Their bid for a third successive semi-final slot, this time in the Championship Cup, faltered to a Pirates side that never gave up despite Jersey having their noses in front for much of the 17-13 reverse at a sunny, but freezing cold, Stade Santander. Pirates’ victory was their first over Jersey since the end of 2015.
Said director of rugby Harvey Biljon: ‘That was tough. There’s no doubt we should have taken the game away from them in the first half. We didn’t and Pirates are team that will keep coming at you – hence their victory.
‘But there were moments in the second half when we should have been better and managed the game better. When it’s knock-out rugby it doesn’t matter how you win it – you’ve just got to get there.
‘In that dressing room right now, those young men will be going over some key learning moments and experiences that they will carry with themselves for the rest of their careers. Faced with a similar situation, they will know what they need to do.
‘There were numerous opportunities missed to take our score on, but also [poor] management at the back end of the game.’
Full report and reaction in Monday’s JEP.
