A RARE absence from the Cornish Pirates' line-up for Rob Cook was set to give Canada international Matt Evans a start in the side at full-back last Saturday, until the weather intervened.

Signed at the end of the World Cup last autumn, the 23-year-old made his club debut in the narrow win over Munster in the British & Irish Cup in mid-November. A week later he had his first Championship start at Bristol and has now made a total of ten appearances for the club, scoring three tries.

English by birth but brought up in Canada, Evans has won 16 senior caps for his adopted country as well as winning gold with the 7's squad at last year's Pan-American Games in Mexico, and he admitted that he is happy with life in West Cornwall.

"I've been pleased with my personal performances and the team ones too which we capped off against London Welsh when I thought we played really well considering the conditions," he said. "We did everything we set out to do at the beginning of the game in that one."

And he shrugged off the disappointment of last Saturday's postponement, as he wryly reflected: "Everybody was ready to play and the game being called off jams things up a bit, but worrying about it is a bit like sitting in a rocking chair – you can do it all day but it doesn't get you anywhere."

With the Championship play-offs looming for the Cornish Pirates, Evans admitted that he didn't fully understand the league format until he joined the club.

But with the club sitting second in the table ahead of Saturday's planned re-match with Rotherham he is hoping that he will get his chance again.

"As a full-back and working with Ceiron (Thomas) at number ten, field position will be key," he explained.

"If we can keep them away from areas where they can build pressure and get points and keep it down in their half they will find it very difficult.

Trouble

"The first game I saw was Rotherham at home and you could see the blatant pattern of their game. They zig-zag so if we keep them in their half I don't see any threats as long as we all execute our jobs defensively.

"But if we don't turn up and front up they can be trouble for anyone."

He spent last season with Newport Gwent Dragons and also represented Newport in the Welsh Premiership which makes the prospect of April's cup semi-final at Cross Keys one game he really wants to be part of.

Evans added: "I played there in the last game of last season for Newport. It's a hard place to go but no different really to Doncaster Knights or Rotherham in so much as you know what you are going to get so you just have to front up and get it done.

"Pandy Park will be an eye-opener maybe for a few of the boys. They are proud rugby people there and they will want to give it to us but if we don't let that affect us and play our game we will be okay."