Archers beaten as Pirates in control after the interval
VISITORS SCORE TWO TRIES IN SECOND HALF TO SEAL WIN
NOTTINGHAM were no match for Cornish Pirates in the second half of the Championship encounter at The Bay.
The visitors scored two tries and a penalty after the break to secure a convincing 29-7 win on a wet and windy Friday night.
The first 15 minutes passed with little action and the slippery pitch played a big part in the slow pace of the game.
Eventually the visitors broke the deadlock with a driving maul following a penalty kicked to the corner. Hooker Harry Hocking got the ball down.
Nottingham were nearly level soon after as David Williams started a great move by spotting a gap in the Pirates’ defence at the halfway line and offloading it to Marcus Ramage to put him through. The defence regathered though and they were able to get back and make the tackle to prevent any further damage
It wasn’t long after that, though, that the Archers scored their try as Archie Van Der Flier pushed through a pile of bodies on the line to get his side off the mark following a well executed driving maul.
A Matt Arden conversion put Nottingham up by two and Pirates launched a series of promising attacks to try to regain the lead.
However, Craig Hammond’s men produced an incredible defensive stand, thwarting the seemingly endless attempts from the Cornish forwards to drive over the line from close range before eventually turning the ball over.
They were unable to do the same in the closing minutes of the half, however, as Pirates once again tried to bully their way over the line.
Nottingham did well to keep them out once again for the most part but eventually Alex Schwarz peeled away and dived over the line to give his side a five point advantage heading into the break.
The weather conditions grew worse in the second half and played a huge factor in what was once again a very slow start to the half.
Neither side was able to carve out any real chances in the relentless wind and rain for the first 20 minutes.
That was until Pirates got into a good position at the hour mark and John Stevens finished, bundling his way over the line to extend their lead to 12 points.
It wasn’t over though, as Nottingham put together a couple of promising attacks, mainly through the quick feet of Harry Graham, but weren’t able to score.
And the away side put the nail in the coffin with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Ruaridh Dawson used his speed to make the initial break and then kicked it for Josh King to chase. It looked as if Ellis Mee would get there first but a bobble and a slip allowed King to go through for the bonus point try.
A penalty in the final two minutes for the Pirates was the last meaningful action.