By Dick Straughan
August 30 2007

The Cornish Pirates will travel east up the A30 to Polson Bridge on Saturday afternoon with an army of travelling supporters as clear favourites to beat local their rivals and newly promoted Cornish All Blacks. Victory however will have to be earned on the field the hard way if the Pirates are not to add to their list of away day embarrassments.

Pirates Head Coach Jim McKay will remember all too well the shock reverse at Blundellsands against Waterloo just twelve months ago, and will have also no doubt factored in memories of hiccups at Sedgley Park as he prepared his "Polson Plan" for Saturday`s match. With little to lose against established Division One opponents, the All Blacks will fancy an upset as they begin life at a new level of club rugby.

With good weather forecast and four barren months of domestic rugby about to end a packed house is a certainty. The All Blacks have recruited heavily during the summer and are likely to field former Pirates favourites Matt Jess, Ryan Westren and Josh Lord against McKay`s side.  They have prepared well during the close season which culminated in a comfortable victory over a Bath Academy side,  and although realistic in their aspirations for the coming season have no intention of spending the campaign bumping along around the relegation zone.

The Pirates, by contrast, begin their fifth season at this level determined to mount a serious challenge to the top of the table and improve on last season when, despite Twickenham glory in the EDF National Trophy, a desperate run of injuries late in the season saw them slump to a 5th place finish. They too have recruited strongly and have few fitness worries ahead of Saturday`s opener despite two hugely physical pre-season games against Leicester Tigers and Newport Gwent Dragons.

So what of this match then? Jim Mckay has taken the unusual step for him of naming his team 48 hours ahead of the match. Rhodri McAtee and Brian Tuohy will provide the pace out wide with the impressive pairing of Devlin and Whatling providing the battering ram in the Centre. The half back pairing of Steenson and Bolt will operate behind a pack marshalled by new captain Tim Cowley. The athletic ball carrying skills of Chris Cracknell on the flank should ask some awkward questions of the All Blacks defence.

I expect the All Blacks to start like a runaway train and take the game to their visitors. However, they will need much more than adrenalin and adventure in order to triumph as discipline and strength at the set piece count for so much in Division One. The Pirates tight five will have too much for their hosts and I expect the game to be won and lost here. It will be a close contest until the final quarter when I predict the Pirates to win by 20 and steal all five points.

 

PIRATES TEAM:- Winnan, McAtee, Devlin, Whatling, Tuohy, Steenson, Bolt, Cook, Elloway, Seal, Beardshaw, Cumming, Cracknell, Motusaga, Cowley (c) 

Replacements - Dawidiuk, Heard, Hobson, Betty, Moore, Buckley, A.N.Other

 

Referee - Llyr Ap-Geraint Roberts (RFU)