EXETER CHIEFS 11pts
Try: Kingdom
Penalty: Yapp, 2
Yellow cards: Willis, Brown
Exeter Chiefs: B. Breeze, J. Luff, M. Fatialofa, W. Kelly, G. Kingdom, T. Yapp, K. Barrett, R. Baxter (c), G. Willis, T. Walker, J. Hanks, I. Brown, J. Horn-Smith (R. Liddington 80), S. Blythe (S. Nelson 80), D. Parkes.
Replacements (not used) - C. Slade, A. Miller, R. Bolt, A. Staniforth, T. Bedford.
CORNISH PIRATES 6pts
Penalty: Di Bernardo, 2
Yellow card: Bell
Cornish Pirates: A. Winnan, R. McAtee, D. Roke (S. Winn 54), D. Bell, J. Hylton, A. Di Bernardo, G. Cattle , T. Cowley (M. Evans 77), I. Motusaga, S. McKeen, J. Beardshaw, H. Senekal (J. Inglis 68-77), D. Seal (S. Heard 68), V. Ma'asi, A. Paver.
Replacements (not used) - N. Makin, R. Wells, L. Vinnicombe.
Referee: Mr Nick Williams (RFU)
FOR a first outing following their magnificent win at Leeds two weeks earlier in round five of the EDF Energy National Trophy, the Cornish Pirates travelled to Sandy Park, Exeter, last Saturday for a local "derby" match in National One.
This was sixth against third, the two form sides in the league who had each gone nine and seven games respectively without defeat, it no wonder that the fixture attracted a mighty crowd of 5,944.
In an error-ridden beginning, the Pirates gave away a penalty in the sixth minute which enabled fly-half Tony Yapp to put the Chiefs 3-0 up.
Exeter then tried to run the ball wide, moving the ball through the hands of their centre pairing of former Pirates Wade Kelly and Mark Fatialofa, but when the ball reached Gary Kingdom the wing slipped and lost his footing.
Yapp had two penalty chances at goal, but his efforts went just wide as the Pirates then responded to lift their game. At last there was some purposeful running with ball in hand, hooker Viliami Ma'asi leading the way in his usual style. Di Bernardo, flankers Iva Motusaga and Stan McKeen, backed up by skipper Gavin Cattle and full-back Adryan Winnan, then pressed strongly opposite the main stand on the left but Exeter's defence held firm.
Indeed the home side looked to counter dangerously through scrum-half Kevin Barrett, his run clear into space thwarted by a magnificent tackle by prop Alan Paver.
Having not taken their chance, it was soon the turn of Exeter at the other end. But kick and chases from wing Jason Luff and Barrett were thankfully safely dealt with by Rhodri McAtee and Winnan. The Chiefs kept their territorial advantage with a catch and drive on the right a real threat but when it fragmented Cattle was on the mark to ease the ball to touch.
As the half was coming to an end the Pirates moved back up field and after Exeter flanker Gary Willis was yellow-carded for body blocking Di Bernardo, the Argentinean exacted his revenge to slot the penalty chance on offer from thirty metres.
When the half-time whistle came it was a chance to reflect on a first half which had been littered with mistakes which came as no surprise on such a high profile, high pressure occasion.
The Pirates certainly looked the part when the second half got underway, a will to do well visible in each and every man. Against 14 men for the best part of ten minutes it was a realistic chance to make numerical advantage count..
Exeter were also, of course, likely to be similarly charged up, and after the first couple of minutes had passed there was ample evidence provided when flanker Tony Walker, skipper and number eight Richard Baxter, and Barrett, who was having a fine game, raised alarm bells, More alert and determined play by Paver saw him close down space when the Chiefs searched for that rare commodity which resulted in Exeter then settling for penalty. For Yapp, a prolific points scorer over the years, it was bread and butter simplicity, but an opportunity to regain the lead was lost.
The Pirates, with Ma'asi and outstanding number eight Tim Cowley as forceful as ever, continued to take on their opponents with a gladiatorial directness, Exeter were beginning to feel the pressure and looked likely to get a second player yellow-carded.
The referee put his hand in his pocket, but loose-head prop Dan Parkes, the third former "Pirate" in the opposition ranks, was simply given a ticking off after Baxter's intervention. Still, the penalty awarded to the Pirates was successfully kicked by Di Bernardo to put the Pirates 6-3 ahead.
Walker and Fatialofa led a charge from the restart, but at the breakdown their efforts were dealt a blow when a second yellow card actually materialised, this time for lock Ian Brown.
Against 14 men for the second time, this was surely now a time when the Pirates would turn the screw but it was not to be. Exeter, to their enormous credit, upped their efforts, and when the Pirates failed to find touch on the right, they countered - and how. There were complaints from some Pirates supporters that a telling pass to Kingdom was forward, but he took his chance with a run, kick and chase to leave defenders in his wake and pounce for an unlikely, but well-taken unconverted try.
Pirate woes increased when one of their own, Duncan Bell, was yellow-carded for another off the ball incident, with Exeter very much in the ascendancy. Barrett went mighty close to sniping away for a second try, the home crowd stunned when one was not given, though settling for a penalty kicked by Yapp to make it 11-6.
The Pirates tried catch and drives, scrums and tap penalties in the hope of getting back into the match but unfortunately it was not to be.
Hopes were genuinely raised when a chosen few in the vicinity, including a couple of Exeter players, appeared to spot Bell ground the ball over the line, but the referee was unsighted, and with a negative response from his touch judge, a try was not given. A video referee might have deemed otherwise, but that's for the future, the record showing that Exeter Chiefs, who had defended superbly all afternoon, would hold on to record an impressive tenth consecutive victory.
The defeat means the Pirates drop one place to fourth in the league.
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