ORGANISERS of the British & Irish Cup have awarded the result between Cornish Pirates and Bedford Blues from October 12 in favour of the latter.

The Pirates had won the tie 35-34 at the Mennaye thanks to a last minute try by Bertie Hopkin, which was then converted by Kieran Hallett.

However, the organising committee of the competition say the club breached regulation 9.4 which stipulates a front row player should not be replaced by any other member of the team apart from another person who can play in his position.

In the 72nd minute, prop Tyler Gendall was forced off with a ACL injury, which will keep him sidelined for about 12 months, with Hopkin coming on in his place.

As the fly-half could not feature in the front row, uncontested scrums were played for the remainder of the match.

According to the ruling, regulations state the Pirates should have played on with 14 men rather than bring Hopkin on.

The result now stands at 34-28, the score when Gendall was taken off.

A time period of 48 hours has been given to the Pirates to appeal the decision.

A club spokesperson said: "Following the decision made by the British & Irish Cup Organising Committee in relation to the Cornish Pirates versus Bedford Blues Round One fixture played on Sunday 12th October, the Pirates can confirm that they will be seeking legal advice to consider submitting an appeal to the Organising Committee within the next 24-36 hours."