Doncaster Knights Vs Cornish Pirates : Match Report

Admirable Winning Run is Halted

By Phil Westren

Doncaster Knights 35 – Cornish Pirates 15

For this 4^th versus 3^rd affair in the Championship, both sides arrived at their penultimate league game of the season in good form. The travelling Pirates had won six games on the trot and the Knights had been victorious in their previous 10 matches, which they impressively extended to 11 with this ultimately comprehensive result.

Changes in the Cornish Pirates starting line-up from the one that ran out against Ampthill the previous weekend saw Bruce Houston move from fly-half to full-back, with Iwan Jenkins named in the ‘10’ shirt. Harry Hocking started at hooker and Tyler Gendall, now aged 30, who in the past made 76 appearances in Pirates’ colours and has more recently been playing for Redruth, was selected at tight-head prop. A new name on the bench, arriving at the Mennaye Field to provide injury cover, was that of 22-year-old prop Darragh McSweeney from Munster.

After home head coach Joe Ford’s side kicked the game off through their fly-half Russell Bennett, players making early yardage were Fijian wing Semesa Rokduguni and 33 times Samoa-capped prop Logovi’i Mulipola. The Pirates, however, rallied, with strong runs from flanker Matt Cannon, prop Billy Young, and lock Josh King.

📷Scrum-half Dan Hiscocks looks to exploit space. - Photo Credit: Brian Tempest

It certainly appeared evident from the opening exchanges that both sides were up for this encounter, which proved to be the case throughout the first quarter.

Break outs by fly-half Iwan Jenkins and pacy scrum half Dan Hiscocks gave hopes of a Pirates try being scored, but when the first points came it was a penalty kicked some 38 metres out from the boot of their full-back Bruce Houston.

Approaching the half an hour mark the Knights opened their account in style, when a superb out of the blue run by talented Tongan international full-back Telusa Veainu saw him score to the left of the posts. Scrum half Alex Dolly was luckless with the conversion attempt.

Soon after the restart Doncaster threatened again, but without initial joy. However, they looked potent with ball in hand and when space was created it was former Bath and England man Rokoduguni who scored his team’s second unconverted try.

The Knights were finishing the half strongly, albeit helped when gifted a somewhat soft try scored by flanker Archie Smeaton. The effort was this time converted by Dolly to give the Yorkshire side a 17-3 lead at the break.

📷Fly-half Iwan Jenkins strives to avoid being chased down. - Photo Credit: Brian Tempest

On the resumption of play the Knights wasted little time to register their fourth bonus point providing try, when Mulipola powered over from close range. Although another conversion was missed, the 22-3 scoreline still looked a little ominous.

The Pirates were striving to claw their way back into the match, but after the Knights held strong, and after Mulipola made an impact once more, space was created from where a pass was fired off to left wing Jordan Olowofela who nonchalantly strolled to the line and dotted the ball down in the corner.

For the Pirates wing Matt McNab had impressed with limited opportunities thus far, so after his colleagues had worked the ball through several phases, it was he who then fittingly scored out wide. Replacement prop Darragh McSweeney also looked useful on debut and replacement Harry Yates was busy about.

Olowofela notched a second score in the match to open up a lead of 27 points, but at the very end it was hard working Pirates’ lock Charlie Rice who scored a try converted by Houston.

To their general credit, the Cornish team’s players and coaches have worked their socks off in recent months, and despite this result can hold their heads up high. Suffice to say, in their final game at home to Nottingham next Saturday their efforts deserve a big crowd to be present.

Speaking at the end of the game, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“I had said before the game that Doncaster Knights have a very good side, and we saw that.

“For the first half hour the game was evenly balanced, but our kicking became loose, and the game was won for them at the end of the first forty and early in the second.

“Naturally, we had hoped for a better performance, but our execution was well below par. It wasn’t to be, and we have to give them credit.”

Doncaster Knights:   15 Telusa Veainu 14 Semesa Rokduguni 13 Obi Ene 12 Zach Kerr 11 Jordan Olowofela 10 Russell Bennett 9 Alex Dolly; 1 Logovi’i Mulipola (17 Andrew Turner 2 George Roberts (16 Fred Davies 3 Joe Jones (18 Lewis Thiede 4 Ben Murphy (captain) 5 Adam Hopkinson 6 Archie Smeaton 7 Rhys Tait 8 Morgan Strong.

Yellow card:   4 Adam Hopkinson (79).

Replacements:   19 Jasper McGuire 20 Ben Chapman 21 Ollie Fox 22 Morgan Bunting 23 Will Parry.

Cornish Pirates:   15 Bruce Houston 14 Robin Wedlake (23 Harry Yates, 45) 13 Chester Ribbons 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Matt McNab (14 Robin Wedlake, 77) 10 Iwan Jenkins (22 Tom Georgiou, 50) 9 Dan Hiscocks (21 Will Rigelsford, 67); 1 Billy Young (17 Jenson Boughton, 60) 2 Harry Hocking (16 Matt Pritchard, 60) 3 Tyler Gendall (18 Darragh McSweeney, 60) 4 Charlie Rice 5 Josh King 6 Matt Cannon (19 Fintan Coleman, 37) 7 Jack Forsythe (20 Tomiwa Agbongbon, 63) 8 Alex Everett (captain).

Scorers:

Doncaster Knights – tries: 15 Telusa Veainu (28) 14 Semesa Rokduguni (35) 6 Archie Smeaton, (40) 1 Logovi’i Mulipola (44) 11 Jordan Olowofela (53, 70); cons: 9 Alex Dolly (40); pen: 10 Russell Bennett (66).

Cornish Pirates – tries: 11 Matt McNab (60) 4 Charlie Rice (80); con: 10 Bruce Houston (80); pen: 10 Bruce Houston (27)

Referee:   Hamish Grant

Assistants:   Ben Simpson & Gregg Dawson

Attendance:   N/A.

📷Centre Chester Ribbons is about to take on the opposition. - Photo Credit: Brian Tempest