Ealing Trailfinders left it late to win 24-29 under the lights against Cornish Pirates in Round Two of the Championship.
Tries from Tom Collins, Matt Cornish, Tobi Wilson and Rob Farrar meant Trailfinders secured a bonus point victory in Penzance.
The Londoners sit at the top of the table after Friday evening’s result, collecting ten points from a possible ten so far this campaign.
As the sides ran out from the changing rooms, there was a great atmosphere around The Mennaye Field, with last season’s top two set to go head-to-head.
Unsurprisingly, it was a cagey opening 15 minutes with both sides looking for field position early on. It was Will Trewin who looked most likely to score just after this period; the Cornish Pirates fullback thought he was in, but Angus Kernohan, helped by Rayn Smid, forced Trewin into touch.
Bruce Houston finally broke the deadlock for the hosts with a well-struck three-pointer before Dan Jones cancelled it out with three of his own at the other end.
With just five minutes to go before the break, Trailfinders finally started to build some pressure. A penalty at scrum time gave Jones the opportunity to kick to the corner. The ball was spread wide, and a looping pass over to the left wing meant Tom Collins could go over untouched.
However, Cornish Pirates weren’t ready for the half-time whistle just yet. They levelled the scores with their first try of the match. Arthur Relton broke away down the centre of the field, Trailfinders covered well initially, but it wasn’t enough as Robin Wedlake scored on the left wing.
Half-time- Cornish Pirates 10-10 Ealing Trailfinders
The visitors came firing out of the blocks in the second forty. Last season’s top try scorer, Matt Cornish, scored his first of the 2024-25 campaign, burrowing his way over from five meters out just minutes after the break.
Moments later, Cornish Pirates put a teasing kick over the top, which left Craig Hampson chasing back into the deadball area. He could only get his fingertips to the bouncing ball, and the referee deemed it was deliberately knocked out of play. He awarded a penalty try and sent Hampson for ten minutes on the touchline.
Down to 14 men, and with the scores now level, Trailfinders knew they needed to raise their game, and they did just that. Collins was doing a good job temporarily filling in at scrum-half, he managed to find Jones, who put Tobi Wilson through a hole to restore the West-Londoners lead to seven points.
As we headed into the final ten minutes, it was a sustained period of pressure for Cornish Pirates. With the crowd behind them, they found a way through. Iwan Price-Thomas slid across the whitewash, and Iwan Jenkins tied the scores from the boot, which made it 24 apiece.
It was a tense final few minutes at The Mennaye. Cornish Pirates cleared the ball upfield from a box-kick, and Collins superbly kept it in play. Trailfiinders moved the ball from one touchline back to the other, which opened up space on the right-hand side. Collins beat his man for pace and found Rob Farrar out on the wing; he ran in from the 22, bumped off the covering defence, and dived over in the corner.
The stands fell silent other than an eruption of noise from the visitors’ bench. With the clock in red, Farrar had scored the match-winning and bonus point try. Trailfinders take all five points back to West London.
Full-time- Cornish Pirates 24-29 Ealing Trailfinders
Cornish Pirates:
Tries- Wedlake 40, Penalty Try 47, Price-Thomas 75
Conversions- Houston 40, Jenkins 76
Penalties- Houston 17
Ealing Trailfinders:
Tries- Collins 32, Cornish 44, Wilson 52, Farrar 80
Conversions- Jones 33, 45, 53
Penalties- Jones 25
Yellow Cards- Hampson 47, Kernohan 55
