Cornish Pirates keen for return to form against Moseley

Cornish Pirates coach Harvey Biljon says his men are determined to right the wrongs of previous Championship weeks, when Moseley visit Mennaye Field on Sunday.

The Pirates have lost their last three league games against London Scottish, Newcastle Falcons and Leeds Carnegie.

Those results have severely damaged their chances of reaching the promotion play-offs this term.

However, Biljon said: "The players are very keen and eager to get out there and play after last weekend's result at Leeds. They are excited and enthusiastic about the game. They will enjoy a physical encounter against Moseley but we have the attitude that we want to go out there and try things."

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Moseley will be motivated by the fear of relegation. Despite holding Pirates to a 9-9 draw at Billesley Common in November, they are currently tenth in the table – just seven points ahead of bottom-club Doncaster Knights.

"First and foremost, Moseley has never been an easy game for us," said Biljon. "Whether we play them home or away, we always struggle to put in the performance we intend to put in.

"We know they are a difficult team to play against. We understand they want to make sure they are not going to be caught up in the relegation battle.

"From our perspective, we need to get back on track. Players are getting an opportunity to go out there and perform, especially with the injuries we've had. It will be tough but it is something we are looking forward to."

Pirates' best chance of glory this season is probably the British and Irish Cup but Biljon will only start to focus on their quarter-final, against Munster on April 7, after the game against Moseley.

He said: "We've definitely got a focus with the quarter final of the British and Irish Cup against Munster coming up. We will be doing our homework and that will start early next week – we don't want to get caught up in it too early but we want to build into that performance."

Pirates are still likely to be without players such as Alan Paver (bicep injury), Ben Maidment (hamstring) and Laurie McGlone this weekend but Biljon believes the wider squad will benefit from the increased exposure.

"There are a lot of senior players not playing and that does influence things and have an impact," he said. "Those guys have been out there, under pressure and have come through many situations. The other members of the squad are learning from those experiences."