Cornish Pirates Level on Points With Caldy… So Who Comes Out on Top This Saturday?

The Cornish Pirates face what looks set to be a tightly fought contest this Saturday as they travel to the Wirral to take on Caldy in Round 17 of the Championship. Kick-off is at 2pm.

The trip north follows last Sunday’s 43-12 home win against London Scottish, a result that lifted spirits after their previous outing. Now sitting eighth in the table, the Pirates meet ninth-placed Caldy with both sides having collected 43 league points so far this season. On paper at least, it could hardly be closer.

One Change to the Starting XV

There is one change in the starting line-up from last weekend. Harry Yates comes into the side to partner Chester Ribbons in the centre.

On the bench, winger Matty Ward is the only fresh face included among the replacements and will be hoping for another opportunity to make an impact.

Joe Walsh: “Indications Are That It Should Be Close”

Speaking ahead of the match, Cornish Pirates coach Joe Walsh reflected on the win over London Scottish and the challenge that now lies ahead.

“Reflecting an overall good win against London Scottish on a sticky pitch at Camborne last Sunday, which was a result needed, I felt we performed well. Our set piece took strong steps forward, and I am really pleased for the lads and their uplifting performance.

“As for this weekend, there is a little extra pressure on us with a six-day turnaround, but that’s a challenge we have handled once already this season. Indications are though that it should be close against a team who traditionally have a very able scrum and maul but also have certain other strong additions this year, including their halfbacks.

“For us, we will be looking to maintain our discipline, noting that it wasn’t until the 28th minute that we conceded a first penalty last Sunday, plus we’d like to see more rewards from those areas where we dominate play.”

The Full Pirates Line-Up

Cornish Pirates

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

1 Alessandro Heaney
2 Sol Moody
3 Alfie Petch
4 Milo Hallam
5 Josh King
6 Alex Everett (captain)
7 Luke Ratcliff
8 Tomi Agbongbon

Replacements

16 Matt Pritchard
17 James French
18 Ben Woodmansey
19 Matt Cannon
20 Rory Suttor
21 Will Rigelsford
22 Arwel Robson
23 Matty Ward

Match Officials

Referee: Jonathan Cook
Assistants: Jack Sutton and Simon Park
Official 4: Brendan McGaffney

With both sides level on points and little separating them in the table, Saturday’s clash promises to be an important one as the Championship campaign moves into its latter stages.