Cornish Pirates 33 Doncaster Knights 25: Resistance broken by late flurry as Pirates snatch win

With eight minutes of normal time left, they only trailed 16-13, but were then hit by an avalanche of points.

Doncaster responded bravely with two injury-time touchdowns, but fly-half Tristan Roberts missed a conversion with the last kick of the match to deny them a losing bonus point.

Roberts and Pirates full-back Rob Cook exchanged early penalties, before winger Grant Pointer edged the hosts ahead with a howitzer of a penalty from halfway.

Cook increased the advantage with another penalty, before Pirates openside flanker Phil Burgess picked up a loose ball and raced 45 metres for his 11th Championship try of the season, and Cook added the extras to make it 16-3.

Doncaster could have reduced the deficit in first-half injury time, but full-back Stephen McColl was just off target with a long-range effort.

Roberts slotted a penalty from halfway in the 51st minute, before McColl was wayward with an ambitious 62-metre effort.

A 10-point gap suddenly became three when winger Dougie Flockhart intercepted a Laurie McGlone pass and sprinted 60 metres to score a try that Roberts converted.

But Knights’ brave challenge was killed off with three tries in seven minutes, from Pointer – awarded the score despite appearing to spill the ball before grounding – Cook and former Doncaster man Wes Davies, with Cook adding one conversion.

A late rally by Doncaster provided tries from centre Olly Goss and blindside flanker Latu Makaafi, but Roberts could only convert one to leave Knights empty-handed ahead of the Yorkshire derby with Rotherham on Saturday.

Cornish Pirates: Cook, Pointer, Hopper, Luke (Locke 67), Davies, Bentley, Cattle (Doherty 77), Storer (Brits 52), Ward (Elloway 77), Paver (Andrew 80), McGlone (Myerscough 63), Gulliver, Morgan, Burgess (Betty 73), Marriott.

Doncaster Knights: McColl, Flockhart, Goss, Wright, M Williams, Roberts, Jones, Thiede (Brown 49), Boden (Lawrie 73), Cusack, Challinor, Kenworthy (Parsons 73), Makaafi, Cochrane (capt), Jackson. Unused replacements: Doughty, Davey, Gates, Briers.

Referee: S Lee (RFU).