Knights make the most of lifelines

Doncaster………………….. 27pts

Tries: Margett 53, Simpson 57, 77

Conversions: Bennett 53, 57, 77

Penalties: Bennett 42, 75

Cornish Pirates ………… 27pts

Tries: Nelson 6, 38, Penalty 49, Trewin 50, Moyle 62

On the attack: Doncaster drive for the line

AN extraordinary game at Castle Park in which there was one red card and three yellows, saw an outstanding recovery by Doncaster who played most of the contest with 14 men and yet surprisingly drew, having been 22-3 behind 10 minutes into the second half.

Doncaster coach Joe Ford said: “We made it hard for ourselves in the first half, but I've a lot of admiration for the team. With 13 men on the pitch, we were looking down a barrel, but we showed loads of character which is the number one trait you need in a team.”

Both sides were guilty of a lack of discipline with Doncaster winger Maliq Holden shown a red card in the first half for punch-

Touchdown: Moran Nelson goes over for Cornish Pirates

PICTURES: Steve Mower

Pirates, too, regularly upset the referee who pe-nalised them 21 times and also handed out yellow cards for deliberate knockons to winger Will Trewin and centre Ioan Evans.

At one point, it seemed the referee had lost control as a mass brawl erupted, but in between all the ill-discipline, several good tries were scored in an encounter resulting in three points for Pirates and two for Doncaster.

Pirates were well on top after the break following two tries by hooker Morgan Nelson, the award of a penalty try and then a fourth from Trewin. With a lead of 22-3, Pirates should have been home and dry.

Instead, the Knights produced a remarkable fightback in which they smashed the Pirates' defence on 53, 57 and 77 minutes, and with fly-half Russ Bennett kicking accurately – three conversions and two penalties – astonishingly Doncaster were drawing 27-all. Collectively they started making decent use of the ball, creating a fine try for centre Joe Margetts, dashing in from 40 metres, and then the pace of winger George Simpson, again from 40 metres, split the defence.

His second try, after sustained pressure by the forwards on the Pirates' line, came from a long pass and as Simpson was unopposed, he touched down simply, but ran behind the posts making the conversion easier to draw level.

Having seemed to be certain of five points, Pirates' joint head coach Gavin Cattle, was frustrated to head back to Penzance with only three. He said: “We were in a commanding position at half time, so I'm disappointed, but give Doncaster credit because they were down to 14 men.

“We gave them lifeline after lifeline and our errors fed Doncaster.”