Stunning second-half comeback gives Cornish Pirates win

This was a third meeting between the two sides this season.

The Pirates emerged victorious 64-17 in the Premiership Cup in September, with a much closer 40-33 league win at Cambridge’s Ellgia Fields ground in January.

But the weekend's game saw the Pirates look strangely lack lustre at the start, with the visitors keen to face up to the test.

Opening the scoring in this the game was wing Eli Caven, a former Glasgow ‘Warrior’ who crossed at the scoreboard corner.

Fly-half Steff James was luckless adding the extras, however he shortly after made no mistake with a successful penalty strike from in front of the posts.

Going eight-nil down appeared as a wake-up call for the home side, as all but from the restart scrum-half Ruaridh Dawson dotted the ball down near the Newlyn posts for a try converted by his halfback partner Tom Pittman.

The Pirates soon pressed for a second score, and went close on several occasions, only to be thwarted through a combination of self-made mistakes, gifting penalties away, and there a level of credit too to their opposition.

Then, to add to increasing levels of frustration, Caven secured possession and weaved his way to the line once again.

Just past the half hour mark, a second try for the Pirates lifted home morale for a spell, with centre Ioan Evans the scorer and Pittman again adding the extras.

But, after the Pirates lost their skipper John Stevens to the sin bin, Cambridge wing Kwaku Asiedu ran 35 metres with power and pace to score an unconverted try at the clubhouse corner, which made the score line 14-18 at the break.

The Pirates now had the challenge to aim for a much improved second half.

Well, the Blood & Sand soon lost centre Sam Hanks to the sin bin after he made a deliberate knock-on, and with penalties now coming the Pirates way, when three kickable opportunities were up for grabs it was Pittman who stepped forward on each occasion to by the hour mark give his team a 28-18 lead.

Yes, the Pirates were now in the ascendancy, and with fullback Kyle Moyle running from deep, and with man of the match Alex Everett displaying accustomed determination, it was not long before the former scored a well worked try at the scoreboard corner.

Cambridge flanker Ben Adams had been shown a yellow card, and replacement wing Robin Wedlake also soon scored the Pirates bonus point proving fourth, and converted, try.

In time remaining, the Pirates extended their lead thanks to a fine chip and chase score from wing Matt McNab, and then yet another by Wedlake.

The Pirates had ‘nilled’ their opponents in the second period, the sudden improvements in their performance one no doubt impressing watching guest and television presenter Nick Knowles, who knows a little bit about restoration.

At the end of the game, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said: “Look, our performance in the first half was naturally disappointing, because if players drop off individually then the collective effort also drops and that is what it looked like.

“Thankfully, in the second half, we found our way to put certain things together that made us look something like a Pirates team".