British & Irish Cup: Carnegie and Knights still in hunt as Titans miss out yet again

Tries from Trystan Lloyd, Matt Smith, Oliver Fox and Darren Atkins enabled James Lowes’s team to return home in good spirits

A week earlier, Carnegie had won 43-22 in the first meeting between the two sides but they were made to work much harder for the bonus point win on their visit to South Wales.

The home side took the lead with a converted try from centre Connor Edwards in the fifth minute as Carnegie struggled to gain a foothold, their frustration growing just before the break when centre Jarryd Sage went over the line for fly-half Angus O’Brien to add the conversion for a 14-0 half-time lead.

But the visitors hit back well after the break, reducing the deficit through Trystan Lloyd’s 50th-minute try, which Harry Davey failed to convert.

The deficit was cut further five minutes later through a well-taken try by Matt Smith and while that again went unconverted it wasn’t long before Lowes’s players were in front, Michael Waters feeding scrum-half Oliver Fox, who went over to make it 15-14.

Angus O’Brien then put the hosts back in front with a penalty, but the lead didn’t last long thanks to a 73rd-minute try from Darren Atkins in only his third appearance for the club.

Elsewhere, Doncaster Knights recorded a third win from four with a comfortable victory over Cardiff Blues Premiership Select XV.

Clive Griffiths’s side rarely looked in trouble and eased to their win thanks to tries from Curtis Wilson (2), Paul Jarvis, Tom James, Will Owen and Charlie Foley, with Declan Cusack converting all six.

Rotherham Titans fell to a third Pool 3 defeat when they went down 35-19 at Ealing Trailfinders, the visitors’ tries coming from Charlie Maddison, Ben Foley, Jonny Murphy and Lee Millar.

“We knew we’d let ourselves down in the first half,” said head coach Andy Key. “But our second-half performance was spot on and I was really pleased with what we saw after the break.”