Can the Cornish Pirates Stun the Premiership Leaders?

The Cornish Pirates are set for a major test this Sunday as they take on Premiership Cup Pool E leaders Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. The match, kicking off at 3pm, will see the Pirates face a formidable challenge against a side that has dominated the competition so far.

A Tough Test Against a Top Side

Currently sitting fourth in Pool E, the Pirates will be well aware of the scale of the task ahead. Exeter showed their strength in the previous fixture, securing a commanding 68-7 victory at the Mennaye Field in November. Last weekend, the Chiefs continued their dominance with a 36-14 away win over Hartpury, further cementing their position at the top of the table.

Despite the difficulties faced this season, including 14 players unavailable this weekend, the Pirates have earned credit for their resilience.

Squad Changes and Fresh Opportunities

Head coach Gavin Cattle has made adjustments to the starting line-up, with Bruce Houston moving to full-back and Harry Yates joining Tom Georgiou in the centre. Oisin Michel, James French, and Harry Hocking will start in the front row, while Tomi Agbongbon takes the number 8 shirt in place of the injured Hugh Bokenham. Josh King will captain the side from the second row.

Reflecting on the upcoming game, Gavin said:

“Having played well at home against Gloucester last week, who we pushed very close and made a good fist of it, our players have another opportunity on Sunday to pit themselves against what we know will be another strong Premiership team in Exeter.

“There is credit due our recent new faces, who have had to learn quickly to enable us to together put our best foot forward. Yes, we’ve been disrupted, but we have kept a focus, and the attitude of all the players involved has been terrific.”

Cornish Pirates Line-up for Exeter Clash

Starting XV:
15 Bruce Houston, 14 Arthur Relton, 13 Tom Georgiou, 12 Harry Yates, 11 Will Trewin, 10 Iwan Jenkins, 9 Dan Hiscocks; 1 Oisin Michel, 2 Harry Hocking, 3 James French, 4 Alfie Bell, 5 Josh King (captain), 6 Matt Cannon, 7 Lucas Dorrell, 8 Tomi Agbongbon.

Replacements:
16 Sol Moody, 17 Billy Young, 18 Tom Connolly, 19 Fintan Coleman, 20 Chris Mills, 21 Cam Jones, 22 Joe Elderkin, 23 Iwan Price-Thomas.

The Pirates will be looking to build on their strong performance against Gloucester and push the Chiefs all the way. Can they pull off an upset? All eyes will be on Sandy Park this Sunday.