A true game of two halves saw Nottingham register their third defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon.

Losing 36-28 to a strong Cornish Pirates side, the Green and Whites’ second half performance was not enough to cancel out the damage done in the first 40 minutes. 

Conceding 36 points in the first half, Neil Fowkes’ men gave themselves a mountain to climb and despite their best efforts, it was the new league leaders who prevailed.

It took the hosts just three minutes to put points on the board when Thomas Duncan scored a try. William Cargill, who kicked well all afternoon, converted.

Pirates attacking play overwhelmed Nottingham for the majority of the half and the home side scored freely.

Tries from Thomas Cowan-Dickie, Alexander O’Meara, Kyle Moyle and Tyler Gendall saw the side comfortably achieve a bonus point in the space of half an hour.

Cargill missed one conversion and scored a penalty to leave the league leaders with a grip over the match as referee Sara Cox ended the first half.

Nottingham had come into the game off the back of three consecutive wins and Head Coach Neil Fowkes has spoken of the togetherness and desire of the side that has been a key feature of their strong performances in recent weeks.

So, not to be deterred by a difficult first half, the Green and Whites came out fighting and 9 minutes into the second half, Jordan Coghlan, who made his 50th appearance for Nottingham, scored a try. O’Leary, who kicked well throughout the afternoon, converted.

The Green and Whites continued to apply pressure and new signing Cameron Dolan scored a try on his debut to give the travelling side hope heading into the final half an hour. O’Leary’s kick was good, closing the gap between the two sides.

Minutes later, Nottingham scored another try as winger Billy Robinson got over the line. O’Leary converted leaving the scores at 36 – 19 with 17 minutes to play.

And it was Nottingham who scored next. Last week’s man of the match Will Millett scored a bonus point try to leave the away side in touching distance of an incredible comeback.

Nottingham required three scores in the final seven minutes to turn the game around. However, Pirates held off and the Green and Whites made the long journey back to Nottingham suffering a difficult defeat in what was a tough game of rugby.

Next up, the Green and Whites hope to make it three home wins in a row when they host Hartpury at The Bay on Sunday 14 October. Advance tickets can be purchased here.