Pirates cruise to six-try win over Scottish

Cornish Pirates 42 London Scottish 10

The Cornish Pirates returned to fourth in the Championship table with a comprehensive six-try rout of league newcomers London Scottish at the Mennaye Field, writes Dick Straughan.

Indeed the result of the game on an afternoon of drizzle in West Cornwall was never in doubt as early as the 15th minute as the Pirates responded to Dan Mugford`s early penalty for the visitors with three quick-fire tries.

On-loan fly-half Myles Dorrian`s sublime inside pass set up centre Sam Hill for the first after just four minutes and Tom Kessell then unleashed Rob Cook and Drew Locke to battle for the second score after Cook had added a penalty.

This time Cook seized on the hesitancy of Scottish full-back Jamie Sole and dotted down under pressure in the corner. Moments later Charlie Walker-Blair crossed for try number three as he raced around the blindside from a close range lineout.

Cook then added a second penalty as the Scots fell offside on their own twenty-two to make it 23-3 before Dorrian`s attempted clearance was charged down by Dan Mugford for a simple try which he converted.

Just before the break Dorrian atoned for his error with another glorious pass to set Cook free down the left flank and the Pirates full-back broke two tackles to score under the posts.

The conversion made it 30-10 but the Scots who were totally out-gunned in the first half then lost Number 8 James Kellard to the sin bin on the stroke of half-time for illegally halting a maul which had driven 40 metres upfield.

Just sixty seconds into the second half David Doherty grabbed his tenth try of the season as Scots flanker Ben Lonergan was dispossessed on his own 22 and Tom Kessell quickly shipped the ball left to the Pirates wing.

London Scottish beefed up their pack with replacements including former Launceston lock Steve Pape but struggled to gain any meaningful field position and were forced to play much of the remainder of the game in their own half.

Five minutes from time turnover ball was again punished and Canadian international wing Matt Evans scored his first try in Pirates colours. Cook`s conversion completed the scoring.

 Cornish Pirates

Cook, McAtee, Locke (Pointer 57), Hill, D.Doherty (Evans 61), Dorrian, Kessell (J.Doherty 61), Storer (Brits 76), Elloway (Ward 72), Brits (Paver 65), McGlone (Ewers 57), Nimmo, Morgan (capt), Walker-Blair (Burgess 72), Marriott

Tries – Hill, Locke, Walker-Blair, Cook, D.Doherty, Evans

Cons – Cook (3)

Pens – Cook (2)

 

London Scottish

Sole, Holgate (Trueman 54), Gosio, Mugford, Howells (Amor 67), James Brown (capt), Heeks, Clarke, Kwasnicki (Standfield 42), Thiede (Liffchak 47), Rudzki (Pape h/t), Thomas (Josh Brown h/t), Lipp, Lonergan (Calder 58), Kellard (sin-bin 39-49)

Try – Mugford

Con – Mugford

Pen – Mugford

Yellow Card – Kellard

 

Referee – I.Tempest (RFU)

Attendance – 2,168