Cornish Pirates aiming for plain sailing to Champ Rugby playoffs this season

Fittingly Cornish Pirates have geared up for the Champ Rugby season on the open seas and are hoping it will be plain sailing all the way to the play-offs.

Having spent more than two decades in the second flight, Pirates understand exactly what it takes to succeed at this level, and will have a new ambition this year as play-offs return to the competition.

For Gavin Cattle, co-coach with Alan Paver, cracking that top six to make the post-season is a non-negotiable, and the players have been preparing for the campaign by enjoying exactly what Cornwall has to offer.

He said: “We create time in the rugby schedule around off-field stuff. We’re trying to connect the players with Cornwall. Boys that come to us, a lot may not be Cornish. We try to maximise Cornwall because it’s a beautiful place, especially in the summer.

“Our annual event would be working boat sailing, no motors, boats on 45-degree angles, taking boys out of their comfort zone. We get treated very well by St Mawes sailing club and it’s a bit of a singsong afterwards, Cornish style.

“We’ve got beaches, sand dunes on our doorstep which we try to maximise as well.

“We always have one or two days in our pre-season camp doing that, Gyllyngvase Beach isn’t the biggest dune in the world but it’s testing.”

Pirates finished fourth last season, and have not finished outside the top six since 2017, making the most of a formidable home record to challenge the league’s best.

Previously, they enjoyed success in the play-offs, twice making it to the final in 2011 and 2012.Ealing Trailfinders, the reigning champions, and returning Worcester Warriors, pose a big challenge this time around, but Cattle is hopeful that his team will hit their peak come the end of the season.

He said: “Play-offs has got to be an aim. You’ve got to be in that jeopardy at the end of the season, anything can happen. Most teams in the league, it will come down to luck with injuries, players being fit at that time and peaking at that right time. That is the big difference, the new challenge.

“Instead of first-past-the-post, you know you have to keep a little bit back and have your squad in good shape for the tail end. That will be the challenge with a small squad. It’s how you do that keeping people energised but it’s a good thing.”

It is all change in Champ Rugby this season, not only with the return of the play-offs for the top six, but matches will also be streamed on Ireland’s largest streaming platform, Clubber TV.

It marks the first time that all 182 league games, as well as the play-offs, will be available to stream on the subscription-only service. That will give rugby fans all over the world the opportunity to see some of the brightest young talents in England in action, including some of the best that Cornwall has to offer.

Cattle added: “We always look for local talent. Even now, training with us, they might not feature for us this year but we’ve got quite a few young Cornish lads, who we try to integrate. It’s not the biggest place in the world and a lot of people leave for education and jobs so it’s keeping tabs on those guys.

“But then it’s also recruiting guys who are ok in quite a remote area, who like the coastline and things like that. It’s important that when you are recruiting, people are aware of that, I always try to get somebody down the A30 so they know how far it is and there are no shocks.

“But a lot of players stay with us and I think have a positive experience, whether that is one or two years or a whole career.”

The Champ Rugby 25-26 season starts on October 3. For more information, visit www.champrugby.com