For their final game in this season’s truncated Greene King IPA Championship, the Cornish Pirates will play Jersey Reds away on Saturday (ko 3pm).

The teams have already met once this year, the Pirates winning 26-13 in a ‘friendly’ encounter played at the Mennaye Field in February.

Jersey Reds are presently seventh in the league table and the Pirates are fourth, so an inevitably closely fought contest is expected.

Team changes for the Cornish Pirates include welcoming back AJ Cant from injury. He slots in at full-back with Tommy Wyatt moving to the wing. In the pack there are returns for loose-head prop Marlen Walker and for hooker Dan Frost ahead of him joining Wasps in the summer. Also, on the tight-head berth, former Namibian under 20s international Patrick Schickerling is named to make his debut.

Besides looking forward to Saturday’s fixture, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Alan Paver has also reflected briefly on the season, saying:

“If we had not had a season of rugby, even it was inevitably different, I think we would have missed out on some real value for everyone, so getting back to some normality and keeping the rugby programme moving forward was important.

“The season overall has certainly had its memorable moments, especially our win against Saracens, but at the same time we frustratingly faltered at home to Ampthill and missed an opportunity up at Doncaster. That said, however in the last two matches we have looked a little more like a Pirates side and that is what we will need again this weekend.

“We respect Jersey Reds, and playing them away is always tough, but it is important for this group to have some meaning and be remembered, therefore we must give it our best go.”

It will be the last outing in a Pirates shirt for many of the players, this week the club have announced a number of the team will leave when their contract expires at the end of the season.

The Cornish Pirates full selection is as follows:

Cornish Pirates: 15 AJ Cant, 14 Maliq Holden, 13 Rory Parata, 12 Will Butler, 11 Tommy Wyatt, 10 Arwel Robson, 9 Jean-Baptist Bruzulier; 1 Marlen Walker, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Patrick Schickerling, 4 Josh Caulfield, 5 Danny Cutmore, 6 Matt Bolwell, 7 Antonio Kiri Kiri, 8 Tom Duncan (captain).

Replacements: 16 Tom Channon, 17 Jack Andrew, 18 Sam Rodman, 19 Fa’atiga Lemalu, 20 John Stevens, 21 Rhodri Davies, 22 Will Cargill, 23 Shae Tucker.

Referee: Dean Richards

Assistants: Peter Brunt & Simon Adams

Official 4: James Milliner-Woodcock