Cornish Pirates

British & Irish Cup Final

Camborne Rec
Sunday 16th May 2010
Festivities Start 3pm - Kick off 6pm

Phil Westren's Preview

There is but one major event for us to focus our attention on this weekend, which is of course Sunday's first ever British & Irish Cup final when the Cornish Pirates play Munster at Camborne.

The people of Cornwall will delight in welcoming new friends from across the Celtic Sea for this historic occasion, it surprising when one considers how culturally similar and reasonably close the two teams are, that not too many rugby matches have taken place between Cornish and Irish sides over the years, which alone offers immediate merit to what is a brand new competition.

From the mid 1950s to the early 1970s the Pirates did host a number of Irish teams, including Dublin Wanderers, Limerick Bohemians, Old Belvedere and Old Crescent, but that's about it. Also, of course, they were fortunate in the same period to witness some of the Irish 'greats', including Tony O'Reilly, Andy Mulligan and Noel Murphy, when playing for 'The Tankards'.

As for other connections, the Pirates' very own John Kendall-Carpenter played six times for England against Ireland (1949-54), 'Ginger' Williams played once in 1951, and 'Stack' Stevens played against Ireland on five occasions (1970-75). Also, of interest, it must be mentioned that former 'Pirate' Brian Tuohy and Paul Devlin have both played for Munster. Paul actually scored for Munster on his debut against Cardiff Blues in 2004. He made 14 Celtic League appearances for them, and was also a replacement in the 2004-05 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Biarritz.

Now, it's history time – what can we say of Munster? Well, they are team whose motto is “To the brave and faithful nothing is impossible”, and boy haven't they sportingly proved it, with due respect demanded from the whole rugby world.

Founded in 1879, Munster's first team, nicknamed 'The Red Army', compete in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. Memorable dates for the province over the years include playing their first ever match at Thomond Park in 1938, winning 11-8 against Australia in 1967, beating New Zealand 12-0 in 1978, plus achieving Heineken Cup wins in 2006 and 2008.

Over 30 of their players have toured with the British and Irish Lions, and Paul O'Connell was of course last summer's captain in South Africa. He played alongside compatriots Ronan O'Gara, David Wallace, John Hayes, Donncha O'Callaghan and Keith Earls, whilst other famous names in the past list such as Noel Murphy, Tom Kiernan, Moss Keane, Tony Ward, Donal Lenihan, Mick Galwey and Keith Wood. A number in Munster's side on Sunday will likely make their mark for Ireland in the near future, and also perhaps proudly become a 'Lion'.

For what will be a busy occasion on Sunday, thanks are expressed to Munster officials who have been so co-operative, along with representatives from the RFU and from SKY. The Pirates trust that all personnel will all enjoy their visit to Cornwall, to hopefully witness what promises to be a worthy final.

The named team line-ups are as follows:-

Cornish Pirates:
W. Davies, R. McAtee, M. Ireland, S. Winn, N. Jackson, J. Bentley, G. Cattle (capt), B. Cowan, D. Ward, C. Morgan, B. Gulliver, L. McGlone, A. Paver, R. Elloway, C. Rimmer.

Replacements: P. Andrew, R. Storer, M. Myerscough, S. Betty, M. Evans, J. Doherty, T. Luke.

Munster:
S. Scanlon, D. Barnes, T. Gleeson, J. Manning, S. Zebo, D. Cusack, D. Williams, P. O'Mahony (capt), T. O'Donnell, W. Holland, I. Nagle, D. Foley, S. Archer, M. Sherry, D. Kilcoyne.

Replacements: S. Henry, A.N. Other, D. O'Callaghan, P. Butler, C. Murray, M. Lawlor, R. O'Mahony.

Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRFU)
Assistants: David Jones & Wayne Davies
TMO: Tony Rowlands
Officials 4 & 5: Nigel Higginson & Andy Bickle

Mascots: Lauren Coumbe (Camborne U8s) & Jack Rogers (Pirates U8s)

Match Day Sponsor: Pirate FM

It's surely a case that the 'Rec' will be ready to rock (!), with extra pre-match and post-match entertainment arranged, including the Cornish Wurzells, the Irish 'Black Velvet' band, the Cadgwith Singers, plus, of course, the wonderful Falmouth Marine Band. Also, of interest, there will a prize presented on the day to the best fancy-dressed 'Pirate'.

The gates will be open on the day at 3pm, and for the first 1,000 supporters 'FREE' Pirates flags will be issued. It is hoped to create extra match day atmosphere and show the watching rugby world what our wonderful county of Cornwall has to offer.

Ticket sales have been excellent but they will still be available on the day. To purchase your ticket needs early, which is always cheaper, note the ticket office (01736-331961) will be open to the public on Friday from 9am – 4pm AND on Saturday morning from 9 – 11am. On-line ticket sales will also be available until 11am on Saturday.

For supporters requiring just terrace tickets, it is also worth noting that they can also be purchased in advance from certain Rowe'sCornish Bakers outlets.

A 52-page programme will also be provided for the final, to be sold on the day still at the normal price of just £2-50.