Cornish Pirates begin Championship season with 21-0 London Scottish win

Cornish Pirates beat London Scottish for a second successive time, having registered a 50-14 win in the capital in the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier this month

Cornish Pirates coach Louis Tonkin praised his players as they mastered tough conditions to beat London Scottish 21-0 in their Championship opener at the Mennaye.

Storm Babet ensured a wet Friday evening fixture, with Morgan Nelson's try from a maul giving the hosts a 7-0 lead at the interval.

Dan John and Rhys Williams crossed in the final 10 minutes to seal victory.

"It certainly wasn't a classic," Tonkin told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"The weather dictated the terms of the game and it was a very difficult game for both teams to manage.

"But we're happy with the result at the end and we pulled away with those last two scores right at the end."

Having shut out Scottish, Pirates are fourth in the early Championship table - a point behind Ealing, Nottingham and Ampthill who all registered bonus-point wins.

"The defence was very good, a lot of character shown in difficult conditions," added Tonkin.

"They had some really talented players in their team that caused us a lot of problems, but the guys stuck at it, so we're delighted with the defence."