2011–12 Cornish Pirates RFC season
The 2011–12 season was the Cornish Pirates 9th season in the second tier of the English rugby union league system, the RFU Championship and their third in the British and Irish Cup.[1] The Pirates finished 3rd in Stage One of the Championship, allowing them to qualify for the promotion stages, where they were losing finalist to London Welsh RFC. They also reached the semi–finals of the British and Irish Cup losing to Cross Keys in Wales.
Nickname(s) | The Pirates |
---|---|
Founded | 1945 |
Location | Penzance, Cornwall |
Ground(s) | Mennaye Field (Capacity: 3200 2082 seating) |
Coach(es) | (High Performance Manager) Chris Stirling ![]() ![]() |
Captain(s) | Gavin Cattle |
Top scorer | 295 Rob Cook |
Most tries | 14 David Doherty |
League(s) | RFU Championship |
2011–12 | 3rd |
Official website | |
www |
Pre–season Friendlies
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance | Match Report | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 August 2011 | Exeter Chiefs | H | L | 3–58 | 2200 | [2] | |
27 August 2011 | Worcester Warriors | A | W | 24–21 | 3600 | [3] |
RFU Championship
Stage One matches
Stage one is a league programme of 22 matches starting on Saturday, 3 September 2011 and completed by Saturday, 25 February 2012. Each team play 11 matches at home and 11 away. Top eight teams play in the promotion play–offs, bottom four play in the relegation play–off.
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance | Position | Match Report | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 September 2011 | Moseley | A | D | 27–27 | 806 | [4] | ||
2 | 11 September 2011 | Doncaster Knights | H | W | 39–32 | 1990 | [5] | ||
3 | 17 September 2011 | London Scottish | A | W | 25–23 | 1200 | 2nd | [6] | |
4 | 24 September 2011 | Leeds Carnegie | H | W | 52–10 | 2100 | 1st | [7] | |
5 | 1 October 2011 | Plymouth Albion | A | W | 20–16 | 2850 | 1st | [8] | |
6 | 9 October 2011 | Bedford Blues | H | L | 24–34 | 2092 | 3rd | [9] | |
7 | 15 October 2011 | Nottingham | A | D | 25–25 | 1363 | 3rd | [10] | |
8 | 23 October 2011 | Esher Rugby | H | W | 34–18 | 1965 | 2nd | [11] | |
9 | 30 October 2011 | London Welsh | A | D | 17–17 | 1749 | 3rd | [12] | |
10 | 6 November 2011 | Rotherham Titans | H | W | 30–13 | 2506 | 1st | [13] | |
11 | 20 November 2011 | Bristol Rugby | A | L | 33–37 | 6044 | 3rd | [14] | |
12 | 26 November 2011 | Doncaster Knights | A | L | 21–36 | 1118 | 5th | [15] | |
13 | 4 December 2011 | London Scottish | H | W | 42–10 | 2168 | 4th | [16] | |
14 | 10 December 2011 | Leeds Carnegie | A | L | 13–14 | 2568 | 5th | [17] | |
15 | 24 December 2011 | Plymouth Albion | H | W | 33–12 | 3214 | 4th | [18] | |
16 | 1 January 2012 | Bedford Blues | A | L | 13–32 | 4396 | 4th | [19] | |
17 | 8 January 2012 | Nottingham Rugby | H | W | 26–24 | 2026 | 4th | [20] | |
18 | 14 January 2012 | Esher Rugby | A | W | 36–30 | 1263 | 4th | [21] | |
19 | 29 January 2012 | London Welsh | H | W | 27–6 | 1802 | 2nd | [22] | |
4 February 2012 | Rotherham Titans | A | P–P | 2nd | |||||
11 February 2012 | Rotherham Titans | A | P–P | 3rd | |||||
12 February 2012 | Rotherham Titans | A | P–P | 3rd | |||||
20 | 13 February 2012 | Rotherham Titans | A | W | 19–14 | 463 | 2nd | [23][24] | |
21 | 19 February 2012 | Bristol | H | W | 18–17 | 3115 | 3rd | [25] | |
22 | 25 February 2012 | Moseley | H | W | 32–17 | 1844 | 3rd | [26] |
24 September H v Leed Carnegie televised on Sky Sports [1][27]
Stage One final table
| |||||||||||||||||
Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Bonus Points | Points | ||||||||
1 | Bristol | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 615 | 386 | 229 | 13 | 81 | |||||||
2 | Bedford Blues | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 640 | 476 | 164 | 16 | 74 | |||||||
3 | Cornish Pirates | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 606 | 464 | 142 | 12 | 74 | |||||||
4 | London Welsh (C) | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 528 | 432 | 96 | 11 | 67 | |||||||
5 | Nottingham | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 599 | 465 | 134 | 10 | 62 | |||||||
6 | Leeds Carnegie | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 470 | 505 | –35 | 6 | 60 | |||||||
7 | Rotherham Titans | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 469 | 431 | 38 | 11 | 57 | |||||||
8 | Doncaster Knights | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 467 | 524 | –57 | 10 | 50 | |||||||
9 | London Scottish | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 422 | 543 | –121 | 10 | 34 | |||||||
10 | Moseley | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 445 | 634 | –189 | 7 | 33 | |||||||
11 | Plymouth Albion | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 362 | 528 | –166 | 6 | 30 | |||||||
12 | Esher (R) | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 376 | 611 | –235 | 5 | 23 | |||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Green background are promotion play-off places. Pink background are relegation play-off places. |
Stage Two matches
Stage Two: The promotion play–offs are played in two groups of four with the top two teams qualifying for the knock–out stages. The relegation play–offs consist of one group of four teams with the bottom team being relegated. Each team plays three matches at home and three away. The top two teams in each group qualify for the semi–finals.
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Attendance | Position | Match Report | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 March 2012 | Leeds Carnegie | H | D | 14–14 | 1953 | 2nd | [28] | |
2 | 16 March 2012 | Bedford Blues | A | L | 25–26 | 3377 | 2nd | [29] | |
3 | 25 March 2012 | Rotherham Titans | H | W | 25–17 | 1923 | 2nd | [30] | |
4 | 31 March 2012 | Rotherham Titans | A | W | 17–14 | 1222 | 2nd | [31] | |
5 | 15 April 2012 | Bedford Blues | H | W | 21–20 | 2139 | 2nd | [32] | |
6 | 21 April 2012 | Leeds Carnegie | A | L | 25–42 | 1588 | 2nd |
Group B table (Promotion)
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/– | BP | PTS | Adj |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bedford Blues | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 155 | 109 | 46 | 3 | 24 | 3 |
2 | Cornish Pirates | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 127 | 133 | –6 | 2 | 18 | 2 |
3 | Leeds Carnegie | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 124 | 127 | –3 | 2 | 15 | 1 |
4 | Rotherham Titans | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 88 | 125 | –37 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
* Adj – refers to number of points awarded before the start of the play-offs.
Points per match are awarded as follows:
- Four points for a win
- Two points for a draw
- 1 bonus point for scoring four tries and/or losing a match by seven points or less
- Knock-out stages consist of two-legged semi–finals and final with the highest league finisher from Stage One being the home team
Final
British and Irish Cup
The Cornish Pirates were drawn in Pool one and played the teams in Pool two. The Pool winners and the two best runners–up qualified for the Quarter–finals.[35]
Pool one fixtures
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Venue | Attendance | Match Report | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 September 2011 | Bristol | H | W | 50–22 | The Mennaye | 1612 | [36] | |
12 October 2011 | Plymouth Albion | A | W | 38–0 | Brickfields | 1425 | [37] | |
12 November 2011 | Munster A | A | W | 10–6 | Clonmel RFC | 1207 | [38] | |
18 December 2011 | Cross Keys | H | W | 30–3 | The Mennaye | 2259 | [39] |
Pool one final table
Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | BP | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 31 | 2 | 18 |
![]() |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 72 | 1 | 9 |
![]() |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 106 | 0 | 8 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 108 | 1 | 5 |
Quarter–final
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Venue | Attendance | Match Report | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 January 2012 | Nottingham Rugby | H | W | 33–3 | The Mennaye | 1492 | [42] |
Semi–final
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result | Score | Venue | Attendance | Match Report | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 April 2012 | Cross Keys | A | L | 16–20 | Pandy Park | 2500 | [43] |
Squad 2011–12
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Dual Registration
- Tom Cowan–Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
- David Ewers (Exeter Chiefs)
- Lloyd Fairbrother (Exeter Chiefs)
- Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs)
- Drew Locke (Exeter Chiefs)
- Alan Paver (Exeter Chiefs)[46]
- Charles Walker–Blair (Exeter Chiefs)
Internationally Capped Players
Andrew Suniula joined the Pirates after the 2011 World Cup.
Transfers 2011–12
Players In
Tom Cooper (from Newport Gwent Dragons) David Doherty (from Jersey) Tom Kessell (from Plymouth Albion) Ben Maidment (from Moseley) Matt Smith (from UWIC[47] Ryan Westren (from Launceston) moved to London Scottish in December 2011[48] Andrew Suniula (from Chicago Griffins) Darren Daniel (from Carmarthen Quins) [49] Ceiron Thomas (from Leeds Carnegie) Matt Evans (from Newport Gwent Dragons)
Players Out
Sam Betty (to Worcester Warriors) Blair Cowan (to Worcester Warriors in January 2012) James Currie (to Worcester Warriors) Ben Gulliver (to Worcester Warriors) Tyrone Holmes (released) Matt Hopper (to Harlequins) [52] Nick Jackson (released) Tom Luke (released) Steve Winn (released)
Coaching staff
- Chris Stirling (
) (High Performance Manager) appointed in January 2009 and left club in April 2012. - Ian Davies (
) (Head Coach) from April 2012. Previously Forwards Coach appointed in April 2009. - Harvey Biljon (
) (Backs Coach) appointed in April 2009. - Simon Raynes (
) (Strength and Conditioning Coach) since summer 2005.
See also
- 2011–12 RFU Championship
- 2011-12 British and Irish Cup
References
- The Cornishman, 23 June 2011
- Straughan, D. Pirates given a jolt as Chiefs go on rampage. The Cornishman p 76
- Straughan, D (1 September 2011). Stirling's feet firmly on ground after wind. The Cornishman p 77
- Straughan, Dick (8 September 2011). Late blow for Pirates as Moseley steal draw. The Cornishman p 74
- Straughan, Dick (15 September 2011). "Pirates almost pay the price for poor second half display". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (22 September 2011). "Cowan's last-gasp try clinches dramatic win". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (29 September 2011). "Pirates stun relegated Leeds to go top of Championship". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (6 October 2011). "Doherty's late try seals thrilling derby victory". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (13 October 2011). "Pirates suffer the Blues in first defeat of season". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (20 October 2011). "Davies vents fury as Pirates denied match-winning kick". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (27 October 2011). "Stirling unimpressed as Pirates labour to victory". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (3 November 2011). "Pirates settle for draw after Welsh fightback". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (10 November 2011). "Pirates go top after season's best display". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (24 November 2011). "Stirling furious after Pirates squander lead". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (1 December 2011). "Pirates crash to second straight defeat on road". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (8 December 2011). "Ruthless Pirates return to form with impressive win". The Cornishman. p. 70.
- Straughan, Dick (15 December 2011). "Biljon stumped for words after Headingley woe". The Cornishman. p. 66.
- Straughan, Dick (29 December 2011). "Christmas cheer for Pirates after bonus point derby win". The Cornishman. p. 71.
- Straughan, Dick (5 January 2011). "No haoppy start to the new year for Pirates". The Cornishman. p. 87.
- Straughan, Dick (12 January 2012). "Cook holds his nerve as Pirates leave it late". The Cornishman. p. 66.
- Straughan, Dick (19 February 2012). "Pirates survive scare to floor basement battlers". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (2 February 2012). "Welsh fire doused as Pirates go second". The Cornishman. p. 70.
- Straughan, Dick (16 February 2012). "Happy Monday for the Pirates at Clifton Lane". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- "Match Details". rugby round-up. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- Straughan, Dick (23 February 2012). "Nimmo finds best form as Pirates win bruising derby". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (1 March 2012). "Pirates seal third spot with scrappy bonus point victory". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- http://cornish-pirates.com/
- Straughan, Dick (15 March 2012). "Stirling slams Pirates as 'rubbish' after they struggle to home draw". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- "Davies left fuming as Blues clinch victory with injury time consversion". The Cornishman. 22 March 2012. p. 78.
- Straughan, Dick (29 March 2012). "Pirates overcome poor start to record first play-off win". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- Straughan, Dick (5 April 2012). "Pirates one win from semis after clinching Titans double". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- Straughan, Dick (19 April 2012). "Pirates seal semi-final berth as Stirling bids emotional farewell". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (1 March 2012). "Play-off matches". The Cornishman. p. 76.
- Straughan, Dick (26 April 2012). "Davies focussed on semi finals after heavy defeat at Headingley". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/rugby-news/2011/06/20/welsh-clubs-discover-british-and-irish-cup-opponents-91466-28904364/
- Straughan, Dick (29 September 2011). "Second half fightback gets cup campaign off to winning start". The Cornishman. p. 74.
- Straughan, Dick (20 October 2011). "Experimental Pirates squad cruise to comfortable cup victory at Brickfields". The Cornishman.
- Straughan, Dick (17 November 2011). "Stoppage-time penalty try earns Pirates dramatic win". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- Straughan, Dick (22 December 2011). "Pirates ease into last eight with victory over Welshmen". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- "none". The Cornishman. 22 December 2011. p. 78.
- "British & Irish Cup Tables". BBC. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- Straughan, Dick (26 January 2012). "Five-try Pirates surge into semi finals". The Cornishman. p. 76.
- Straughan, Dick (12 April 2012). "Agony for Pirates as Welsh underdogs exact cup revenge". The Cornishman. p. 78.
- Straughan, Dick (26 May 2011). "We're going for it again, vows Pirates owner". The Cornishman. p. 80.
- Straughan, Dick (1 September 2011). "Rivals say Pirates are among the favourites". The Cornishman. pp. 78–9.
- Straughan, Dick (6 October 2011). "Pirates ready to turn on style as Blues head west". The Cornishman. p. 76.
- Nigel Walrond. Cornish Pirates. Pirates say fond farewells to popular Mennaye men. 'Independent' 29 May 2011
- "Westren makes Scottish switch". The Cornishman. 15 December 2011. p. 67.
- "Cornish Pirates sign Welsh winger Darren Daniel". BBC News. 2011-05-04.
- "Cornish Pirates swoop for seven new signings". BBC News. 2011-04-21.
- Walrond, Nigel (23 October 2011). "Pirates sign Canadian after Davies injury blow". Independent. p. 59.
- "Harlequins sign up Cornish Pirates centre Matt Hopper". BBC News. 2011-04-01.
- Nigel Walrond. Flanker Betty in shock move to Premiership side Worcester. Independent 31 July 2011.
- "Chris Stirling to help Cornish Pirates coaches". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "Simon Raynes". Cornish Pirates. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2012.