Can The Cornish Pirates Break Doncaster’s Winning Streak? Big Clash Set for Saturday

The Cornish Pirates are gearing up for a massive test this Saturday, 24th May, as they head north to take on Doncaster Knights in their penultimate match of the Championship season. Kick-off at Castle Park is at 2.30pm.

With just one league point separating the sides, this 4th versus 3rd battle could be a decider in how the table shakes out going into the final week. Doncaster are in red-hot form, having notched up ten wins in a row. Their latest was a 41-35 victory away to Hartpury, handing the home team their first defeat on home soil this season.

The Pirates are not far behind. They’ve won their last six games and will be looking to extend that run against one of the toughest teams in the league.

Line-Up Changes and New Arrivals

Bruce Houston moves from fly-half to full-back for this fixture, making way for Iwan Jenkins, who takes the number 10 shirt. Up front, Harry Hocking starts at hooker, while 30-year-old Tyler Gendall returns to the front row at tight-head prop. Tyler, who previously made 76 appearances for the Pirates, has been playing for Redruth.

A fresh face joins the bench this weekend. Darragh McSweeney, a 22-year-old prop who arrived at the Mennaye Field this week from Munster, has been drafted in to provide injury cover.

Coach Joe Walsh Sets the Tone

Speaking ahead of the game, coach Joe Walsh was clear about the challenge ahead.

“We are under no illusion that Doncaster Knights have a very good side. They have a lot of attacking threats, and the quality of their players and the way they perform is high.

“It is a big trip for us in terms of travel, therefore it will also be important to get the flow of energy right on the morning of the game and to go into the match with the right mindset to hopefully execute our gameplan.

“We know they are not going to die and that they will play the whole 80 minutes, so if we are to be in with a chance we will need to put together a complete performance.”

Full Cornish Pirates Squad for Saturday:

Starting XV

15 Bruce Houston
14 Robin Wedlake
13 Chester Ribbons
12 Joe Elderkin
11 Matt McNab
10 Iwan Jenkins
9 Dan Hiscocks
1 Billy Young
2 Harry Hocking
3 Tyler Gendall
4 Charlie Rice
5 Josh King
6 Matt Cannon
7 Jack Forsythe
8 Alex Everett (captain)

Replacements

16 Matt Pritchard
17 Jenson Boughton
18 Darragh McSweeney
19 Fintan Coleman
20 Tomiwa Agbongbon
21 Will Rigelsford
22 Tom Georgiou
23 Harry Yates

All eyes will be on Castle Park this weekend as the Pirates look to derail Doncaster’s charge and prove they’re ready for the final push.