Doncaster Rugby Club

Pirates 26 Knights 23

Good night, title hopes!

This narrow defeat in Cornwall dropped the Knights to fourth place, nine points off the pace with nine games to play. The consensus was that it effectively ends the Knights’ title hopes but it wont do anything to reduce the aspirations of Clive Griffiths and his team to beat Leeds Tykes three weeks hence, or to give any team anything other than their full attention in the remaining weeks of a season in which, whatever the eventual outcome, the Knights have achieved much more than was their plan.

The afternoon did not start well. Ben Gollings in his third start at fly half failed to get the ball ten metres and immediately gifted possession to the Pirates. They forced a tackle penalty and Alberto Di Bernardo promptly kicked the points from inside his own half. It should have been a warning not to concede penalties but two more were awarded in a very loose first quarter by the Knights, who also saw Jason Forster in the sin bin after just 11 minutes for a professional foul defending a fierce Pirates close in maul. From that penalty, the Pirates went to the corner, won their line out and drove over for Villami Maasi to score, and Di Bernardo to goal. On the one attack the Knights did mount, during which Brad Hunt was stopped close to the line, Gollings did get three points on the board with a penalty for a tackle infringement; but in all during this opening period he made a mess of four restarts: four scrums back at half way, and four possession gifts to the Pirates whose supporters at 16-3 ahead were confident of a big home win.

To their great credit, though, the Knights settled and gradually the pack took control of the game. On the half hour a big maul was held up over the Pirates line, but the ensuing 5 metre scrum was pushed over and Russell Earnshaw credited with the touchdown, which Gollings added to. And as the break approached, turnover ball won at a midfield maul forced the Pirates indiscretion under pressure, and Gollings got three more back to go in 16-13 behind at the break, and with the momentum firmly in the Knights’ hands.

When Gollings himself added ten more points early second half, including a little gem of a try off Pirates scrum ball which squirted out sideways for Ben Jones to alertly feed his fly half who shot through the surprised defence to score, and goal, - and then add a penalty as the Pirates defence became frantic – a Knights win from the 23-16 lead looked very much on the cards. The vociferous local crowd of 2800 was quietened as they awaited their apparent fate; and if the Knights had scored again, it would surely have been all over. However, with the temperature on the pitch rising markedly, the Pirates launched an attack on their left, forced a tackle penalty, went to the corner, and drove Maasi over for his second try with astonishing ease. Di Bernardo, despite being given two chances, failed to convert and the lead was still with the Knights. Anthony Carter’s huge kick forced a Pirates line out close to their own line, but a Knights’ penalty let them clear without pressure. Then came the pivotal moment. Ollie Cook wrestled a great turnover ball out of a Pirates maul on half way, only for his surprised team mates to make a mess of the possession, spill the ball, and before anyone woke up, Duncan Roke was off up the narrow side on his left through missed tackles to draw Carter and give the scoring pass to Rhodri McAtee who made the corner. The Pirates had the lead with 20 minutes to play.

The last quarter saw the Knights make five changes, and they had four chances to win the game. Carter, Wes Davies and Mark Woodrow all put in excellent kicks to force Pirates line outs close to their line but insufficient pressure was able to be exerted. Finally in stoppage time, an attacking scrum on the home ’22 produced a complicated backs’ move in which the ball was spilled again, and the chance gone.

The game had been the Knights’ to win after their poor start and Clive Griffiths afterwards showed his obvious disappointment. “They must think we come bearing gifts every time they play us”, he said. “Both games this season were ours to win but we gave them both. It’s been a bad January after a brilliant November and December, and we just have to take stock and start all over again. We are well ahead of where we planned to be at this time, and there is still plenty to play for – starting next Saturday at Coventry!”.

Pirates: Winnan, McAtee, Roke, Bell, Hylton, Di Bernardo, Cattle, Paver, Maasi (Makin 60), Seal, Senekal, Beardshaw, McKeen, Motusaga (Evans 60), Cowley.

Knights: Carter, Van Vuuren, Hunt (Woodrow 74), Cannon, Davies, Gollings, Jones (Scully 70), Tau, Boden (Phillips 61), Rawson (Barretto 60), Kenworthy (Cook D 64), Gross, Cook O, Forster, Earnshaw.

Referee: D Rose (RFU)