Cornish Pirates Aim to Bounce Back Away to Chinnor

The Cornish Pirates will look to return to winning ways this Saturday when they travel to Oxfordshire to face Chinnor in Round 12 of Champ rugby.

The fixture follows a narrow 27 to 26 home defeat to Bedford Blues last Friday evening, a result that saw the Pirates miss out by the smallest of margins in Round 11.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 3pm at Kingsey Road in Thame, with the contest pitched as a seventh versus fourth meeting in the league table.

A Tough Test Away From Home

Chinnor are enjoying their second season in Tier 2 and have settled in well at the level. Led by former Harlequins and England player Nick Easter, who serves as Director of Rugby, the side known as The Villagers have picked up several impressive results so far this campaign.

The Cornish Pirates are under no illusion that they will face strong opposition as they aim to bounce back on the road.

Changes to the Starting Line-Up

There is just one change in the backs for Saturday’s match, with Matty Ward returning on the wing in place of Harry Yates, who moves to the bench.

In the pack, two changes see fresh prop forwards named in the starting line-up. Alessandro Heaney is selected after featuring as a replacement against Bedford Blues, coming on for Billy Young, while Ollie Andrews makes his first league start of the season in place of Alfie Petch. James French retains his place among the replacements as tight head cover.

Coaches’ Focus on Building Positives

Speaking ahead of the final game of 2025, joint head coach Gavin Cattle reflected on last weekend’s defeat and the challenge ahead.

“Firstly, I felt our game against Bedford was a good advert for ‘Champ’ rugby. There were just a few crucial moments in the game that we didn’t quite manage well enough, and there are sometimes certain little things that can change the momentum of a game. However, Bedford are a good team, and we did push them as close as.

“Looking forward now to our fixture on Saturday away to Chinnor, they have commendably found their feet at the level and have recorded some impressive results. We are under no illusion that they will provide a tough challenge as we’ll work to return to winning ways.

“There have been some really encouraging signs in our play and focusing on ourselves we must look to build on the positives.”

Cornish Pirates Team Selection

Cornish Pirates:
15 Louie Sinclair
14 Arthur Relton
13 Chester Ribbons
12 Joe Elderkin
11 Matty Ward
10 Arwel Robson
9 Dan Hiscocks (captain)
1 Alessandro Heaney
2 Morgan Nelson
3 Ollie Andrews
4 Charlie Rice
5 Alfie Bell
6 Matt Cannon
7 Josh King
8 Tomi Agbongbon

Replacements:
16 Matt Pritchard
17 Billy Young
18 James French
19 Rory Suttor
20 Luke Ratcliff
21 Will Rigelsford
22 Harry Yates
23 Ben Cambriani

Match Officials:
Referee: Joe James
Assistants: Jack Sutton and Simon Adams
Official 4: Steve Hambley

The match marks the Cornish Pirates’ final outing of 2025 as they aim to finish the year on a positive note.