ELIOR CHAMP RUGBY

Cornish Pirates 48 Chinnor 24

GAVIN Cattle praised the Cornish Pirates’ maturity and attacking progress after they fought back from a second-half deficit to secure an emphatic victory and make it three successive home wins at the Mennaye Field.

The Pirates ran in seven tries to beat Chinnor 48-24 in front of a crowd of 1,736, recovering from a frustrating defeat at Bedford Blues the previous weekend with an impressive display of resilience.

“For us, it was a pleasing result, having shown maturity in terms of game control in that second half,” said head coach Cattle.

“We boxed quite high up the pitch to stay in the battle and, in a tricky wind, importantly pulled the trigger at the right time.”

Will Becconsall put in a man-of-the-match performance from full-back which included a try.
Will Becconsall put in a man-of-the-match performance from full-back which included a try. (Harry Trump.)

Chinnor struck first after 11 minutes, New Zealand full-back Nick Smith finishing in the corner following good work from wing Jack Metcalfe and centre James Bourton. Liam Richman converted.

The Pirates responded midway through the first half when prop Alessandro Heaney pounced on a loose ball to win the chase and touch down.

Henry Palmer then finished out wide after powerful carries from skipper Alex Everett and hooker Matt Pritchard, with Arwel Robson adding the conversion. Palmer struck again almost immediately after the restart, Robson converting to put the hosts in control.

But Chinnor, coached by former England international Nick Easter, stayed in touch, Alun Walker crossing before the break to leave the Pirates 19-12 ahead.

A Robson penalty extended the advantage early in the second half, but the visitors hit back through Metcalfe and Walker, Richman converting the latter, to move 24-22 in front just past the hour.

The Pirates responded emphatically. Heaney grabbed his second try before No.8 Hugh Bokenham marked his 50th appearance for the club with another score. Robson converted both to restore a 12-point cushion.

Will Becconsall, outstanding at full-back, then crossed for a try converted by replacement Ben Coen, before Exeter Chiefs loanee Charlie Poynton celebrated his debut with a spectacular late score.

Kiwi Charlie Poynton marked his debut with the final try.
Kiwi Charlie Poynton marked his Cornish Pirates debut with the final try in their win against Chinnor (Harry Trump.)

The result also provided a timely response to the Bedford setback, with the Pirates showing they could adapt when Chinnor threatened to take the game away from them. Rather than panic after surrendering the lead, they regained control through a powerful spell of attacking rugby, underlining the progress Cattle believes his side is making.

Cattle was particularly pleased with the way his side involved its backs after feeling they had missed opportunities against Bedford.

“The disappointing thing from last week was not getting our backs on the ball, but this week we showed we are learning and progressing,” he said.

“I thought Will Becconsall had a cracking game at full-back. People questioned his selection there, but it is a role where he features quite a lot in training, and he is effective there.

“We signed the likes of Henry Palmer and Josh Radcliffe to express themselves and they were pleasingly able to today, so it was good we changed things.”

CORNISH PIRATES: Will Becconsall; Arthur Relton, Josh Radcliffe, Harry Ascherl, Henry Palmer; Arwel Robson, Dan Hiscocks; Alessandro Heaney, Matt Pritchard, Alfie Petch; Matt Cannon, Josh King; Alex Everett (capt), Jack Forsythe, Hugh Bokenham. Replacements: Morgan Nelson, Jamie Clark, Osman Dimen, Tomi Agbongbon, Luke Ratcliff, Ben Coen, Charlie Poyton, Finn Love.

Tries: Heaney (2), Palmer (2), Bokenham, Becconsall, Poynton; Convs: Robson (4), Coen; Pens: Robson.

Pirates man-of-the-match: Will Becconsall.