Exiles class tells despite Pirates’ late defiance
DOUBLE World Cup winner Ben Franks and winger Ben Ransom grabbed two tries each to help leaders London Irish maintain their 100 per cent record with their ninth Championship victory of the season.
The win left coach Exiles Paul Hodgson praising his side for overcoming their “toughest test” of the season so far.
“We knew it would be very tough,” said the former England scrum-half.
“It was a diffiult game because of the conditions but we stuck to the battle very well.
“Pirates are very well coached with a bunch of players who really put their bodies on the line and worked extremely hard. But when our backs were against the wall we responded. To a man, across the park, it was a really good performance.”
Ultimately, Irish made the home side pay for a high penalty count which resulted in yellow cards for front rowers Rob Elloway and Marlen Walker.
But the Cornish side showed their character to finish an energy-sapping encounter in the Mennaye mud on the front foot as their superbly-drilled rolling maul took replacement flanker Sam Simmonds over for two late tries to cut the final deficit to 11 points.
Joint coach Gavin Cattle said: “Naturally when you lose you are disappointed but it was a learning experience. Just look at the calibre they have on the pitch – James Marshall won the Super 15 with the Hurricanes, Ben Franks is a World Cup winner – so we always knew we were going to be up against it but the energy was there.”
Greig Tonks kicked Irish into a ninth-minute lead with a penalty before Marshall’s perfectly-flighted high kick behind the Pirates defence found the unmarked Ransom who crossed in the left corner.
Pirates hit back as their forwards pounded the Exiles defence until scrumhalf Alex Day squeezed over with Will Cargill converting.
Cargill’s penalty edged his side 10-8 ahead before Pirates paid the inevitable price for conceding too many penalties.
Tonks landed his second to regain the lead and Irish punished Pirates after Elloway was sin-binned.
The Exiles were denied a try when hooker David Paice was held up over the line but they came again and, following yet another penalty, touch kick and lineout, they muscled former All Black Franks over for their second try.
Within a minute of being restored to full strength with Elloway’s return, Pirates were again reduced to 14 men as prop Marlen
Walker was sin-binned for the latest in a stream of breakdown offences.
The penalty produced a second drive-over try for Franks before Scott Steele’s quick tap penalty enabled Irish to whip the ball out for flanker Max Northcote-Green to cross in the corner.
Marshall then provided the kick into space for danger man Ransom to collect and burst through the home defence for the try of the match.
With Marshall taking over the kicking to convert their final two tries, it looked all over at 35-10.
But the late double strike from dual-registered Exeter flanker Simmonds, both converted by replacement fly-half Laurence May, took Pirates to within a try of two bonus points – which would have been no less than they deserved for a spirited display.