Next up for the Cornish Pirates is a scheduled Round 11 fixture in the Championship – a 1^st versus 3^rd clash – away to Coventry on Saturday (ko 3pm).

League leaders Coventry have presently acquired 32 league points from nine games played, Ealing Trailfinders are second with 31 after seven, and the Pirates are third with 30 from eight.

For the Cornish Pirates, following their 41-17 victory at home to Nottingham last Saturday – their third league win in succession – this weekend’s contest will mark the first of three challenging away matches on the trot, because post the game versus ‘Cov’ the Pirates play Bedford Blues on Saturday week (ko 4pm) and then a rescheduled fixture against Ealing Trailfinders on Saturday 10^th February (ko 3pm).

As for selection this weekend, the Cornish Pirates make one change in the backs from the team that ran out against Nottingham, with centre Joe Jenkins, who has arrived in Cornwall on short term loan from Bristol Bears, selected at outside centre. In the forwards, Matt Johnson gets a starting role at tight-head prop, whilst there is a reshuffle involving certain other personnel. Fit again Will Gibson returns at open-side flanker in place of skipper John Stevens who will move to number 8 in place of Hugh Bokenham, who in turn steps forward a row to partner Steele Barker in the engine room. On the bench Cory Teague will be keen to make his first competitive match start for the season, plus there is a welcome return to fitness for Josh King.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s important fixture, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle has said:

“Look, if you want to be in the hunt at the top then the likes of Coventry away, along with Bedford and Ealing, are the teams you need to aspire to beat.

“Coventry will naturally be delighted to presently hold top spot and we know it is going to be a big challenge on their fast pitch against such a good team.

“Once again we will need to incorporate the required emotion and energy into our game, plus it’s about how we control their tempo and, naturally being a collision sport, we also need to be on the right side of that.” 

The Cornish Pirates full selection for Saturday is as follows:

Cornish Pirates:   15 Will Trewin 14 Robin Wedlake 13 Joe Jenkins 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Matt McNab 10 Bruce Houston 9 Alex Schwarz; 1 Lefty Zigiriadis 2 Morgan Nelson 3 Matt Johnson 4 Hugh Bokenham 5 Steele Barker 6 Alex Everett 7 Will Gibson 8 John Stevens (captain).

Replacements:   16 Rhys Williams 17 Jacob Morris 18 Fin Richardson 19 Cory Teague, 20 Josh King 21 Ruaridh Dawson 22 Tom Pittman 23 Frankie Nowell.