Cornish Pirates 31 Doncaster Knights 18: Struggling Knights in it for just one half in Cornwall

Heavy rain had left the surface almost unplayable with pools of standing water littering the pitch, but after consulting with both camps referee Matt Carley was happy to let the game start.

An attritional forwards-based contest was on the cards from the word go with home hooker Darren Semmens driven over the Knights line after just three minutes for the opening try.

Kieran Hallett converted after yellow cards for Knights prop Tom Davies and Pirates’ Laurie McGlone following a 22-man brawl.

Doncaster quickly got their own driving game going, mastering the treacherous conditions and responding with a try of their own on 12 minutes as Rhys Buckley drove over from close range.

Hallett extended the Pirates lead with a penalty but Buckley rounded off another strong driving maul after 24 minutes with his second try. Flockhart missed the conversion and the scores remained tied at 10-10.

Flockhart and Hallett then exchanged penalties but it was the Knights who finished the first half on the front foot as the Cornish side also lost lock Darren Barry to the sin-bin.

However, the efforts of a strong first 40 minutes from the Knights were all for nothing as they fell away after the break offering little as an attacking threat and conceding points at regular intervals at the other end.

Semmens drove over for his second try early in the half and Hallett then added a penalty before an attacking Pirates scrum from five metres shunted the Knights back over their own line. McGlone claimed the score.

The game was killed off when former Knight Wes Davies danced through the midfield bog with Matt Evans rounding off the move. The Knights regrouped and rumbled over the line with another unstoppable maul for a third try credited to Sam Pailor.

Cornish Pirates: Davies, Mercer, Riley, Fatialofa, Evans (Smith 77), Hallett, Cattle (Kessell 77); Andrew (Storer 72), Semmens, Paver (Prescott 8), Barry (sin-bin 38-48), Johnson (Lyons 63), Marriott, Burgess (Maidment 45), McGlone. Unused: Elloway.

Doncaster Knights: Keating, Flockhart, Braid, Simpson (Lennard 63), Lewis, Luke, Bedford (Hallam 72); Davies (McGovern 74), Buckley (Bergmanis 77), Francis (Cronin 56), Challinor, Parsons (Smith 62), Kettle, Hafu (Pailor 74), Planchant.