Cornish Pirates seal bonus point win thanks to McNab hat-trick

The Cornish Pirates triumphed 33-14 over Ampthill in a thrilling rugby union Championship match, with Matt McNab scoring a hat-trick, helping the team secure a deserved victory.

Despite the challenging conditions at Mennaye Field, the Pirates were able to hold onto their second spot in the league.

The Pirates were looking to push on and get the double over the Bedfordshire side, nicknamed 'The Mob', after previously beating Ampthill 46-24 away in November.

For scrum-half Alex Schwarz, the game marked an important milestone - his 100th appearance for the club.

It was McNab who stole the show however as he sprung into action in the 20th minute, scoring a try at the clubhouse corner.

This was subsequently followed by a spectacular touchdown by full-back Will Trewin, thanks to a smoothly executed pass.

Full-back Will Trewin battling through tough conditions (Image: Brian Tempest)

The Pirates ended the first half with a lead of 21-7, courtesy of yet another try from McNab.

McNab soon added a third to his tally, promptly securing the team's four try bonus point.

His impressive run down the right-hand touchline ended with a try at the Newlyn gate.

Despite reducing their deficit just past the mid-hour mark with a try from Samson Adejimi, The Mob were under continuous pressure from the Pirates.

The Pirates' victory was sealed with a fifth try courtesy of hooker Rhys Williams who put the game beyond Ampthill’s reach.

After the match, Gavin Cattle, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach, said: "The pitch was heavy, and we were off our game at the start.

"However, despite making errors we managed to pleasingly work our way into it and ultimately weather the storm.

"Having started to get a bit of momentum, we were seeing and trying to do the right things and there was a lot of space in the backfield, but defensively we were drifting which is normally a sign that we were not getting off the line.

"In the second half I don’t think we looked troubled, but it was difficult to get momentum, with the pitch again playing its part.

"It went to more of a kick game, with Bruce (Houston) doing well to steer us around the pitch, and I thought Lefty (Zigiriadis) again played with a lot of energy, plus he had the confidence to put his foot to ball as well.

"As for Matt (McNab), his impressive hat-trick was a reward for the graft and effort he makes, his kick chase and a lot of things you don’t always see.

"Looking back the lads have been great overall, but we weren’t at our best today, and we’ll have to be better next up against Doncaster.

"They did a job on us at home and that will be our challenge in the next couple of weeks.”

Line-ups:

Cornish Pirates: 15 Will Trewin (22 Tom Pittman, 72) 14 Robin Wedlake 13 Ioan Evans (23 Arthur Relton, 67) 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Matt McNab 10 Bruce Houston 9 Alex Schwarz (21 Ruaridh Dawson, 54); 1 Lefty Zigiriadis (17 Jack Andrew, 61) 2 Morgan Nelson (16 Rhys Williams, 61) 3 Marlen Walker (18 Matt Johnson, 52) 4 Hugh Bokenham 5 Will Britton (19 Josh King, 61) 6 Alex Everett 7 Will Gibson (20 Doug Bridge, 58) 8 John Stevens (captain)

Ampthill: 15 Tom Bacon (23 Fraser Strachan, 69) 14 Brandon Jackson 13 Francis Moore 12 Olly Hartley 11 Tobias Elliot 10 Gwyn Parks (22 Josh Barton, 72) 9 Pete White (21 Harri Williams, 50); 1 Sam Crean (17 Jasper McGuire, 62) 2 Samson Adejimi 3 James Johnston (18 Harvey Beaton, 53) 4 Ollie Stonham 5 Iwan Shenton (19 Griff Evans, 67) 6 Josh Smart (20 Izzy Moore-Aiono, 50) 7 Toby Knight 8 Morgan Strong (captain). Replacement (not used): 16 Ben Pogson.

Scorers:

Cornish Pirates

Tries: 11 Matt McNab (20, 37, 46) 15 Will Trewin (32) 16 Rhys Williams (79)

Cons: 10 Bruce Houston (21, 32, 37) 22 Tom Pittman (80)

Ampthill 

Tries: 9 Pete White (02) 2 Samson Adejimi (62)

Cons: 10 Gwyn Parks (03, 62)

Referee: Hamish Grant

Assistants: Neil Chivers & Kevin Williams

Man of the Match: Matt McNab

Attendance: 1183