moody. Good yardage was achieved and after maintaining momentum space was created on the left from where wing Arthur Relton raced in for a try that was well converted by fly-half Arwel Robson.

A fine run from Hartpury’s Morgan soon set alarm bells ringing, but the threat was held before the Pirates were quickly back on the attack with the crowd now finding their voices. Yes, basic errors were made, as was the case in the first half, but there was a sense that another score was coming. Indeed, it was a case of thinking it one moment, and it being delivered the next, when Moody made it over the line for the Pirates second converted try.

The running of replacement forwards Alessandro Heaney and replacement backrower Tomi Agbongbon also provided encouragement, and although an important lineout was frustratingly lost it was another fine carry from Agbongbon, and a kick through from Hiscocks, that led to Relton scoring his second try of the match, again converted by Robson.

📷Pirates' flanker Jack Forsythe tackles Hartpury's Keir Clark. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

With the clock ticking the Pirates at least secured a losing bonus point, but with a chance to still snatch what at halftime looked an unlikely win. It was tense, and it was not to be, but the team had at least showed character against a strong Hartpury side who celebrated their first ever victory at the Mennaye Field.

Speaking after the game, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“Obviously, this was a game where the wind had a factor, and in such weather conditions we needed to be a bit more pragmatic. Our lineout didn’t function, we were off the pace in the first half and there was a lot of error, but we did show spirit to come back into the game.

“Getting the losing bonus point was something, and we pushed Hartpury very close, but they ultimately deserved their victory for their first half performance.

“We said at halftime that we would claw our way back into the game, which to our credit we did. Of course, we are bitterly disappointed, especially playing at home, and reflecting on the result it is something that as a group that we’ll look back on in the week.”

📷Prop Billy Young was the Pirates man of the match. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

Cornish Pirates:   15 Iwan Price-Thomas 14 Arthur Relton 13 Chester Ribbons 12 Joe Elderkin (23 Matty Ward, 53) 11 Harry Yates 10 Arwel Robson 9 Dan Hiscocks; 1 Billy Young (17 Alessandro Heaney, 61) 2 Morgan Nelson (16 Sol Moody, 40) 3 Alfie Petch (18 Ollie Andrews, 58) 4 Milo Hallam (19 Rory Suttor, 53) 5 Josh King 6 Matt Cannon 7 Jack Forsythe (20 Tomi Agbongbon, 62) 8 Alex Everett (captain).

Replacements (used):  21 Will Rigelsford, 22 Louie Sinclair (not used).

20 Minutes Red Card:   12 Joe Elderkin (33).

Hartpury:   15 Alex Morgan 14 Keir Clark 13 Robbie Smith 12 Ollie Allsopp (23 Max Knight, 33) 11 Ollie Holiday 10 Harry Bazalgette 9 Rhys Price; 1 George Alexander (17 Louie Trevett, 59) 2 Will Crane (co-captain,16 Ethan Hunt 57) 3 Alex Gibson (18 Oliver Minnis, 49) 4 Peter Paramore 5 Jack Davies (co-captain) 6 Cameron Cobbett (19 Josh Gray, 70) 7 Harry Short (70) 20 Ellis Hart 8 Jarrard Hayler.

Replacements (not used):  21 Cai Gealy 22 Brad Denty.

Scorers:

Cornish Pirates – tries: 14 Arthur Relton (54, 77) 16 Sol Moody (60); cons: 10 Arwel Robson (54, 60, 77).

Hartpury – tries:  15 Alex Morgan (08) 2 Will Crane (13, 34); cons: 10 Harry Bazalgette (08, 34); pen: 10 Harry Bazalgette (19).

Referee:   Jamie Parr

Assistants:   Kevin Williams & Simon Adams

Attendance:   1381

‘Tribute’ Man of the Match:   Billy Young

Thatchers ‘Try of the Match’:   Arthur Relton’s first try.

📷Arthur Relton is about to score the Pirates first try in the match. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest