IT was sure to be a long and sobering journey home for Tynedale on Saturday, after they lost to The Cornish All Blacks in a stop-start game of rugby, writes Suzanne Cleave.

It took about ten minutes for The Blacks to get into their stride, with Ben Turner having a run down the wing, before passing to Jason Luff who was testing his hamstring following injury.

The Blacks edged closer and closer to the try line, but were kept back by the Tynedale defence. The home team kept making opportunities and were rewarded with a penalty from Tony Yapp tin the 15th minute.

A minute later the home defence was wrong footed and centre Jack Harrison scored Tynedale's first try in the 16th minute, racing on to a hacked-on ball. The try was unconverted.

The Blacks regained the lead in the 29th minute, centre Ed Lewsey broke in the 22, slipped an inside pass to hooker Darren Semmens who brushed aside two tackles to score under the posts for Yapp to convert.

Tynedale replied in the 36th minute, with a try by flanker Grant Rastall making the half time score 10-10.

The Blacks had tight-head prop Neil Bayliss sin-binned for pulling a player back early in the second half but Yapp gave them a 13-10 lead with his second penalty. However, this was short lived as Tynedale's right wing Peter Cole scored his team's third try in the 43rd minute, this time converted by Ashley Smith.

Three minutes after, Luff picked up the ball which had gone loose from a tackle and ran down the wing from halfway, scoring The Blacks' second try, converted by Yapp, giving the home side a 20-17 lead.

Tynedale's Rupert White and Grant Ratsall were both given yellow cards in the second half, and The Blacks tried to take advantage. Yapp missed one penalty in added time, but was successful with another attempt in the 86th minute, sealing the game in The Black's favour.

All Blacks: B Turner (S Perry 72); J Luff, R Westren, E Lewsey, L Paterson; T Yapp, L Webb; T Mathias (J Bolt 61), D Semmens, N Bayliss (M Manton 77); B Hilton (D Kimberley 78), B Jenkins; J Lord, T Rawlings (capt) (M Rawlings 61) and S Hockin.

Man of the match – Jason Luff.

Scorers: tries, D Semmens, J Luff; cons, T Yapp 2; pens, T Yapp 3.

Tynedale: S Visser; P Cole (A Rogers 78), J Harrison, S Davey (R White 40), H Smales; A Smith, M Outson; P Southern (D Jupp 72), J Graham, J Williams; B Marshall, D Whitehead (K Showler 59); A Murray (capt), G Rastall (M Fieldhouse 62) and G Irvin.

Scorers: tries, J Harrison, G Rastall, P Cole; con, A Smith.

Referee: P W Davies (RFU).

Attendance 668.