π Cornwall Rugby: January 24, 2023
Pirates suffer heavy defeat at Bedford; Coaches split on proposed tackling law changes; St Austell prevail in Cornish derby
β¬οΈ In todayβs newsletter β¬οΈ
π΄ββ οΈ Pirates put to the sword by Blues
π€ Coaches split on tackling law changes
π Saints see off Camels to extend lead
π The rest of the county action
πΈ The weekend in photos
γγ Cornwall RLFC: Jack Ray signs new contract
π Whatβs on this week
π΄ββ οΈ Pirates put to the sword by Blues
After back-to-back wins at the start of 2023, few would have anticipated what followed on Saturday as the Cornish Pirates slumped to a 55-13 hammering at Bedford Blues.
The fourth-placed Blues had the bonus point wrapped up before half-time as the Pirates succumbed to their heaviest Championship defeat since December 2017β¦
π Flying start: Good play from full-back George Hendy and wing Matt Worley leads to the latter scoring a try out wide which is well converted by fly-half Will Maisey. 7-0 (4β)
π― First points: Following a spell of pressure in Bedford territory, fly-half Arwel Robson slots a penalty to get the Pirates on the board. 7-3 (8β)
π― Within one: Robson successfully kicks another penalty to reduce the deficit to one. 7-6 (14β)
π Over again: Worley crosses the line for his second try, with Maisey addings the extras again. 14-6 (16β)
π Pulling away: Number 8 Tui Uru goes over as the Blues extend their lead. 21-6 (20β)
π Sole score: From a driving maul, Pirates score their sole try as replacement scrum-half Alex Schwarz crashes over, with Robson converting. 21-13 (25β)
π― Trusty boot: Championship leading points scorer Maisey adds a penalty for the home side. 24-13 (33β)
π Out of sight: Blues have their bonus point as prop Joey Conway crosses the whitewash for another converted try. 31-13 (39β)
π― Punished: Some backchat sees Pirates pushed back ten metres, allowing Maisey to slot another simple penalty. 34-13 (45β)
π Another: Blues lock Robin Williams finishes a good move, with Maisey converting again. 41-13 (60β)
π And another: Wing Dean Adamson adds to the Piratesβ misery, with replacement fly-half Lewis Grimoldby adding the extras. 48-13 (73β)
π All over: Home flanker Lewis Frost crashes over for Blues try number seven, with Grimoldbyβs conversion capping off an afternoon to forget. 55-13 (80β)
π Pirates: Trewin, Wedlake, Parata, Smith, Wyatt, Robson, Dawson; Walker, Crane, Johnson, Fender, Teague, Nagle-Taylor, Everett, Tuima. Replacements: Nelson, Andrew, Beaton, Williams, Gibson, Schwarz, Penny, Sirker.
βOverall, we got beat and beat well. They looked really creative and dangerous, their back three moved around well, they were offloading and looked like they could penetrate us almost at will at times, and even though we were going through the phases we didnβt really have enough penetration or firepower to put them into any kind of danger.
βWe have to take a look in the mirror, as there is no escaping the final scoreline or the performance. We have to look at this and have to ask why did this happen, was our preparation correct, was our selection and tactics going in correct, or was it one of those days?
βWe hope it was, and we have to quickly turn this around because we have a massive game at home next week (against Jersey Reds) and whatever we may think about this performance we have to identify what we can take out of it and move on extremely quickly because we canβt have this happen again.β
- Cornish Pirates joint head coach Alan Paver
The Pirates remain seventh in the Championship table, but are now eight points off the top five.
π The Championship summit:
Ealing Trailfinders, 61pts
Jersey Reds, 56pts
Coventry, 43pts
Bedford Blues, 42pts
Doncaster Knights, 34pts
π€ Coaches split on tackling law changes
By Gareth Davies
Coaches at two of Cornwallβs biggest and most progressive rugby union clubs have been reacting to proposed tackling law changes that are set to be enforced in the amateur game next season.
Wadebridge Camels chief Mike Rawlings and Kyle Marriott, his opposite number at Regional 2 South West title contenders St Austell, both gave varying opinions when quizzed on the subject after the respective sides met at Tregorrick Park last Saturday.Β
The Rugby Football Union dropped a bombshell on the 15-man code last week when the governing body in England announced that its Council had backed plans to alter tackling height.
Under the new rules, which are set to come into force on July 1 but wouldnβt affect the Cornish Pirates should they compete in the RFU Championship next term, tackling above the waist would be illegal.
This radical proposal, designed to reduce the amount of head concussions in the game, has sparked fury in grassroots rugby with Rawlings blasting the RFUβs new ruling by saying βit could destroy the gameβ.
Marriott, on the other hand, refused to be drawn on which side of the fence he sat on when it came to the new tackling height. However, the Bill Beaumont Cup winner for Cornwall did say that the RFUβs management of the announcement could have been handled differentlyβ¦
β‘οΈ Read the full story on our website
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π Saints see off Camels to extend lead
St Austell faced one of their sternest tests of the season as in-form Cornish rivals Wadebridge Camels visited Tregorrick Park on Saturday, but the Regional 2 South West leaders rose to the challenge to eventually emerge 36-13 winners.
In a keenly contested derby in front of a huge crowd, Saints found themselves 13-12 behind at the break and in danger of suffering a first home reverse this term.
However, they found another gear after the turnaround and bagged four unanswered tries to extend their lead at the top of the table to 17 pointsβ¦
π Out of the blocks: Saints winger Konnor Ewudzi glides past two defenders to score by the posts, with Matt Shepherd adding the conversion. 7-0 (4β)
π Striking back: Wadebridge fly-half Daniel Thomasβ deft chip is collected by full-back Oliver Aggiss to gather and score, but Thomas is unable to add the extras. 7-5 (9β)
π Seven clear: Shepherd draws the last man before offloading to winger Cavan Boyer, who goes over in the corner, with Shepherdβs kick missing the target. 12-5 (22β)
π― Closing the gap: Visiting fly-half Thomas opts to kick for goal following a Saints infringement and the Camels man does the business. 12-8 (25β)
π Turnaround: Camels hooker Matt Ballard plays an excellent pass to wing Dominic Hawkey, who dots the ball down in the corner. Thomas misses a tough kick, but the Camels lead at the break. 12-13 (36β)
π Response: A scrum is reset and No. 8 Kyle Marriott picks and goes, draws in Thomas and offloads to Shepherd to run under the posts. Shepherd adds the conversion and the lead is restored. 19-13 (48β)
π Breathing room: A line-out leads to a driving maul, from which prop Charlie Nicholson goes to ground to secure the bonus, with Shepherd adding the two. 26-13 (61β)
π Game over: Marriott quickly taps a penalty and passes to Boyer, who lays it off for replacement Dan Tyrrell to dive over in the corner and seal victory. 31-13 (76β)
π Last hurrah: Thereβs time for a final flourish as Shepherd crashes over for his second of the day, before missing the conversion to bring the game to a close. 36-13 (80β)
π St Austell: Shepherd, Ewudzi, Parsons, Plummer, Boyer, Ashwin, Boyce; Job, Davey, Nicholson, Vian, Maunder, Jeffs, Taylor, Marriott. Replacements: Boothby, Jago, Tyrrell.
π Wadebridge: Aggiss, Stawski, Pengelly, C Wilson, Hawkey, D Thomas, O Wilson; Treleaven, Ballard, Gratrix, Johns, Edwards, R Thomas, Dawe, Livett. Replacements: Simpson, Hartley, Collings.
βWe knew it would be tough against Wadebridge because they are a well-drilled team. It is a pleasure to play them in some respects because we always enjoy the challenge and competition of a Cornish derby. For us to dig in, to come back and show what St Austell is all about and it demonstrates the character we have at the club.β
- St Austell skipper Mark Vian
βOverall, I find the result frustrating but I do take positives from the first half, especially in attack. We also worked out how to defend against them but as soon as the second half whistle went, it seemed like we stopped doing all the right things.
βWe will learn lessons from this but we did show that we can compete and put pressure on the top sides in this division.β
- Wadebridge Camels head coach Mike Rawlings
With Wadebridge the only other side in the top five to play, St Austell are now 17 points clear of nearest rivals Crediton, who have two games in hand on the Saintsβ¦
π Regional 2 South West:
St Austell, 75pts
Crediton, 58pts
Truro, 55pts
Wadebridge Camels, 52pts
Sidmouth, 41pts
π The rest of the county action
π Counties 1 Western West
Bude 25-31 Topsham
Falmouth 0-87 Cullompton
Paignton 5-34 Pirates Amateurs
Penryn 53-19 Bideford
Cullompton, 72pts
Topsham, 68pts
Pirates Amateurs, 56pts
Tiverton, 43pts
Bideford, 40pts
π Counties 2 Cornwall
Helston 36-26 Camborne SoM
Illogan Park 5-62 St Austell II
Liskeard-Looe 10-8 Bodmin
Newquay Hornets 12-31 St Ives
Redruth II 23-23 Saltash
Veor 69-18 Hayle
St Ives, 84pts
St Austell II, 69pts
Veor, 68pts
Saltash, 66pts
Redruth II, 38pts
π Counties 3 Cornwall
Camborne II 15-10 Perranporth
Redruth Albany 0-109 St Just
Roseland 40-5 Bude II
Wadebridge Camels II 17-29 Lankelly-Fowey
Perranporth, 55pts
St Agnes, 51pts
St Just, 48pts
Camborne II, 41pts
Launceston II, 37pts
πΈ The weekend in photos
BEDFORD - Replacement scrum-half Alex Schwarz (right) scored the Cornish Piratesβ sole try in their heavy 55-13 Championship defeat at Bedford Blues on Saturday.
γγ Cornwall RLFC: Jack Ray signs new contract
Cornwall RLFC forward Jack Ray has agreed a new contract for the 2023 Betfred League 1 season.
The powerhouse prop was a shining light from the clubβs first professional campaign despite missing seven rounds of competition due to a broken hand.
Despite the club enduring something of a baptism of fire in rugby leagueβs third tier, Ray revealed that the challenge of playing for a new entity, one outside of the sportβs heartland areas, was one the former Oulton Raidersβ junior relished.
βI enjoyed last year because playing for a club like this is different to what you normally get in rugby league,β he told cornwallrlfc.co.uk after inking terms for 2023.
βI knew the season would be difficult because of the outside factors that arenβt rugby related like the travel to away matches. But it was enjoyable doing the away trips because I was surrounded by mates and how can that not be a good thing?
βWe developed a really strong bond because even in the early games we never rolled over to anyone and we fulfilled every fixture by putting 17 men out on the field. I think some of the more established teams thought we would be easy pickings but we know we are better than that.
βAs the season went on, the opinion of others towards us made the boys more determined to succeed and I think we gave some of the sides in this league a real fright at times. That shows that we are not here to make up the numbers and it also gives us extra motivation to succeed and move the club forward.β
β‘οΈ Read the full story here
Elsewhere at the Memorial Ground:
π Whatβs on this week
πChampionship: Saturday, 2.30pm: Cornish Pirates v Jersey Reds.
πNational League 1: Saturday, 2.30pm: Plymouth Albion v Chinnor.
πNational League 2 West: Saturday, 2pm: Redruth v Luctonians.
πRegional 1 South West: Saturday: Launceston v Exmouth; Weston-super-Mare v Camborne.
πRegional 2 South West: Saturday: Bridgwater & Albion v St Austell; Wadebridge Camels v Sidmouth; Wellington v Truro.
πCounties 1 Western West: Saturday: Bideford v Bude; Falmouth v Kingsbridge; Pirates Amateurs v Penryn.
πCounties 2 Cornwall: Saturday: Bodmin v Newquay Hornets; Camborne SoM v Illogan Park; Hayle v Helston; St Austell II v Liskeard-Looe; St Ives v Redruth II; Veor v Saltash.
πCounties 3 Cornwall: Saturday: Lankelly-Fowey v Roseland; Perranporth v St Agnes; St Just v Launceston II; Wadebridge Camels II v Camborne II.
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