Jersey win a thriller against the Pirates

Monday 13 April 2015

Jersey won a tense thriller against Cornish Pirates 28-26 at St Peter thanks to more last-minute heroics from full-back Aaron Penberthy.

The player who secured a famous victory against Worcester Warriors three weeks ago was against decisive with the boot – slotting in a late conversion from wide after Joe Buckle had scored Jersey’s third try.

Penberthy – like a number of Jersey players, a former Cornish Pirate – was the deserving man-of-the-match.

Although he missed a couple of kicks from the tee during the game, his accuracy was all-important – not least ensuring that Jersey finished the first-half 9-5 ahead, despite Pirates scoring the only try of the half, Jersey losing two players to the sin-bin and the Reds having to defend assiduously and face numerous penalties.

The second half was largely Jersey’s, despite a Pirates try within two minutes of the restart. But it prompted Jersey to pull up their socks and the home side were rewarded quickly, with a well-worked attack ending with a try for scrum-half Sami Fisilau.

Jersey’s second came ten minutes later at the end of a well-organised driving maul from a line-out in the corner, hooker Martin Garcia-Veiga grounding the ball.

Jersey were 21-12 up at this point but the Pirates – just above Jersey in the Championship – fought back with two quick tries: one from a driving maul, the other from a kick-through and chase. Score 21-26 to the visitors with less than ten minutes to go.

But Jersey, spurred on by most of the 2,241 crowd, were not beaten and it was from another driving maul from a penalty that the Reds leveled the score.

With a difficult conversion, the spoils could have easily been shared but Penberthy stepped up to send his old club going back to Penzance disappointed.

Jersey remain in eighth place in the Greene King IPA Championship, three points behind Yorkshire Carnegie, who lost 39-26 away to Worcester.