# 2010–11 Cornish Pirates season

The 2010–11 season is the Cornish Pirates eighth season in the second tier of the English rugby union league system, the RFU Championship and their second in the British and Irish Cup.

## Pre–season friendlies

| | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance |
| 1 | 14 August | Gwent Dragons | H | L | 11 – 27 | 2110 |
| 2 | 22 August | Exeter Chiefs | A | L | 14 – 22 | 2280 |
| 3 | 5 March | Exeter Chiefs XV | H | W | 43 – 19 | 990 |

## RFU Championship
### Stage one matches

Stage one is a league programme of 22 matches starting on Saturday 4 September 2010 and completed by Saturday 19 February 2011. Each team play 11 matches at home and 11 away with the top eight teams qualifying for the promotion play–offs and bottom four play in the relegation play–off.
| | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance |
| 1 | 29 August | Doncaster Knights | H | W | 30 – 14 | 2232 |
| 2 | 5 September | London Welsh | H | W | 22 – 3 | 2047 |
| 3 | 11 September | Moseley | A | D | 26 – 26 | 751 |
| 4 | 19 September | Birmingham & Solihull | H | W | 32 – 15 | 1672 |
| 5 | 26 September | Bristol | A | L | 7 – 21 | 4379 |
| 6 | 3 October | Plymouth Albion | H | W | 46 – 13 | 2439 |
| 7 | 9 October | Bedford | A | L | 25 – 32 | 3243 |
| 8 | 17 October | Rotherham Titans | H | W | 40 – 15 | 1982 |
| 9 | 22 October | Worcester Warriors | A | W | 23 – 21 | 6928 |
| 10 | 31 October | Esher | H | W | 54 – 6 | 1767 |
| 11 | 7 November | Nottingham | A | W | 36 – 10 | 1637 |
| 12 | 14 November | London Welsh | A | L | 16 – 23 | 1250 |
| 13 | 21 November | Moseley | H | W | 50 – 7 | 1854 |
| | 28 November | Birmingham & Solihull | A | | P – P | |
| 14 | 5 December | Bristol | H | W | 16 – 6 | 2253 |
| 15 | 15 December | Birmingham & Solihull | A | W | 61 – 28 | 407 |
| | 26 December | Plymouth Albion | A | | P – P | |
| 16 | 2 January | Bedford Blues | H | W | 23 – 13 | 3051 |
| 17 | 8 January | Rotherham Titans | A | L | 18 – 19 | 1067 |
| 18 | 12 January | Plymouth Albion | A | W | 10 – 6 | 2512 |
| 19 | 30 January | Worcester Warriors | H | L | 30 – 33 | 1976 |
| 20 | 5 February | Esher | A | L | 12 – 13 | 1338 |
| 21 | 13 February | Nottingham | H | W | 40 – 0 | 2486 |
| 22 | 19 February | Doncaster Knights | A | W | 16 – 13 | 1091 |

### Stage one league table

2010–11 RFU Championship table :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Worcester Warriors (P) | 22 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 770 | 382 | +388 | 17 | 101 | Promotion playoff |
| 2 | Bedford Blues (S) | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 662 | 375 | +287 | 14 | 82 | Promotion playoff |
| 3 | Cornish Pirates (F) | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 633 | 337 | +296 | 14 | 76 | Promotion playoff |
| 4 | London Welsh (S) | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 575 | 429 | +146 | 12 | 68 | Promotion playoff |
| 5 | Nottingham | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 647 | 556 | +91 | 16 | 64 | Promotion playoff |
| 6 | Doncaster Knights | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 572 | 576 | −4 | 15 | 51 | Promotion playoff |
| 7 | Rotherham Titans | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 435 | 553 | −118 | 7 | 47 | Promotion playoff |
| 8 | Bristol | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 468 | 540 | −72 | 7 | 41 | Promotion playoff |
| 9 | Esher | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 406 | 651 | −245 | 8 | 38 | Relegation playoff |
| 10 | Plymouth Albion | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 365 | 500 | −135 | 8 | 36 | Relegation playoff |
| 11 | Moseley | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 382 | 667 | −285 | 3 | 29 | Relegation playoff |
| 12 | Birmingham & Solihull (R) | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 397 | 746 | −349 | 6 | 22 | Relegation playoff |
* Number of matches won
* Difference between points for and against
* Total number of points for
* Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
* Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled (F) Promotion play-off finals; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated; (S) Promotion play-off semi-finals

### Stage two matches

Stage two was a programme of six matches starting on Saturday 12 March 2011 and completed by Saturday 16 April 2011. Each team played three matches at home and three away with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi–finals.
| | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance |
| 1 | 13 March | Doncaster Knights | H | W | 33 – 25 | 2185 |
| 2 | 20 March | Bedford Blues | A | W | 31 – 18 | 2725 |
| 3 | 27 March | Rotherham Titans | H | W | 64 – 17 | 2285 |
| 4 | 2 April | Rotherham Titans | A | W | 24 – 16 | 1026 |
| 5 | 10 April | Bedford Blues | H | W | 33 – 22 | 2985 |
| 6 | 16 April | Doncaster Knights | A | W | 27 – 24 | 1173 |

### Stage two league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | + | Pts |
| 1 | Cornish Pirates | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 119 | +96 | 3 | 2 | 29 |
| 2 | Bedford Blues | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 226 | 147 | +79 | 4 | 3 | 19 |
| 3 | Doncaster Knights | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 181 | 154 | +27 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
| 4 | Rotherham Titans | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 110 | 312 | −202 | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Semi-finals

* 1 May 2011 17:45
| Cornish Pirates | 18 - 10 | London Welsh |
| Try: Cattle 62'c, McAtee 76'm Con: Cook (1/2) Pen: Cook 12', 69' (2) | Report | Try: Corker 16'c Con: Ross (1/1) Pen: Ross 9' (1) |
* Mennaye Field, Penzance Attendance: 3,001 Referee: David Rose
| FB | 15 | Rob Cook |
| RW | 14 | Nick Jackson |
| OC | 13 | Matt Hopper |
| IC | 12 | Tom Luke | 60' |
| LW | 11 | Rhodri McAtee |
| FH | 10 | Johnny Bentley |
| SH | 9 | Gavin Cattle (c) |
| N8 | 8 | Laurie McGlone |
| OF | 7 | Sam Betty | | 10' to 20' 51' |
| BF | 6 | Chris Morgan |
| RL | 5 | Ben Gulliver | 60' |
| LL | 4 | Mike Myerscough |
| TP | 3 | Alan Paver | 45' |
| HK | 2 | Dave Ward | 58' |
| LP | 1 | Paul Andrew |
| Replacements: ||
| PR | 16 | Carl Rimmer | 45' |
| HK | 17 | Rob Elloway | 58' |
| FL | 18 | Phil Burgess | 51' |
| N8 | 19 | Kyle Marriott | 60' |
| CE | 20 | Steve Winn |
| CE | 21 | Drew Locke | 60' |
| SH | 22 | James Doherty |
| | Coach: Chris Stirling |
| FB | 15 | Aled Thomas | 56' |
| RW | 14 | Liam Gibson |
| OC | 13 | Hudson Tongaʻuiha |
| IC | 12 | Simon Whatling |
| LW | 11 | Errie Claassens | 40' |
| FH | 10 | Gordon Ross |
| SH | 9 | Robert Lewis | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Ben Russell | 47' 55' 58' |
| OF | 7 | Michael Hills |
| BF | 6 | Jonathan Mills (c) |
| RL | 5 | Matt Corker |
| LL | 4 | Mike Powell | 51' |
| TP | 3 | Lorne Ward |
| HK | 2 | Viliami Ma'asi | 78' |
| LP | 1 | Shawn Pittman | 45' to 55' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Saul Nelson | 78' |
| PR | 17 | Max Lahiff | 47' 55' |
| LK | 18 | Martin Purdy | 51' |
| N8 | 19 | Lee Beach | 58' |
| SH | 20 | Ben Stevenson | 68' |
| CE | 20 | Dominic Shabbo | 56' |
| WG | 22 | Marland Yarde | 40' |
| Coach: Phil Greening ||
* Touch judges:
* Steve Leyshon
* Peter Parker-Sedgemore
* Television match official:
* Geoff Warren

### Final

* 11 May 2011 19:45
| Cornish Pirates | 12 - 21 | Worcester Warriors |
| Pen: Cook 21', 38', 57', 69' (4) | Report | Try: Benjamin 5'm, Goode 30'c Con: Goode (1/2) Pen: Goode 18', 39', 54' (3) |
* Mennaye Field, Penzance Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Martin Fox
| FB | 15 | Rob Cook |
| RW | 14 | Wes Davies | 63' |
| OC | 13 | Matt Hopper |
| IC | 12 | Tom Luke | 54' |
| LW | 11 | Rhodri McAtee |
| FH | 10 | Johnny Bentley |
| SH | 9 | Gavin Cattle (c) |
| N8 | 8 | Laurie McGlone | 69' |
| OF | 7 | Phil Burgess |
| BF | 6 | Chris Morgan |
| RL | 5 | Mike Myerscough |
| LL | 4 | Ian Nimmo |
| TP | 3 | Alan Paver | 69' |
| HK | 2 | Dave Ward | 75' |
| LP | 1 | Paul Andrew | 63' |
| Replacements: ||
| PR | 16 | Ryan Storer | 63' |
| HK | 17 | Rob Elloway | 63' |
| PR | 18 | Carl Rimmer | 69' |
| FL | 19 | Tyrone Holmes | 75' |
| N8 | 20 | Kyle Marriott | 69' |
| CE | 21 | Drew Locke | 54' |
| SH | 22 | James Doherty |
| | Coach: Chris Stirling |
| FB | 15 | Chris Pennell (c) |
| RW | 14 | Marcel Garvey |
| OC | 13 | Alex Crockett | 57' |
| IC | 12 | Dale Rasmussen |
| LW | 11 | Miles Benjamin |
| FH | 10 | Andy Goode | 75' |
| SH | 9 | Jonny Arr |
| N8 | 8 | Kai Horstmann |
| OF | 7 | Jake Abbott |
| BF | 6 | Neil Best | 56' to 66' | 66' |
| RL | 5 | Craig Gillies |
| LL | 4 | Greg Rawlinson | 61' |
| TP | 3 | Tevita Taumoepeau | 61' |
| HK | 2 | Chris Fortey | 54' |
| LP | 1 | Adam Black |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Aleki Lutui | 54' |
| PR | 17 | Bruce Douglas | 61' |
| LK | 18 | Graham Kitchener | 61' |
| N8 | 19 | Adam Balding | 66' |
| SH | 20 | Ollie Frost |
| FH | 21 | Joe Carlisle | 75' |
| CE | 22 | Alex Grove | 57' |
| Coach: Richard Hill ||
* Touch judges:
* Gareth Copsey
* Chris Sharp
* Television match official:
* Steve Leyshon
* 18 May 2011 19:45
| Worcester Warriors | 25 - 20 | Cornish Pirates |
| Try: Garvey 12'c, Benjamin 43'c, Goode 46'm Con: Goode (2/3) Pen: Goode 6' (1) Drop: Goode 21' (1) | Report | Try: Locke 53'c, Penalty try 74'c Con: Cook (2/2) Pen: Cook 2', 35' (2) |
* Sixways Stadium, Worcester Attendance: 12,024 Referee: JP Doyle
| FB | 15 | Chris Pennell (c) |
| RW | 14 | Marcel Garvey | 79' |
| OC | 13 | Alex Grove |
| IC | 12 | Dale Rasmussen | 70' |
| LW | 11 | Miles Benjamin |
| FH | 10 | Andy Goode | 70' |
| SH | 9 | Jonny Arr |
| N8 | 8 | Kai Horstmann |
| OF | 7 | Jake Abbott |
| BF | 6 | Neil Best | 72' to 80' |
| RL | 5 | Craig Gillies |
| LL | 4 | Greg Rawlinson | 70' |
| TP | 3 | Tevita Taumoepeau | 75' |
| HK | 2 | Chris Fortey | 33' |
| LP | 1 | Adam Black |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Aleki Lutui | 33' |
| PR | 17 | Bruce Douglas | 75' |
| LK | 18 | Graham Kitchener | 70' |
| N8 | 19 | Adam Balding |
| SH | 20 | Ollie Frost | 79' |
| FH | 21 | Joe Carlisle | 70' |
| CE | 22 | Alex Crockett | 70' |
| | Coach: Richard Hill |
| FB | 15 | Rob Cook |
| RW | 14 | Nick Jackson |
| OC | 13 | Matt Hopper |
| IC | 12 | Drew Locke |
| LW | 11 | Rhodri McAtee | 40' |
| FH | 10 | Johnny Bentley |
| SH | 9 | Gavin Cattle (c) | 62' |
| N8 | 8 | Kyle Marriott |
| OF | 7 | Phil Burgess | 50' |
| BF | 6 | Chris Morgan |
| RL | 5 | Mike Myerscough |
| LL | 4 | Laurie McGlone | 58' |
| TP | 3 | Carl Rimmer | 62' |
| HK | 2 | Rob Elloway | 58' |
| LP | 1 | Ryan Storer | 58' |
| Replacements: ||
| PR | 16 | Paul Andrew | 58' |
| HK | 17 | Dave Ward | 58' |
| PR | 18 | Alan Paver | 62' |
| LK | 19 | Ian Nimmo | 58' |
| FL | 20 | Sam Betty | 50' |
| CE | 21 | Tom Luke | 40' |
| SH | 22 | James Doherty | 62' |
| Coach: Chris Stirling ||
* Touch judges:
* Gareth Copsey
* Chris Sharp
* Television match official:
* Steve Leyshon

## British and Irish Cup
### Pool A matches

| | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance |
| 1 | 11 December | Currie | H | W | 54–31 | 923 |
| 2 | 19 December | Leinster A | H | W | 43–12 | 2026 |
| 3 | 16 January | Plymouth Albion | H | W | 34–3 | 2207 |
| 4 | 21 January | Newport | A | L | 32–34 | 697 |
| 5 | 26 February | Worcester Warriors | A | L | 12–28 | 4042 |
* Match v Currie was originally due to be played at Malleny Park, Currie but moved to the Mennaye because of the freezing weather in Scotland.

### Pool A table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Worcester Warriors | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 175 | 87 | +88 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | Leinster A | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 138 | 117 | +21 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 3 | Cornish Pirates | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 175 | 108 | +67 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 4 | Newport | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 159 | −38 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 5 | Plymouth Albion | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 144 | −68 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Currie | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 104 | 174 | −70 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
* 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

## Coaching staff

* High Performance Manager - Chris Stirling
* Forwards coach – Ian Davies
* Backs coach – Harvey Biljon
* Strength and conditioning coach – Simon Raynes