Can The Cornish Pirates Win Against Nottingham This Weekend?

The Cornish Pirates are preparing for their final game of the Championship season this Saturday, as they welcome Nottingham to the Mennaye Field for a 4th versus 7th place showdown. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Last Chance to Impress

Having beaten Nottingham 24-18 back in September, the Pirates will be hoping to repeat that result, but they’re well aware of the threat posed by the visitors. Nottingham head to Cornwall on the back of a dramatic 54-33 win over Hartpury, where they came back from 26 points down to score seven unanswered tries — their biggest comeback this century.

Joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:
“Looking back this season has been quite some journey, having started a bit shaky and then building up a bit of form with several new faces.
“As a group now who have done well, I think it is important that we finish strongly at home at the end of what can be considered a successful season. However, we know that Nottingham can pose a threat. They have a dangerous back three and their comeback to beat Hartpury last week was outstanding, showing how strong they can be.”

Line-Up Changes for the Finale

A few changes have been made to the Pirates starting line-up following last weekend’s 35-15 loss away to Doncaster Knights. Will Trewin returns at full-back, and Bruce Houston, playing his 50th and final match for the club, moves back to fly-half. Harry Yates gets the nod on the wing, Matt Pritchard starts at hooker, and Fintan Coleman replaces the injured Matt Cannon in the back row.

The Cornish Pirates line-up:
15 Will Trewin
14 Harry Yates
13 Chester Ribbons
12 Joe Elderkin
11 Matt McNab
10 Bruce Houston
9 Dan Hiscocks
1 Billy Young
2 Matt Pritchard
3 Tyler Gendall
4 Charlie Rice
5 Josh King
6 Fintan Coleman
7 Jack Forsythe
8 Alex Everett (captain)

Replacements:
Harry Hocking, Jenson Boughton, Darragh McSweeney, Milo Hallam, Tomiwa Agbongbon, Will Rigelsford, Iwan Jenkins, Robin Yates.

Referee: Matt Sharpe
Assistants: Jamie Parr & Kevin Williams
Official 4: Paul Box
Assessors: Steve Leyshon & Phil Watters

More Than Just Rugby

Saturday’s match is more than just the last game of the season. ‘Festival Season’ continues at the Mennaye with live music and family fun around the ground. End of season awards will also be presented after the match.

Match Day Sponsor: ARW Scaffold Contracting Ltd
Match Ball Sponsor: Microcomms
Match Day Collection: MIND Cornwall

With a season of highs and lows coming to a close, all eyes are now on whether the Pirates can give the home crowd one final moment to cheer.