By Phil W / DC
December 13 2006

Having been wounded earlier in the season by the visiting Merseysiders - and still feeling the after-effects of their defeat at Otley the week previous - the Pirates ensured there was to be no repeat prescription, securing their seventh successive five-pointer at the Rec this term..

Pirates Gain Revenge

Cornish Pirates 36 Waterloo 18

Having lost disappointingly at Otley the previous week, a defeat that brought to an end a superb eight -match unbeaten run, the Pirates best to date in their fourth season in National 1, it was time to surely get back on track at Camborne last Sunday against lowly Waterloo.

Newcomers to the league, having been promoted as narrow runners-up to Moseley in National 2, the "Drummers" have not had the happiest of times. Yes, they beat the Pirates 19-16 at Blundellsands in the second game of the season, and they also recorded a surprise 22-13 win at Exeter, but overall it has been a struggle.

The Pirates were missing the services of wing Rhodri McAtee, who was away on IRB Sevens duty with Wales, but there was a welcome return for influential skipper Gavin Cattle who missed the game at Otley through sickness.

Cornwall had taken a battering overnight from storm force winds, and though conditions had abated just a little by Sunday afternoon, the chance of watching any open running rugby was surely somewhat diminished.

With the westerly wind and a squall of rain on his back, Waterloo' s powerful running skipper, centre Freeman Payne, made the early yardage to press alarm bells deep to the left, an area likely to see plenty of action on this particular day.

However, with the Pirates holding the threat, they responded in positive fashion to take play to the scoreboard corner, a burst from No. 8 Matt Evans supported by full-back Adryan Winnan who cantered over for the opening score. Fly-half Alberto Di Bernardo looked to add the extras, but his effort into the teeth of the wind narrowly missed.

Despite the weather, and considering that the opposition lay at the foot of the National 1 table, a surprisingly good-sized crowd turned out on the day, keen to urge their side to victory. It was not though a foregone conclusion, and the game in the conditions was certain to be littered with mistakes.

Payne showed once more that he was dangerous operator for the Drummers, it taking a thumper of a tackle from prop Dan Seal to stop an attack on the right. The respite, sadly, was only brief, as from a scrum which followed Waterloo's shaggy-haired No. 8 Rory McKay charged down an attempted clearance kick to pounce for a try converted by wing Dan Loader.

The visiting score seemed to shock the Pirates into action, their pack taking control from the restart to gather as an advancing swarm just outside of the '22', a clinically effective maul driving Waterloo to and over the try-line for flanker Chris Cracknell to emerge the scorer at the scoreboard corner. The conversion attempt was again not an easy one, but Di Bernardo's successful effort put the Pirates 12-7 up.

A lesson to savour was that the forward performance had to be the dominating factor, perfection just seen, and a similar example soon witnessed again - this time on the left. Awarded a penalty, a catch and drive was the option, and from the line-out forward momentum was maintained for Sam Betty to apply the necessary downward pressure for an unconverted score.

Having done everthing right, the now over-confident Pirates proceeded to play it all wrong, an attempt at fancy handling getting them into trouble which resulted in a penalty chance gratefully accepted by Loader to make the scoreline 17-10 at the break.

During the interval there was a tag rugby exhibition match played out between Helston U7s and the Pirates U7s, while Chairman Robin Turner and Captain Benbow carried the Heineken Cup around the ground for everyone to see. The 'Heineken Cup Trophy Tour' was visiting the county at the end of last week, it on a 1500-mile journey around England, which will be the host country for the 2007 final to be played at Twickenham.

Waterloo continued to ask questions, and were gifted three more points when Loader slotted a simple penalty kicked from in front of the posts at the start of the second half, but the Pirates hit back with two well-taken tries.

Forwards and backs combined in sweeping movements which took them steadily closer to Waterloo's line, the visiting team's defensive barrier punctured fifteen metres out by centre Duncan Bell who crossed for a bonus point providing fourth try converted by Di Bernardo.

The next try came shortly after the first batch of replacements were introduced to proceedings, one of them, prop Sam Heard, taking out three defenders with a hand off and charge that created welcome space on the left for wing waterloo-homehylton_run.jpg, who glided this way then that before putting on the burners and running clear to the posts for another converted score.

It looked likely that the Pirates would soon add to their tally following a stirring run from prop Alan Paver, but it was the enterprise of a willing Waterloo outfit, looking anything but a bottom of the table side, who next troubled the scoreboard operators. McKay and Payne were leading contributors to Waterloo's cause, and it was their enterprise which led to an unconverted try scored out wide by wing Ben Lyon.

As the game neared its end Premiership referee Ashley Rowden showed yellow cards to opposing locks Heino Senekal and David Blyth to despatch them to the 'ASK' Security sin bin, and the Pirates conjured up one more try - again scored by Cracknell, his fifth in just three games. It is an impressive tally, but no surprise, remembering that he was Newbury's top try-scorer last season.

On a day when it was always going to be difficult to play with sustained continuity and flow, the Pirates had to be happy at getting their revenge and also notching up an important bonus point. As for this coming Saturday they'll be desperate to avoid any slip up, the away game at Moseley surely just the hors d'oeuvres ahead of the main Christmas menu at home against Leeds and Plymouth Albion on consecutive weekends.

Scorers:-

Cornish Pirates
Tries: Cracknell (2), Winnan, Betty, Bell, Hylton;
Cons: Di Bernardo (3).

Waterloo
Tries: McKay, Lyon;
Con: Loaded; pens: Loader (2).

Cornish Pirates -
A. Winnan, J. Hylton, D. Bell, S. Winn, J. Moore, A. Di Bernardo, G. Cattle (capt - R. Wells 79), M. Evans (S. McKeen 50, J. Beardshaw 79), S. Betty, C. Cracknell, J. Inglis, H. Senekal, D. Seal (S. Heard 50), V. Ma'asi (D. Dawidiuk 79), A. Paver (G. Anderson 60).
Replacement (not used) - L. Vinnicombe.
Yellow card - H. Senekal.

Waterloo
A. Monro, B. Lyon (C. McGlory 79), F. Payne (capt), A. Sliczny, D. Loader, T. Handley, C. Erskine, R. McKay, D. Palmer, D. Smith (D. Hall 71), J. Nugent, D. Blyth, J. Hopgood (S. Ruwers 51), P. Ince (C. Tyms 64), M. O'Keefe.
Replacements (not used) - J. Brandling-Harris, J. Lyon, J. Broxon.
Yellow card - D. Blyth.

Referee - Ashley Rowden (RFU.

Man of the Match - James Inglis.

Attendance - 1769.