Moseley, having started well, forget to finish in fourth consecutive defeat
Dec 7 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Mail
JUST when they worked out how to start a game, Moseley forgot how to finish and slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat.
A try by South African wing Nick Jackson three minutes before the end and a nerveless touchline conversion from Rob Cook capped a 20-point comeback from the Pirates.
But it should never have been that way.
After affording both of their last two opponents three-try starts, it was Mose who burst from the blocks this time when Chevvy Pennycook grabbed his first in Red and Black with a charge down.
Mose proceeded to dominate the rest of the first half and – Cook’s third-minute penalty miss aside – the visitors were constantly on the defensive.
A lot of credit for that must go to the home forwards who dominated up front.
But for all their supremacy Moseley could not find their way across the Cornishmen’s line for a second time and as a result they had to rely on Tristan Roberts’ boot.
The young fly half kicked 14 points but would have had at least two more had Callum MacBurnie’s 19th-minute effort not been chalked off for a forward pass. It was a huge shame for the youngster that he was not able to mark his home debut with five points because of Richard Stott’s forward pass.
And Roberts did not have a single attempt in the second period as Moseley allowed Pirates to establish momentum.
Penned in by the conditions and the mindset that says you cannot play up the Billesley hill, they sat back and allowed their guests to dictate.
Cook added penalties in the 47th and 55th minutes but Mose looked to have weathered the storm.
They were especially impressive during the ten-minute absence of Gareth Taylor who was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
Without their talismanic scrum half the home pack dug in and played superb possession rugby.
But Jackson was on hand to remind them how to finish tries and Cook stepped up and reminded them how to finish matches.
The means was different but the ends the same and Moseley must learn that rugby matches last for 80 minutes, not 40.
MOSELEY: Borgen; Bressington, MacBurnie, Reay, Mensah-Coker; Roberts, Taylor; Sigley, Caves, Harden, Muldowney, Stott (Hall 72), Mason (Wilson 72), Rowland, Pennycook. Replacements: Protherough, Oselton, Thirlby, Williams, Simpson-Daniel.
PIRATES: Cook; McAtee, Ireland, Winn (Bright 54), Jackson; Bentley, Cattle; Andrew (Storer 73), Ward, Rimmer (Franklin 40), Pammenter, Labuschange (Collins 68), Betty, Holmes (Elloway 57), Cowan. Replacements: Doherty, Jones.
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU).
