REPORT | Blues sunk by late Pirates showing

Posted: 19th February 2022
 

After their heroics last weekend at champions elect Ealing Trailfinders, Bedford Blues were brought back down to earth with a 20-12 home defeat courtesy of a late showing from Cornish Pirates.

In both this game and the one down in Cornwall earlier this season, Blues had their chances to win the game, but it just wasn’t to be at Goldington Road as Pirates strengthened their cause for finishing the campaign top of the Championship table.

For the majority, Blues were fantastic in defence as they kept wave after wave of Pirates attack at bay, but the visiting Cornishmen are a side that will never go away, and they eventually broke the resistance to secure victory. Blues won a lot of the battles, just not the war.

It was just 5-0 at the break as Reuben Bird Tulloch’s first try since re-joining the club from Ealing Trailfinders was all that separated the sides. It came from a strong driving maul; Blues broke away and RBT just about got the ball down under a strong challenge.

Blues didn’t have too many ventures into the Pirates 22m in those opening 40 minutes but did strike at the pivotal moment. Instead, they were under siege but prohibited Pirates from getting close to the try line when repelling everything that was thrown at them.

It only got better after the break as Blues extended their lead while Pirates were down to 14 as Antonio Kiri Kiri was sent to the sin bin for a moment of madness.

They immediately made it count to make the score line 12-0 thanks to captain Rich Lane’s first try since Boxing Day. A lovely pass out wide from Bird-Tulloch set Matt Worley away who skipped the first challenge before setting the skipper away.

Despite all their possession and territory, Pirates weren’t on the scoreboard, but they found their mark of potential champions when rallying to win the game, particularly impressing when back to a full compliment.

Going down the slope helped, as did clean line breaks and they troubled the scoreboard for the first time just before the hour mark as Arwel Robson kicked a penalty to reduce the arrears.

Blues were starting to concede penalties in their own half and from a tap and go on the 5m, Kiri Kiri went from zero to hero when bulldozing his way through to the line. Robson’s conversion made it 12-10.

Optimism was rife as the clock turned red but there was still eight minutes to play following numerous stoppages throughout the second half, and Pirates managed to get the second wind behind their sails to do enough for victory.

A penalty from Robson put them in-front for the first time while they took Bedford’s losing bonus point away with a converted try during the final passage of play; Tom Channon profiting from a Blues knock on to charge to the line.

A mightily frustrating performance which ends Bedford’s hopes of sneaking into the top four by the end of the season. Three massive games left to try and get into 5^th position and prepare for the end of season, Championship Cup.

*Matchday Photography by David Horn – PRIME Media Images*

Teams

BEDFORD BLUES

15. Rich Lane (C), 14. Matt Worley, 13. Reuben Bird-Tulloch, 12. Joel Matavesi (63'), 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Louis Grimoldby, 9. Alex Day (73'); 1. Joey Conway (70'), 2. Jacob Fields (54'), 3. Osman Dimen (40'), 4. Luke Frost, 5. Jordan Onojaife, 6. Bailey Ransom (73'), 7. Ollie Newman (57'), 8. Tui Uru (54')

Replacements

16. Jack Hughes (54'), 17. Corrie Barrett (70'), 18. Ed Prowse (40'), 19. Oli Stedman (54'), 20. Robin Williams (73'), 21. Joe Atkinson (57'), 22. Connor Tupai (73'), 23. Jamie Elliott (63')
 

CORNISH PIRATES

15. Carwyn Penny, 14. Alex O'Meara, 13. Tommy Wyatt, 12. Nico De Battista (C) (53'), 11. Callum Sirker (68'), 10. Arwel Robson, 9. Alex Schwarz (56'); 1. Marlen Walker (51'), 2. Tom Channon (51'), 3. Alfie Petch (70'), 4. Josh Caulfield, 5. Danny Cutmore (66'), 6. Matt Bolwell, 7. Antonio Kiri Kiri, 8. Tom Duncan (66')

Replacements:

16. Tom Cowan-Dickie (51'), 17. Garyn Phillips (51'), 18. Jack Andrew (70'), 19. Cory Teague (66'), 20. Caleb Montgomery (66'), 21. Tom Kessell (56'), 22. Shae Tucker (53'), 23. Robin Wedlake (68')
 

REFEREE

Andrew P.Jackson
 

ATTENDANCE

2,571