Pirates pick Reds pockets with

THE PIRATES snatched victory and a Championship Cup semi-final place thanks to a spectacular Dan Koster try at the death.

Never ahead in the match until the cusp of added time, the Pirates stayed within range and struck late to end a run of six straight defeats at Jersey hands.

Pirates co-coach Alan Paver said: “It was a massive victory for us, as much mentally because of our record against Jersey and also because we’ve lost a number of really tight away games this season.

“It could have gone either way, and it wasn’t pretty, but we managed to stay in the fight and we want to go all the way in this competition.”

The visitors had a few early thrusts and Kyle Moyle lost his footing when one-on-one with Reds’ fullback Brett Herron inside the Jersey 22, but the home side then began to build a platform in their opponents’ territory.

Herron set the stage with a fine touch-finder, and then his flat pass found Leroy Van Dam with the space to finish in the corner, and former Pirate Aaron Penberthy added the extras.

The Pirates had their chances and saw a try by replacement Alex Cant chalked off for a forward pass.

The Reds were the dominant force during what remained of the half, but couldn’t add to their points tally in spite of several opportunities. In the end the Pirates narrowed the arrears with the final kick of the half, Javier Rojas Alvarez slotting a straightforward penalty.

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