Cornwall Senior XV continue their preparation for the 2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship with the annual Tamar Cup game with Devon to be played at Brickfields Plymouth on Tuesday, April 16, with a 7.30pm kick off.

This comes at a time when clubs and players are battling for promotions, some through the playoffs, making a big demand and asking for a big commitment from the players. Terry Carter and CRFU selectors want to put out on to the pitch the best team and are very aware of what is being asked of our players due to RFU league schedules and the timing of the Championships but the determination of Cornish players to pull on the ‘black and gold’ and represent their county is still as evident as it always was during previous campaigns with some that have ended up at Twickenham.

The recent u20s Jason Leonard Championship has seen the future players for the county being knocked out at the quarter final stages but have retained Cornwall’s place in the top tier of county rugby. A superb outcome that Cornwall’s Management Board are proud of. In their four representative fixtures wearing the black and gold, the big match experiences these players have added to their development at their clubs stands them in good stead to challenge for places in the Cornwall senior squad.

Colin Hatch is proud to announce that eight of the u20s have shown their skill and have been identified for South West trials. They will be joined 30 talented players at Keynsham RFC on Easter Sunday. The final step for them could be a prestigious England Counties selection. This is another huge commitment for young players as the County and Representative action is added to the end of a busy league season.

Wednesday, April 10, is the last training session for coaches Graham Dawe and Marek Churcher to assemble the squad for the Tamar Cup. Captain Ben Hilton expects a busy evening as players go through the preparation with injured and unavailable for selection players on the touchline also making sure they are in the frame for Championship games selection. At the St Austell Brewery team building event senior players talked about the pride of being the best and of playing for Cornwall being special and an honour.

In the next six weeks the desire to play for Cornwall will be tested. The targets of staying in the top tier of County rugby and a shot of playing at Twickenham are at stake for the players, coaches and selectors.