Friday Night Showdown: Can Cornish Pirates Overcome Gloucester at the Mennaye?

Published On: 30 January 2025Last Updated: 30 January 2025By CornishStuff

The Cornish Pirates are set for a return to Premiership Cup action this Friday night as they take on Gloucester at the Mennaye Field. With a large crowd expected under the floodlights, anticipation is high for what promises to be a thrilling contest.

A Tough Battle Ahead

The last time the two sides met at Kingsholm in November, the Pirates put in a strong performance but ultimately fell short, losing 36-28. This time, they will be looking to turn the tables in front of their home supporters. The match is set to be a 4th versus 2nd clash in Pool E, with kick-off at 7.30pm.

Changes in the Line-Up

There are several changes to the Pirates’ squad following their recent fixture against Ealing Trailfinders. Tom Georgiou comes into the centre in place of the unavailable Charlie McCaig, while Ollie Andrews, who made an impact last week with a try-scoring performance off the bench, will make his first start at tight-head prop.

In the second row, Matt Cannon partners Alfie Bell, having been unavailable last weekend due to his parent club. The back row also sees a change, with Lucas Dorrell joining the team on a short-term loan from Exeter Chiefs. Another new addition is Tom Connolly, an Irish prop previously associated with Leinster, who is named on the bench.

Coach’s Thoughts

Looking ahead to the game, Cornish Pirates’ coach Joe Walsh acknowledged the challenges the squad has faced in recent weeks:

“The boys are really looking forward to being back playing at home, especially after two very difficult away fixtures at the start of the new year, and during what has been a very difficult time generally for the squad.

“Just looking back over the past couple of weeks or so, I certainly haven’t seen anything like it, with a total of some 15 guys or so unavailable because of short term or long-term injury and dual-reg unavailability etcetera, so we have just had to scrap it out.

“The attitude, though, has been really good, as everyone has dug in and will now be looking to give a good account of themselves against Gloucester. It will be a big thing for us, as it will to get back in front of a home crowd at the Mennaye again, which should see the team revved up and excited to go.”

Full Squad for Friday’s Clash

Starting XV:

15 Iwan Price-Thomas
14 Arthur Relton
13 Tom Georgiou
12 Joe Elderkin
11 Will Trewin
10 Iwan Jenkins
9 Dan Hiscocks
1 Billy Young
2 Sol Moody
3 Ollie Andrews
4 Alfie Bell
5 Matt Cannon
6 Josh King
7 Lucas Dorrell
8 High Bokenham (captain)

Replacements:

16 Harry Hocking
17 James French
18 Tom Connolly
19 Fintan Coleman
20 Tomi Agbongbon
21 Cam Jones
22 Bruce Houston
23 Harry Yates

Match Details

Referee: Ben Wood
Assistants: James Milliner-Woodcock & Kevin Williams
Official 4: Will Williams
PR Coach: Steve Leyshon
Match Day Sponsor: Microcomms
Match Ball Sponsor: DA Giles
Match Day Collection: The Chestnut Appeal

With the Pirates eager to bounce back and Gloucester looking to maintain their strong position in Pool E, Friday night’s clash is shaping up to be a must-watch fixture. Fans at the Mennaye will be hoping to see the home side put in a performance worthy of the occasion.