National Division 2: Henley's top-of-the-table clash with Penzance/Newlyn produced the expected cliffhanger at Dry Leas, with the Hawks coming out on top 16-12 to stay at the summit.
The home side did not take the lead until the 79th minute when the ball squirted from a Pirates scrum, and Hawks' scrum half Ben Ayres pounced for the touchdown.
That made the score 12-11 to Penzance, but a magnificent kick from the touchline by fly half Barry Reeves put Henley one point clear, and in injury time, his third penalty gave them some breathing space.
On three occasions, the Pirates had players dispatched to the sin bin. In the first half, Mark Fatialofa committed an illegal tackle, and after the break, scrum half Mark Roderick obstructed a tapped penalty.
But the telling dismissal was that of Martin Haag, with ten minutes left, for kicking. His dismissal gave the Hawks' pack the edge in the nail-biting final minutes.
Penzance had gone ahead after eight minutes following a tapped penalty which allowed Victor Olonga to squeeze over. Nat Saumi converted but could not add to Viliami Ma'asi's second-half try from a maul.
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