Cornish Pirates vs Doncaster Knights: Match Preview

It’s the league where the stars of the future meet the players who’ve achieved it all already. And this year, Elior Champ Rugby is set to feature more dazzling tries, bone-crunching tackles and edge-of-the-seat moments than ever before. 

Last season, the Worcester Warriors completed a storybook comeback after claiming their fourth Elior Champ title in just their first season back in the league. But there are plenty of clubs that are chomping at the bit to unseat the defending champs from their throne. 

The season gets under way this weekend and the action on BLAZE begins with what’s sure to be a tightly-contested matchup between the Cornish Pirates and Doncaster Knights. Both teams are entering the new campaign full of optimism following exciting offseason signings and developments.

Ahead of kick-off live on BLAZE at 4pm on Sunday 20th September, we take a look at how both teams are shaping up.

Before a ball is even kicked, this fixture has a claim to fame all of its own. Penzance and Doncaster sit almost 400 miles apart, making Cornish Pirates and Doncaster Knights the two most geographically distant clubs anywhere in Champ Rugby.

It's a fitting way to open the season, and both sides will be determined to get their season off to the strongest possible start. Expect the travelling Knights fans to be in fine voice, but the Pirates supporters are sure to be out in force at Mennaye Field.

It’s a fresh start and last season is already a distant memory – but who will rise to the occasion best? 

The Pirates finished last season in seventh place with a 13-1-12 record, a solid if unspectacular campaign that will have left the club hungry to break into the top six this season. This is a club with ambitious targets for the future, which have been boosted courtesy of fresh investment that was announced in the summer.

In May, Cornish Pirates became the first English professional rugby club to secure direct investment from the United States, with Pittsburgh-based Stonewood Capital Management taking a seven-figure minority stake in the club. It was a landmark moment for the league, but even more so for the Pirates. It forms part of a wider 10-year plan that includes a new Cornish Pirates Academy and ambitions to one day reach the PREM. 

That investment has been followed by another famous name joining the boardroom. TV presenter Nick Knowles, best known for DIY SOS and National Lottery: Who Dares Wins, became a shareholder at the club in August, having already spent more than a season as an unofficial ambassador for the Pirates. Knowles has also brought in a film crew to produce a documentary series on the club, covering its regeneration plans and the role the Pirates play in representing Cornwall's sporting identity.

Nick Knowles told Blaze, 'Cornish Pirates is a jewel in the crown of Cornwall, and a jewel in the crown of rugby. I’m a rugby man and I’m a proud adopted Cornishman, these two great passions of mine were powerful motivators for me to become involved. I know how big Pirates could be on a global stage and that’s what I’m intent on delivering. The lads leave it all on the pitch and I’m just following their lead with the networks I have off pitch. Plus I like a pasty!'

With fresh investment, a growing profile and a settled coaching team under Gavin Cattle and Alan Paver, the Pirates head into the new season with real momentum behind them. 

Doncaster ended last season in eighth (12-3-11), just one place and equal on points with the Pirates – an impressive record in their first season back at this level. But the self-proclaimed most promoted team in rugby will undoubtedly be eager for far greater things in 2026/27.

Like their opening-day opponents, the Knights' summer has been defined by a major off-field appointment. 

In July, the club confirmed the arrival of Dean Richards as Director of Rugby, succeeding Darren Fearn. Richards needs little introduction to English rugby. A former England and British & Irish Lions number eight, he made 314 appearances for Leicester Tigers, won 48 caps for his country and represented the Lions on six occasions. Since retiring from playing, he has built an equally decorated coaching career, including a decade in charge at Newcastle Falcons between 2012 and 2022.

Richards has since assembled an experienced coaching team around him, with Sir Ian McGeechan, last season's Director of Rugby, remaining involved in a consultancy role on the club's board. It's a statement of intent from a club with genuine ambitions of pushing towards the PREM.

Henry Palmer – Cornish Pirates 

Perhaps the Pirates’ most exciting off-season acquisition, Palmer has been living up to expectations in pre-season. He’s made the swap from playing for the Wallabies in Australia 7s look comfortable and was in electric form in a pre-season clash against Plymouth Albion where he scored three tries.

He’s likely to be the Pirates’ breakout star this season, but don’t overlook Chester Ribbons either. The second-year fly-half is sure to build on his strong form from last season that saw him emerge as a dependable contributor to the Pirates’ attack.

Telusa Veainu – Doncaster Knights 

One of the undisputed stars of the league, Veainu brings his game-changing talent to the Knights for a third season. Whenever he’s on the field, he’s a constant attacking threat, as he demonstrated last season with seven tries.

At 35, he shows no signs of slowing down and will surely be leading the Knights’ attack from game one. But keep an eye out too for Bailey Ransom, last season’s captain of the relegated London Scottish, who has been an eye-catching summer signing to the club. His presence makes this side even more of a force to be reckoned with.

Cornish Pirates host Doncaster Knights live on BLAZE this Sunday, 20th September, with coverage starting at 3:30pm ahead of a 4pm kickoff. It's the opening match of BLAZE's live Elior Champ Rugby coverage this season, with further fixtures broadcast free-to-air every week.

Catch the action live on BLAZE, free on Freeview 64, Sky 156, Sky Glass / Sky Stream 169, Freesat 161 and Virgin 174, or stream via the free BLAZE app.