MISSING Director-of-Rugby Tim Fourie (out with flu), skipper Jimmy Ponton (recurrence of a shoulder injury), prop Gerallt Evans (knee), Matt Riley, Martin Halsall (both recalled by Sale Sharks), Andy Vilk (away with the England Sevens team) and Mark Jones (on Wales Under 21 duty), a depleted Tigers outfit lost 39-13 down at Camborne to title-chasing Cornish Pirates but still managed to give the Cornishmen a few scares along the way.

Scoring for Sedgley were Phil Jones (2 penalties and a conversion) and Ledua Jope (try). Full report follows. 

CORNISH PIRATES       39

SEDGLEY PARK           13 

National League Division One

HAVING suffered a 3-55 reverse the last time these two sides met up at Park Lane in October, a depleted Tigers side was nevertheless determined to put up a better show this time and they did, despite the result.

Conceding five tries to one may seem like a comprehensive defeat but scores do not always tell the real story and the real story of this game was opportunities missed and taken.

In the first quarter the Tigers had enough chances to have taken a sizeable lead, but the lack of clinical finishing put paid to that, with unforced errors robbing the likes of Andy Craig and Phil Jones of five-pointers.

Indeed, it took the Pirates 24 minutes to unlock the Tigers’ defence, after fly-halves Alberto Di Bernardo and Phil Jones had banged over two penalty kicks apiece to make it 6-6.

When it arrived the Pirates’ opening try had an element of assistance about it. The pack had mauled towards the Tigers’ try-line where its pressure convinced referee Terry Hall to award a penalty try without at least warning the Sedgley pack beforehand; Park lock Ben Lloyd adjudged to have pulled down the ball carrier illegally.

Di Bernardo converted from in front of the posts, but was then unable to add the extras to Tim Cowley's touchdown just four minutes later, after the former Manchester backrower pounced on to the ball from the base of a five-metre scrum to charge over by the right-hand corner flag.

The Pirates, with their collective tails well and truly up, added a third touchdown bang on half-time. Scrum-half Gavin Cattle fed Di Bernardo, whose miss-move created space for Duncan Bell and he took the pass well to go in by the posts. Di Bernardo's conversion made it 25-6 to the home side at the turnaround.

The break seemed to do the Tigers a favour and within seven minutes of the restart they claimed their only try of the game when Fijian flanker Ledua Jope went over from close range to give Jones a straight forward conversion to make it 25-12.

Unfortunately it was not enough and Bell combined well with Di Bernardo to send Pirates’ Iva Motusaga over for the bonus-point fourth try.

Sedgley never took a backward step and continued to battle away but the Pirates sealed victory with a late Grant Anderson try, converted by James Moore. 

CORNISH PIRATES
Winnan, McAtee, Roke (Vinnicombe 69), Bell, Hylton, Di Bernardo (Moore 73), Cattle, Paver (Anderson 77), Makin (Ma'asi 54), Heard (Seal 54), Senekal, Inglis, McKeen, Motusaga (Anderson 61-69), Cowley. Replacement (not used): Beardshaw.Tries: Penalty Try (24), Cowley (29), Bell (38), Motusaga (49) and Anderson (78).
Conversions: Di Bernardo 3, Moore.
Penalties: Di Bernardo 2Yellow Card: Seal. 

SEDGLEY PARK
Hall, Monsell, Briers, Voortman (Duffy 65), Craig, Jones, Leck (J. Albinson 65) Gazzola (Roberts 75), Roddam (Keys 78), Du Plessis, Lloyd, Norris, Jope (Livesey 75), Newton, Skurr.
Replacements (not used): Fourie, Ponton.Try: Jope (47)
Conversion: Jones 1.
Penalties: Jones 2.