Doncaster’s 63 points to 36 defeat was the highest number of points they had ever conceded in league rugby but did not really show a true reflection of a game that was marred by the sending off of their fullback Wez Davies after 35 minutes for an alleged headbutt. At that point the Knights were well in the game and throughout the second half their depleted pack played with tremendous spirit only to be let down by some poor tackling whenever the Pirates backs gained possession.
For the long trip to the South West, Doncaster’s Director of Rugby Lynn Howells made a number of changes from the side that had comprehensively beaten Moseley the previous game. He recalled Wez Davies at fullback, against his old club, and Spencer Davey and Brad Hunt at centre, with both having recovered from leg injuries, whilst, in the pack, Ngalu Ta’u and Richard List started at prop and Luke Gross at lock.
Doncaster, although playing up the slope, started with the advantage of the gale force wind at their backs and soon went into the lead when flyhalf Mark Woodrow kicked a massive penalty from 60 metres out. Almost from the restart they extended their lead when a high kick was totally misjudged by the Pirate’s back three and, after intense pressure by the chasing Davies, the ball came out to the left where winger Donavan Van Vuuren dived over in the corner. The next 15 minutes saw both packs of forwards go “hammer and tongs” at each other as each tried to gain an advantage and much of the play was not for the fainthearted. With 20 minutes gone, Pirates won a 5 metre line out following a penalty and, after their initial drive had been stopped, skipper Tim Cowley dived over for a try halfway out to the right. Doncaster came straight back and Woodrow kicked his second penalty to extend his side’s lead after 25 minutes. After 30 minutes a long clearance kick by the Knights was run back by the Pirates from within their own half and, after a ruck on the visitor’s 10 metre line, good interpassing between forwards and backs ended up with lock Heino Senekal diving over halfway out to the left of the posts for a try that Gareth Steenson converted. Again Doncaster hit back with another Woodrow penalty and then came arguably the turning point of the match. After the referee had blown up for an offence on the Knights 22, an incident between the Knights Wez Davies and Pirates replacement scrum half Rhodri McAtee ended with Davies being sent off for an attempted headbutt. To make matters worse, Steenson goaled the resultant penalty. Doncaster again hit straight back with another Woodrow penalty to make the half-time score 17 points to 15 to the Knights but with a long half against the wind and a man short to come.
At the start of the second half Doncaster flanker failed to reappear due to a bad head wound and the Knights replaced him with full back Anthony Carter. From the outset, the Knights pack gathered the ball and headed towards the Pirates line and they were rewarded when flanker Bryn Griffiths dived over from close in after a drive that had covered almost 60 metres. Woodrow’s conversion took the Knights into a 24 points to 15 lead and gave their small band of travelling support some hope. However this hope was short lived as, in the space of 9 minutes the Pirates scored 4 tries as their backs ripped the Knight’s defence apart and, with flyhalf Steenson converting 3 out of 4 of them, the home side swept into a 41 points to 24 lead. The Knight’s pack did not give in however and they were rewarded in the 63 minute when hooker Steve Boden dived over for a try that was converted by replacement fly half Cerith Rees. Unfortunately the Pirates came straight back with a 35 metre drop goal by Steenson before their Tongan winger Vunea Lilo intercepted a speculative pass by Rees to race 60 metres for his second try of the day. This score was almost immediately followed by a second try for Pirates left wing James Moore which was converted by Steenson. Again the Doncaster pack came back and replacement prop Toma Toke dived over near the posts for a try that Rees failed to convert. However the final try came appropriately to Pirates Man of the Match Gareth Steenson who scored wide out to leave the Knights well beaten and contemplating a long journey back to South Yorkshire
After the game Lynn Howells said he was very disappointed that his side had leaked so many tries, a number of which were from a long way out. He said he felt that to score 36 points away from home against a side as good as Pirates (and a try bonus point with 14 men) should have been enough to win the game. He particularly praised the pack who he said had competed right up to the final whistle.
Cornish Pirates: A Winnan; J Moore; P Devlin (O Thomas 72); S Winn; V Lilo; G Stenson; E Fairhurst (R Macatee 9); P Cook (A Paver 48); R Elloway (D Dalvidvik 60); D Seal (S Heard 64); H Senekal; B Cummings; C Cracknell (M Evans 66); T Cowley (S Betty 76); I Motusage
Doncaster Knights: W Davies; P Bailey, B Hunt; S Davey; D Van Vuuren; M Woodrow (C Rees 55); B Jones; N Tau (T Davies 55); S Boden (B Phillips 70); R List (T Toke 72); G Kenworthy (T Luke 75); L Gross (L Fa’aoso 60); B Griffiths; C Planchant; S Grainger (A Carter 40) |
