Kiwi Jake Signs for The Pirates

Kiwi Jake Signs for The Pirates

New Zealand-born scrum-half Jake Ashby is the latest player to have signed a one- year contract with the Cornish Pirates.

Aged 26, he joins from playing for Bury St. Edmunds in National Two South.

Having grown up on his family’s dairy farm, Jake played his early rugby for Ohoka Rugby Club in North Canterbury and later at St. Bede’s College. He has also played for Mid Canterbury and represented New Zealand Heartland, the Waikato Wider ITM Cup squad, and the Netherlands international team, qualifying through his mother’s side of the family.

Cornish Pirates’ coach Gavin Cattle has commented:

Jake is really hungry and has a good background in New Zealand.

He was unlucky injury-wise early in his career, but with a couple of seasons under his belt at Bury St. Edmunds the chirpy character has shown he possesses the required core skills.

We now look forward to working with him and pushing him to the next level.

Jake has also said:

I’ve been working hard to get back into a full-time environment, so I recognise and appreciate this is a really good opportunity that the Cornish Pirates have given to me, It is a chance to challenge myself, and to keep growing my game.