News
Match Report v Cornish Pirates
Bedford Blues suffered defeat at the hands of Cornish Pirates after going down 27-12 at The Mennaye, Penzance.
In truth, it was the clinical edge from Cornish Pirates which shone through in the end; both sides spent prolonged periods in the opposition 22 but the home side came away with the points on more occasions and ultimately deserved to continue their perfect winning record to start the 2021 Championship season.
For Bedford, smart tries from Rich Lane and Jacob Fields ensured they made a contest out of things but they were ultimately made to pay at the breakdown which forced several turnovers throughout proceedings as knock ons were a problem for both sides.
The talk in the build-up to the contest surrounded the set piece after both sides imposed their respective dominance in weeks gone by, but Pirates were well on top in that department which was another platform for the hosts to build their ascendency.
It was actually a dream start for Bedford who struck first through Lane who ran 60m to the line having gathered the ball in the loose. Pirates were initially building through the phases but became impatient and tried something different. It didn’t come off and that made it all too easy for Bedford’s full-back to score. Maisey converted for 7-0.
Pirates didn’t dwell on there mistake for more than a minute, however, and instantly responded when first asserting their set-piece pressure. A smart driving maul from a 5m lineout got them over the line through hooker Dan Frost but the conversion was missed.
A succession of penalties hampered the middle section of the first half as neither side could make the territory count, but when Pirates started clicking through the gears there was not too much Bedford could do to prevent the bonus point being secured by half time.
A harsh yellow card for Joe Atkinson made things trickier but Blues initially held out through some inspired defence but were soon on the end of three times in eight minutes to make it 22-7 at the break.
First, they used the numbers game to good advantage to move things out for right winger, Robin Wedlake to dot down before some real innovative play from a lineout created space for loosehead Marlen Walker to get his first of the afternoon.
A bulldozing run from Josh Caulfield got the fourth try with the last passage of first half play; Luke Scully only managed this conversion and missed the previous three.
The first score of the second 40 was always going to be massive to the overall result at The Mennaye and despite several ventures into the Pirates 22, they just couldn’t turn territory into points and were constantly frustrated by a combination of staunch defence and careless errors.
Matt Worley and James Lennon were effective in creating space for the side to advance up the pitch but they were constantly thwarted in their efforts to get over the whitewash.
Director of Rugby, Mike Rayer responded with five replacements all at once – including a new front row – and that did give the side some impetus initially at the set-piece, but they were again made to rue their lack of ruthlessness near the line.
Pirates again threw a smart lineout 5m out and edged towards the line before Walker again found the space to score what turned out be their final points of the contest.
The remaining three replacements were soon also on the field and that again injected some urgency into the Blues system, Pat Tapley making a couple of line breaks and Ewan Fenley trying to get creative when trying to work the space.
But it was Away Man of the Match, Reuben Bird-Tulloch who was the standout player throughout the contest. One particular break of 15 metres almost set Fenley away but the ball was slightly behind the advancing scrum half and Pirates swooped in to turn over possession.
Blues did get something for their efforts when Jacob Fields went over after 72 minutes. This time it was Bedford’s turn to make a success from the driving lineout as Will Carrick Smith orchestrated things superbly to get Fields to dot down.
A case of an opportunity missed where a bit more clinical threat in and around the 22m might have altered the game so much. Blues go again on Saturday with Jersey Reds the visitors with another thriller set to take place at Goldington Road (1pm KO).
*All Match Photography provided by Cornish Pirates Official Photographer, Brian Tempest*
Teams
BEDFORD BLUES
15. Rich Lane, 14. Josh Gillespie, 13. Elijah Niko, 12. Reuben Bird-Tulloch, 11. Matt Worley (60'), 10. Will Maisey (54'), 9. James Lennon (54'); 1. Sean McCarthy (C) (49'), 2. James Fish (49'), 3. Ed Prowse (49'), 4. Lewis Bean (49'), 5. Will Carrick Smith, 6. Ollie Newman, 7. Joe Atkinson, 8. Oli Robinson (49')
Replacements
16. Jacob Fields (49'), 17. Manny Iyogun (49'), 18. Rob Harwick (49'), 19. Oli Curry (49'), 20. Tui Uru (49'), 21. Ewan Fenley (54'), 22. Tommy Mathews (54'), 23. Pat Tapley (60')
CORNISH PIRATES
15. Maliq Holden, 14. Robin Wedlake (70'), 13. Rory Parata, 12. Shae Tucker, 11. Alex O'Meara, 10. Luke Scully (41'), 9. Jean-Baptist Bruzulier (57'); 1. Marlen Walker (56'), 2. Dan Frost (56'), 3. Jay Tyack (56'), 4. Josh Caulfield (65'), 5. Danny Cutmore, 6. John Stevens, 7. Antonio Kiri Kiri, 8. Tom Duncan (C) (49')
Replacements:
16. Tom Channon (56'), 17. Jack Andrew (56'), 18. Sam Rodman (56'), 19. Fa'atiga Lemalu (65'), 20. Matt Bolwell (49'), 21. Rhodri Davies (57'), 22. Will Cargill (41'), 23. Tommy Wyatt (70')
