PIRATES again pillaged the derby loot but had to fight hard for it at Tamworth Rugby Park on Saturday.
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After leading 12-3 at half-time, Pirates found themselves clinging to a two-point lead with around 15 minutes to go.
But with just over five on the clock, Doug Biffin crashed over to seal it for them 27-18.
It wasn’t their most refined performance, their ill-discipline particularly hurting them, but they got there in the end.
“To keep our heads straight and come away with the win was really good,” Pirates coach Mat Kelly said.
They got the bonus point too, which was a bonus.
It was a bit of a scrappy affair, especially the first half, with both sides prone to errors and penalties making for a stop- start game, but was like derbies should be – tough and tense.
The home side opened the scoring through the boot of fullback Pat Strong and, not long after, found themselves with a man advantage with Pirates number eight Conrad Starr yellow-carded.
But they couldn’t capitalise and, just before Starr was due to come back on, breakaway Sam Collins was creator and finisher to put Pirates ahead.
Showing the skills he’d honed during his time at five-eighth, Collins took the ball to the line and showed it, drawing in the defence and creating an overlap on the right.
After passing to Jake Hartmann, he then backed up in support on the inside.
Jack Shelton then snuck over after strong runs from Starr and then Collins to extend the lead to nine at the break.
The Magpies cut that back to four six minutes into the second half, co-captain Mitch Wheaton finishing off a spectacular 60m counter-attack.
Strong initiated it.
Fielding a kick just the Magpies’ side of halfway, he beat the first tackle then spun his way out of another before unleashing winger Lachie McIntosh.
McIntosh got around another couple of defenders and ran another 10/15m to get the Magpies deep into attack.
Pirates hit back through winger Colby La Chiusa after half-back Amos Ioasa had attacked the short side from a scrum about 60m out to put the Magpies defence on the back foot.
Strong brought the Magpies back within a converted try as Pirates lost Andrew Wynne to the bin but Simon Trappel answered to restore Pirates’ six-point advantage.
Not for long though, with Magpies outside centre Dylan Cross chipping over the advancing Pirates defence and regathering to, with Strong adding the extras, make it a two-point game and keep the big crowd on the edge of their seats.
Pirates struggled to find their rhythm a lot of the game.
Kelly put that in part down to the flow of penalties, many of which they were guilty of.
“With the penalties constantly coming it was hard to get into a groove,” he said.
“Once we could control the ball and build some phases we scored tries most of the time.”
Magpies co-coach Tony Mills was very proud of his side and felt Pirates’ experience was a factor.
“It just goes to show what a bit of experience can do when you get into those tighter moments at the end,” he said.
For them, it was in some aspects as good as they’ve played. In others it wasn’t.
“Our lineout let us down,” Mills said.
Losing one of their key lineout jumpers in Alistair Doyle didn’t help with that.
It hurt their ability to capitalise on their good work.
“We’d get into good position but then we couldn’t take advantage,” he said.