A next fixture for the Cornish Pirates is a sixth versus ninth Round 19 league game at home to Caldy on Sunday (ko 2.30pm).

The teams have already met three times this season, with the Pirates losing 15-14 away to the ‘Ravers’ in the league back in December but having in the Cup won 26-7 away in November and 52-5 at home on the Mennaye Field in February.

Changes in the Cornish Pirates starting line-up from the one that ran out at Ealing Trailfinders last weekend sees Jack Andrew and Hayden King named as the propping pair. For the latter it will be his first league start of the season. Cory Teague and Will Britton will form a fresh second-row pairing and fit again flanker John Stevens returns to captain the side. In the backs there is just the one change, where Garyn Smith will this week partner Rory Parata in the centre.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s encounter, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Alan Paver has commented:

“In their first Championship season Caldy have done very well, including beating not only us in the league but also Ealing Trailfinders which, as we know, is not an easy thing to do.

“We have been on good form, and although the Ealing game was obviously a bridge too far for us, and we couldn’t quite carry the squad we wanted to into the game, our young men did well.

“As for this week, we are looking forward to playing back home on the Mennaye, with the crowd again behind us, and if we get it right and put in a good performance then there is no reason why we can’t end up on the right side of the score.”