Post by Jamie Crawford on Aug 28, 2018 16:58:17 GMT
Cornish Pirates preview sponsored by
Steadfast Industrial Conveyor Belts (www.steadfast.uk.com)
Round 1, The Mennaye Sun 2nd Sep, 2017 - 02:30pm
Our season-opener sees us travel down the long road to Cornwall to play the Pirates of Penzance. Last Saturday the Knights were beaten by Premiership outfit Newcastle Falcons. The consensus is that it was a game of two halves, with the Knights starting the game well. Perhaps it was due to the wholesale changes which happen in pre-season games but not once the league starts. This might have broken up any partnerships in the game, the reports don’t hint at our lack of fitness compared to the Premiership Falcons, so well done Dougie. Morgan Eames scored four tries in two games! Is Morgan our next Latuuu?
“Captain Michael Hills is determined to look at the positives from pre-season and Saturdays defeat (to the Falcons) by looking to improve ahead of the Championship opener on Sunday.
The Knights lost 26-47 to Newcastle Falcons ahead of facing Cornish Pirates in five days time. However, Michael was pleased with some aspects of the weekends performance, “ the first 10,15,20 minutes were very good, we got through our line out structure well and scored some great tries.”
We talked all week about getting a good start and I definitely think we got that, we put pressure on them and capitalised on their mistakes, then the tide seemed to turn, so as a group were very disappointed with that after going 14-0 up.”…
…Michael spoke of the improvement needed ahead of the next game. “We have got to improve as we know what Cornish Pirates can bring to the table, they’ve got a very big pack, it’ll be a tough battle down there as it always is.” (DRFC Website)
It’s great that we started well, which was lacking for much of last season but we can’t take our foot off the gas, watch our handling and drive the win home.
“The last time the Knights visited Cornwall it ended in a narrow 22-19 defeat back in early March. A try and conversion from the Pirates in the dying embers of the game snatched victory from the Knights that day.
The Southern side finished fourth last season and will visit Doncaster on the last match of the season.
DoR Clive Griffiths gave his thoughts on the near six hours trip for the opening day GK IPA Championship visit to Cornwall to face Cornish Pirates.
“It’s never easy going down there, we’ve had some tough battles in the past it’s a long bus journey down, we’ve been away the long two seasons so I am disappointed at the outcome, the positive is we are likely to play on a dryer pitch rather than visiting in winter, we’ll go there and give it our best shot.”” (DRFC website)
Pirate player movements pre-season. (Wikipedia)
Players In
• Robin Wedlake from Plymouth Albion
• Tyler Gendall from Bristol Bears
• Javier Rojas from Viadana
• Callum Patterson from Ulster
• Alex Schwarz from RGC 1404
• Dan Frost from Taunton
• Maliq Holden from Hartpury College
• Jake Ashby from Burys St Edmunds
• Danny Cutmore from Saracens
• Rory Parata from Zebre
• Nodar Cheishvili from Chambery
Players Out
• Paul Andrew retired
• Laurence May to Ealing Trailfinders
• Nicolas De Battista to Zebre
• Toby May retired
• Mike Pope retired
• Nicolas Coronel to Lazio
• Bar Bartlett released
The Pirates began their pre-season fixtures with an away fixture against Aberavon Wizards in Port Talbot. The Wizards came fourth last season in the Welsh Premier Division. The Pirates won 4-44.
The Pirates then had a home game against nearest Premiership team Exeter Chiefs and finally they were away against Plymouth Albion, who came third in National One.
They beat Exeter Chiefs 29-2. OK it will have been the Chiefs’ second string because they played Cardiff Blues the day after and won 38-10 BUT (big but”) the Chiefs’ second string would make the first team in most Premiership teams. So it was no mean feat by the Pirates.
Finally the Pirates beat Plymouth Albion 12-29. Pirate’s four tries were scored by new Full Back Maliq Holden, Wing Alex O'Meara, sub’s; Centre/Wing Dan Koster and new Wing Robin Wedlake. All tries were scored by Backs.
The Pirates are apparently in a buoyant mood looking forward to this season, “…Having finished an impressive 4th in the Greene King IPA Championship last season, with their strengthened squad the Cornish Pirates will be keen to perform well and get their league season off to an encouraging start. There is also a new Championship Cup competition that replaces the British & Irish Cup.
Considering the above, and not forgetting the planned Stadium for Cornwall – ‘Sportva Kernow’ – during next season and beyond there clearly is much to whet the sporting appetite in Cornwall…”
“Cornwall Council has voted to approve the partial funding of a new stadium in the county.
Councillors have decided to provide £3m towards the total estimated budget of £14.3m.
Cornish Pirates rugby team, Truro City football club and Truro and Penwith College have put up £6m of the cash and they are hoping the government will provide another £3m.
Planning permission for the stadium has already been granted.” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-43788098)
It is the Knights’ job to make the Pirates realise that last season’s results are history and a newly bolstered team is just that – new. The Knights experienced similar last season; finishing second in 2016/16, then fourth in 2016/17 perhaps they were slightly overconfident or complacent no matter how subconscious (plus no doubt despite Griff’s attempts to discourage that) and finished seventh last season. It is a position that the Knights have said that they don’t like and are aiming for top four again this season.
The Pirates collected the highest number of losing bonus points across the Championship last season, so a few points more scored this season would convert one losing bonus point to a four-point win. If those nine losing bonus points scored three more points with a win, the Pirates would have finished second, above Ealing Trailfinders.
Just starting the Championship campaign, Pirate No. 8 Tom Duncan is their most prolific try-scorer. Duncan has scored 13 tries from 15 starts. Wing/Full Back Kyle Moyle has also scored 14 tries but these are from 28 starts. Winger Alex O’Meara in third has scored a brace from 21starts.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
Steadfast Industrial Conveyor Belts (www.steadfast.uk.com)
Round 1, The Mennaye Sun 2nd Sep, 2017 - 02:30pm
Our season-opener sees us travel down the long road to Cornwall to play the Pirates of Penzance. Last Saturday the Knights were beaten by Premiership outfit Newcastle Falcons. The consensus is that it was a game of two halves, with the Knights starting the game well. Perhaps it was due to the wholesale changes which happen in pre-season games but not once the league starts. This might have broken up any partnerships in the game, the reports don’t hint at our lack of fitness compared to the Premiership Falcons, so well done Dougie. Morgan Eames scored four tries in two games! Is Morgan our next Latuuu?
“Captain Michael Hills is determined to look at the positives from pre-season and Saturdays defeat (to the Falcons) by looking to improve ahead of the Championship opener on Sunday.
The Knights lost 26-47 to Newcastle Falcons ahead of facing Cornish Pirates in five days time. However, Michael was pleased with some aspects of the weekends performance, “ the first 10,15,20 minutes were very good, we got through our line out structure well and scored some great tries.”
We talked all week about getting a good start and I definitely think we got that, we put pressure on them and capitalised on their mistakes, then the tide seemed to turn, so as a group were very disappointed with that after going 14-0 up.”…
…Michael spoke of the improvement needed ahead of the next game. “We have got to improve as we know what Cornish Pirates can bring to the table, they’ve got a very big pack, it’ll be a tough battle down there as it always is.” (DRFC Website)
It’s great that we started well, which was lacking for much of last season but we can’t take our foot off the gas, watch our handling and drive the win home.
“The last time the Knights visited Cornwall it ended in a narrow 22-19 defeat back in early March. A try and conversion from the Pirates in the dying embers of the game snatched victory from the Knights that day.
The Southern side finished fourth last season and will visit Doncaster on the last match of the season.
DoR Clive Griffiths gave his thoughts on the near six hours trip for the opening day GK IPA Championship visit to Cornwall to face Cornish Pirates.
“It’s never easy going down there, we’ve had some tough battles in the past it’s a long bus journey down, we’ve been away the long two seasons so I am disappointed at the outcome, the positive is we are likely to play on a dryer pitch rather than visiting in winter, we’ll go there and give it our best shot.”” (DRFC website)
Pirate player movements pre-season. (Wikipedia)
Players In
• Robin Wedlake from Plymouth Albion
• Tyler Gendall from Bristol Bears
• Javier Rojas from Viadana
• Callum Patterson from Ulster
• Alex Schwarz from RGC 1404
• Dan Frost from Taunton
• Maliq Holden from Hartpury College
• Jake Ashby from Burys St Edmunds
• Danny Cutmore from Saracens
• Rory Parata from Zebre
• Nodar Cheishvili from Chambery
Players Out
• Paul Andrew retired
• Laurence May to Ealing Trailfinders
• Nicolas De Battista to Zebre
• Toby May retired
• Mike Pope retired
• Nicolas Coronel to Lazio
• Bar Bartlett released
The Pirates began their pre-season fixtures with an away fixture against Aberavon Wizards in Port Talbot. The Wizards came fourth last season in the Welsh Premier Division. The Pirates won 4-44.
The Pirates then had a home game against nearest Premiership team Exeter Chiefs and finally they were away against Plymouth Albion, who came third in National One.
They beat Exeter Chiefs 29-2. OK it will have been the Chiefs’ second string because they played Cardiff Blues the day after and won 38-10 BUT (big but”) the Chiefs’ second string would make the first team in most Premiership teams. So it was no mean feat by the Pirates.
Finally the Pirates beat Plymouth Albion 12-29. Pirate’s four tries were scored by new Full Back Maliq Holden, Wing Alex O'Meara, sub’s; Centre/Wing Dan Koster and new Wing Robin Wedlake. All tries were scored by Backs.
The Pirates are apparently in a buoyant mood looking forward to this season, “…Having finished an impressive 4th in the Greene King IPA Championship last season, with their strengthened squad the Cornish Pirates will be keen to perform well and get their league season off to an encouraging start. There is also a new Championship Cup competition that replaces the British & Irish Cup.
Considering the above, and not forgetting the planned Stadium for Cornwall – ‘Sportva Kernow’ – during next season and beyond there clearly is much to whet the sporting appetite in Cornwall…”
“Cornwall Council has voted to approve the partial funding of a new stadium in the county.
Councillors have decided to provide £3m towards the total estimated budget of £14.3m.
Cornish Pirates rugby team, Truro City football club and Truro and Penwith College have put up £6m of the cash and they are hoping the government will provide another £3m.
Planning permission for the stadium has already been granted.” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-43788098)
It is the Knights’ job to make the Pirates realise that last season’s results are history and a newly bolstered team is just that – new. The Knights experienced similar last season; finishing second in 2016/16, then fourth in 2016/17 perhaps they were slightly overconfident or complacent no matter how subconscious (plus no doubt despite Griff’s attempts to discourage that) and finished seventh last season. It is a position that the Knights have said that they don’t like and are aiming for top four again this season.
The Pirates collected the highest number of losing bonus points across the Championship last season, so a few points more scored this season would convert one losing bonus point to a four-point win. If those nine losing bonus points scored three more points with a win, the Pirates would have finished second, above Ealing Trailfinders.
Just starting the Championship campaign, Pirate No. 8 Tom Duncan is their most prolific try-scorer. Duncan has scored 13 tries from 15 starts. Wing/Full Back Kyle Moyle has also scored 14 tries but these are from 28 starts. Winger Alex O’Meara in third has scored a brace from 21starts.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
