Plymouth Albion gave an encouraging account of themselves in their opening pre season fixture on Saturday, going toe to toe with Championship side Cornish Pirates before going down 35-21 at Brickfields.
In front of a crowd of nearly 2,000, Albion set a ferocious early pace, dominating possession and territory. Sustained pressure inside the Pirates’ 22 forced a yellow card, and Albion made the extra man count as Harry Wilkinson crashed over, Iwan Jenkins converting.
Birthday boy Morgan Eames then leapt acrobatically over his defender to double the lead, Jenkins again on target.
But the Pirates showed their higher tier edge, hitting back late in the half through Henry Palmer and Arwel Robson to level things up at 14-14 at the break.
Palmer struck twice more early in the second half to put the Pirates ahead, before Gus Mawson sealed it against the run of play, gathering an intercepted kick and running the length of the field.
Albion refused to lie down, and new captain Huw Taylor had the final word, powering over after a relentless forward drive, Jenkins converting to keep his afternoon perfect off the tee.
Albion lost scrum half Jack Oulton to an early injury but took heart from the performance, with Ben Moa, Eames and Taylor all outstanding. Man of the Match went to Sam Daly for a tireless shift throughout.
Albion are back at Brickfields on Wednesday 26 August, taking on Exeter University as National 1 preparations continue.
📸 Pictures by Plymouth Albion