Cornish Pirates vs Ealing Trailfinders – Match Report

Trailfinders Show Their Quality

By Phil Westren

Cornish Pirates 14 – Ealing Trailfinders 41

Always hopeful of a Christmas fixture to whet the appetite, Saturday’s Round 12 game in the ‘Champ’ between the eighth-placed Cornish Pirates and unbeaten league leaders Ealing Trailfinders fitted the bill well. However, in front of a bumper seasonal crowd at the Mennaye Field the visitors showed their superiority to win, and with a bit to spare.

Changes to the Cornish side that lost 47-10 away to Chinnor the previous weekend included a return to action for fit again full-back Iwan Price-Thomas and a place on the wing for Ben Cambriani.

In the forwards, Billy Young and Alfie Petch were this week’s selected props, whilst Aussies Rory Suttor and Luke Ratcliff were named as starters in the back row, the latter replacing number 8 Jack Forsythe who was a late withdrawal because of injury.

Two names to highlight on the bench, each on loan from Exeter Chiefs, were Bristol-born lock Joe Bailey, who has played for England under 20s, and back Zack Wimbush who had made quite an impression when used as a replacement at home to Cambridge in November.

Before kick-off Pirates’ centre Joe Elderkin, who was about to proudly make his 100^th appearance for the team, led the side out, but three players, namely Tomiwa Agbongbon, Matt Cannon, and Harry Yates, were unavailable because of their dual registration with Ealing Trailfinders.

With conditions good for playing running rugby, the Trailfinders happily showed their class early on when space was created wide out right to enable lively wing Geordie Gwynn, who has played for Emerging Scotland, to score at the clubhouse corner. Fly-half Dan Jones followed up to kick a fine conversion.

The Pirates looked to respond firstly through a strong carry by Ratcliff and then a fine break by fly-half Arwel Robson, but there would be no home joy. Indeed, when the next points came it was Ealing who added to their score with a second converted try. Centre Francis Moore, a former ‘Saracen’, made the pass to ex London Irish wing Michael Dykes who dashed in at the old scoreboard corner.

Besides pace, there was a lot of power in the Ealing team’s ranks, which the Pirates did well to hold off, whilst at the same time they were keen to get some points of their own on the board. They went close, including at the very end of the first half when Elderkin kicked ahead and Cambriani followed up, but it was all to no avail. The visitors led 14-0 at the break.

Second forty underway, the Pirates were naturally keen to get off to a good start, but in less than two minutes the Trailfinders added to their account. Firstly, there was a try scored by number 8 David Douglas Bridge at the Newlyn gate corner, followed then by a bonus point providing fourth try scored by former Munster hooker Scott Buckley.

Ealing’s next five-pointer came from experienced scrum half Craig Hampson, before fresh legs made an impact for the Pirates. Replacement hooker Matt Pritchard scored his first league try of the season, and although flanker Kyle Hatherell twice got on the try-scoring sheet for the Trailfinders, the second of which was converted by Jones, the Pirates showed character right to the end. Sol Moody was making his mark and, when there was an opportunity to drive to the line, the pack as a whole delivered the goods through prop Alessandro Heaney whose try, the final one in the match, was again converted by Sinclair.

Speaking post-match, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle commented: “To their credit I thought the Ealing side showed their quality today. I feel we did have an emotional response from our defeat at Chinnor but sometimes you have to take your hat off to the opposition.

 “They were cohesive, and they are well layered, helped that they have boys who have been there for two or three years. Obviously, we had a lot of changes in our pack, including a last-minute change, plus we had a back row who haven’t, as such, played together.

 “We don’t have the same depth in our squad and I’m not downhearted with what we put out there, because it’s just the product that Ealing are at present.”

 “There are areas of our game that we are constantly working on but when you come up against such a high level of opposition, and who execute so well, it’s inevitably tough.

 “I thought Arthur Relton did well, as did Charlie Rice in the pack, and there was credit too to Joe Elderkin on his 100^th appearance. He is a performance player at this level who always gives 100%, and being physical he always leaves it out there. I’m just sorry that we were unable to produce those special moments both for him and the crowd.

 “Yes, we were overall a little disjointed, and with reason, but for the immediate present we will be rolling our sleeves up to get ready for next week.”

Cornish Pirates:   15 `Iwan Price-Thomas 14 Arthur Relton 13 Chester Ribbons 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Ben Cambriani 10 Arwel Robson 9 Dan Hiscocks (captain); 1 Billy Young 2 Morgan Nelson 3 Alfie Petch 4 Charlie Rice 5 Alfie Bell 6 Rory Suttor 7 Josh King 8 Luke Ratcliff.

Replacements (all used):   16 Matt Pritchard 17 Alessandro Heaney 18 James French 19 Joe Bailey 20 Sol Moody 21 Will Rigelsford 22 Louie Sinclair 23 Zack Wimbush.

Ealing Trailfinders:   15 Patrick Campbell 14 Geordie Gwynn 13 Francis Moore 12 Rory Scannell 11 Michael Dykes 10 Dan Jones 9 Craig Hampson;

1 Elliot Chilvers 2 Scott Buckley 3 George Davies 4 Matas Jurevicius 5 Danny Cutmore 6 Kyle Hatherell 7 Josh Taylor (captain) 8 David Douglas Bridge.

Replacements (all used):  16 Matt Cornish 17 Mark Donnelly 18 Kabous Bezuidenhout 19 Sean Lonsdale 20 Jamie Carr 21 Gabriel Mann 22 Sam Edwards 23 Jordan Holgate.

Scorers:

Cornish Pirates – tries: Pritchard, Heaney; cons: Sinclair (2).

Ealing Trailfinders – tries: Hatherell (2), Gwynn, Dykes, Bridge, Buckley, Hampson; cons: Jones (3).

Referee:   Jamie Parr 

Assistants:   Ben Simpson & Kevin Williams

Tribute ‘Man of the Match’:   Arthur Relton

Thatchers ‘Try of the Match’:   Alessandro Heaney

Attendance:   3100

📷Pirates and Trailfinders battle it out at a packed Mennaye Field. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest