Cornish All Blacks name side for season opener
Aug
The Cornish Pirates have named their team for their eagerly awaited RFU Championship opener at home against Doncaster Knights on Sunday (ko 3pm).
Skipper Gavin Cattle will lead a side that includes a number of players making their league debuts for the club. Centre Matt Hopper and back-rowers Kyle Marriott and Phil Burgess are named in the starting line-up, whilst another recent recruit, lock Ian Nimmo, could also make an appearance off the bench.
The two sides first met at National Two level back in November, 2002, when the Pirates lost 9-5 away. Of interest, that was one only three league defeats suffered in a season which the Pirates gain revenge at The Mennaye Field in March (38-15) and soon after promotion as league Champions.
The teams next met again in 2005-06, when the 'Knights' were promoted to National One, and they have opposed each other regularly ever since. However, because the Pirates were at Kenwyn for one season, and Camborne for four, Sunday will mark just their second meeting at Penzance.
There have been some particularly memorable games against the Knights, including a 13-10 away victory for the Pirates in March, 2007, when Jimmy Moore's match winning drop goal put the club through to the semi-final of the EDF National Trophy competition. Then, a year later, there was the joy displayed by prop Dan Seal who was a rare try-scorer when the Pirates won 63-36 at Camborne. That was a tremendous game to watch, but what is fresher in the memory is the 43-5 points British & Irish Cup semi-final win at Camborne at the end of April, which more than made up for the Pirates losing 12-10 at Camborne in the Championship last December.
It'll be interesting to see how Sunday unfolds, but it's surely bound to be exciting. Lynn Howells' side is one that will be keen to spoil the Pirates homecoming party, plus they'll have some inside knowledge of how their opponents like to play, remembering that Brett Davey starts his second full season as Doncaster's backs coach.
In their pre-season friendlies, Donny won 55-0 at Otley and 18-14 at home to a Leeds Carnegie. The Leeds side included a number of 1st XV regulars, so the Knights will feel upbeat. They have lost the services of former 'Pirate' Nicky Griffiths, who is now with Newport Gwent Dragons, but a bonus for the Yorkshire side was capturing the signature of Tristan Roberts from Moseley. A Championship points leader last season, he ended the campaign with an impressive tally of 272.
The Cornish Pirates side named for Sunday is as follows:-
R. Cook, R. McAtee, M. Hopper, S. Winn, N. Jackson, J. Bentley, G. Cattle (capt), K. Marriott, P. Burgess, C. Morgan, B. Gulliver, L. McGlone, R. Brits, D. Ward, A. Paver.
Replacements: P. Andrew, R. Elloway, I. Nimmo, M. Myerscough, B. Cowan, J. Doherty, T. Luke.
Referee: J.P. Doyle (RFU) Assistants: Mark Liddell & Richard Parker-Sedgemore
Mascot: Charlie Todd
Match Day Sponsor: St. Austell Brewery
