Cornish Pirates

Cornish Pirates v Rotherham
Sunday March 18th 2007 Kick Off 1600

CORNISH Pirates coach Jim McKay is hoping his side can serve up their own tea-time treat as they prepare to welcome Rotherham to Camborne for Sunday's televised clash at the Recreation Ground (4pm).

Lights, camera and action will be the order of the day as the Pirates look to showcase their talents and their brand to a much wider audience, courtesy of the visiting Sky Sports cameras.

Never before have the satellite channel headed this far West to screen a live match, the closest they have come was the recent England Saxons clash with Italy A at Sandy Park. However, the Pirates clearly intend to make sure their TV debut doesn't suffer a bout of stage fright. And as McKay readied his stars to hit the screens, the Australian yesterday predicted a "crackerjack" of a game for those wishing to watch from the comforts of their armchairs.

For those who pack into the Rec, however, the live feed promises to be even more absorbing. The Cornish club insist they are going to pull out all the stops in a bid to show the world the true feeling for the game in these parts. Rotherham and Sky, please take note.

Having warmed up for the game with a battling 20-8 home success over Nottingham last Sunday, McKay is calling for a similar outcome this weekend.

"Sunday is going to be a great occasion," said McKay, who was this week boosted by the news that four more of his current squad - Dan Seal, Joe Beardshaw, Tim Cowley and Stan McKeen - had all agreed new deals to stay with the club. "Rotherham are second in the table and they're trying to chase down Leeds, so they'll be pretty pumped coming down here. They have plenty still to play for, but so do we, I just feel Sunday will be a great opportunity for us to lay down a marker and show just how good we are," added McKay. "It is not very often National One gets this kind of exposure, so it's important that both teams show how far the division has come. If you look at their style and ours, it's not too dissimilar, so it should be a crackerjack of a game."

Jim McKay

Only twice before have Sky screened games from English rugby's second tier. The first was when Rotherham defeated Worcester 21-9 in their promotion-winning 2002/03 season, then more recently Bristol's 68-15 trouncing of Exeter Chiefs in the 04/05 campaign.

"For Sky to put a game on like this is really good, not only for us, but for all the clubs in our division," added McKay. "A lot of credit has to go to Dicky Evans for the work he has put in to help facilitate all of this. He is a real supporter of First Division Rugby and he is always trying to promote it at the highest levels.

"Sunday won't just be about the Pirates, it will be about showing the support there is for the game in Cornwall. There is a real desire in our camp to go out there and really produce a big performance."

The home side will be boosted by the return of Seal, McKeen and the division's top points-scorer Alberto Di Bernardo. McKay will finalise his line-up following a training run today.

Pirates Team

A Winnan, R McAtee, J Hylton, D Bell, D Roke, S Winn, L Vinnicombe, A Di Bernardo, J Moore, G Cattle (capt), R Wells, A Paver, G Anderson, N Makin, V Ma'asi, D Seal, S Heard, H Senekal, J Inglis, J Beardshaw, S McKeen, T Cowley, C Cracknell, I Motusaga, M Evans.

Adryan Winnan	Rhodri McAtee	Jonny Hylton	Duncan Bell	Steve Winn
Lewis Vinnicombe	Alberto Di Bernardo	James Moore	Gavin Cattle (Capt)	Rhodri Wells
Alan Paver	Grant Anderson	Nick Makin	Viliami Ma’asi	Dan Seal
Sam Heard	Heino Senekal	James Inglis	Joe Beardshaw	Stan McKeen No. 8/Flanker
Tim Cowley	Chris Cracknell	Iva Motusaga	Matt Evans