Cornish Pirates vs Doncaster Knights: Match Review

BLAZE rugby commentator Sam Roberts looks back on a historic day in Penzance as the Elior Champ Rugby season kicked off on BLAZE.

Cornish Pirates put together a statement victory in their opening home game of the new Elior Champ season, live on BLAZE, beating Doncaster Knights 45-19.

The bonus-point win owed a great deal to four second-half tries from Man of the Match Matt Pritchard, with the substitute hooker benefiting from some neat and powerful work from the Pirates’ rolling maul.

Doncaster, with their new Director of Rugby Dean Richards watching on, had hauled themselves level at 19-all early in the second half, with two tries from an impressive No. 8, Jasper McGuire. But the game quickly slipped away from them over the final 30 minutes.

Big performances from Hugh Bokenham and replacement Tomiwa Agbonbon were among the positives for the Pirates, but it was an unforgettable half-hour from Pritchard that ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard.

The Knights’ second-half sin-binnings played their part, although they were due in large part to the dominance of the home side’s lineout work and the pressure it created.

Doncaster will have to lick their wounds and return to Castle Park next Sunday to take on Hartpury - the next Elior Champ match you can watch live on BLAZE, with coverage starting at 3:30pm.

Find out everything you need to know about Elior Champ Rugby on BLAZE. Catch the action live on BLAZE, free on Freeview 64, Sky 156, Sky Glass / Sky Stream 169, Freesat 161 and Virgin 174, or stream via the free BLAZE app.