Cornish Pirates Face Cambridge Away in Championship Round 19

The Cornish Pirates face a crucial test this Saturday 28th February as they travel to Cambridge for Round 19 of this season’s Championship campaign.

Kick off against Cambridge, known as the Blood and Sand, is at 2pm at Ellgia Fields.

Nothing Taken for Granted

Although Cambridge sit 14th and remain winless at the foot of the league table, the Pirates are not underestimating the challenge.

The home side have shown resilience in recent weeks, including a draw against Doncaster Knights, and have narrowly missed out in other fixtures. They are coached by former Pirate Will Britton and are described as becoming more cohesive, with a strong line out and a physical edge reflected in the statistics.

For the Pirates, the stakes are clear as they continue their push to stay in touch with the top six.

Selection Changes for Saturday

There are three changes to the starting line up from the side that defeated Nottingham last weekend.

In the backs, Ben Cambriani returns on the wing. In the forwards, Alfie Petch comes in at tight head prop, while a now fully fit Matt Cannon partners Josh King in the second row.

Ahead of the match, joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“We were really pleased with our win last weekend at home to Nottingham which saw us leapfrog them into seventh place in the league. The outcome was crucial for us to stay in touch with the top six, and at the end of a tight contest we showed our character to achieve what I felt was a deserved win over the eighty minutes.

“As for this week Cambridge have also shown character. They drew with Doncaster Knights recently and have been unlucky to be pipped in certain other games. Well coached by former ‘Pirate’ Will Britton, they have become more cohesive, have a good line out, and the stats show they are very physical. For us it is simply a must win game, at a time when the pressure is on if we are serious about competing in the play offs.”

Full Team News

The Cornish Pirates line up for Saturday is:

15 Angus Mawson
14 Arthur Relton
13 Chester Ribbons
12 Harry Yates
11 Ben Cambriani
10 Louie Sinclair
9 Dan Hiscocks

1 James French
2 Sol Moody
3 Alfie Petch
4 Matt Cannon
5 Josh King
6 Alex Everett captain
7 Luke Ratcliff
8 Tomi Agbongbon

Replacements:
16 Morgan Nelson
17 Ollie Andrews
18 Ben Woodmansey
19 Milo Hallam
20 Rory Suttor
21 Will Rigelsford
22 Arwel Robson
23 Matty Ward

Referee: Ben Simpson
Assistants: John Meredith and Gregg Dawson
Official 4: Richard Steggall

With the play off race tightening, Saturday’s fixture could prove pivotal in shaping how the Pirates’ season unfolds.