Jersey Challenge is One the Pirates will Respect

Next up for the Cornish Pirates is a tough challenge away to Jersey Reds on Saturday where their one Championship success on the island was a 20-6 points win back in September 2012.

Having played one less game than the Pirates this season, Jersey Reds are presently sixth in the Greene King IPA Championship table. They gained losing bonus points from their opening three matches, which were all played away (against Coventry, Bedford Blues, and London Scottish), and have since won their last two matches – 36-19 at home to Yorkshire Carnegie and 47-22 away last weekend to Doncaster Knights.

The selection by the Pirates for Saturday shows just two changes in the starting XV from last week’s team. A fit again Robin Wedlake, who is the Championship’s top try-scorer to date this season, returns to the right-wing berth, whilst in the forwards Matt Bolwell slots back into the back-row in place of the injured John Stevens.

Looking forward to Saturday’s fixture, Cornish Pirates co-coach Alan Paver has commented:

For us this another massive game, recognising that Jersey have hit good form and that it will be a real challenge.

We have to go there tails up and make sure we tick all the right boxes and make sure also we are mentally in the right frame of mind – then it is going to come down to a physical battle, likely dictated by the forwards.

Yes, it is a challenge, which we will respect, but we are ready for that and will aim to go there and put our ‘A’ game on the pitch.