THE Cornish Pirates will look to channel the frustration of last weekend’s heavy defeat at Doncaster into a big response when they host London Scottish this Sunday in Round 16 of the Championship.

Following the disappointing 44-12 loss away to the Knights, joint head coach Gavin Cattle has challenged his side to use the experience as fuel rather than dwell on the setback.

“It was a frustrating performance at Doncaster, so it’s important we bounce back this week,” said Cattle. “To their credit, they were good and more elevated than us, and we need to learn from the experience. Our aim on Sunday is to focus on the right areas and show supporters what we are about, and that we can get better.”

For a second consecutive home fixture, the Pirates will again play at Camborne RFC due to ongoing issues at the Mennaye Field following damage caused by Storm Goretti.

However, Cattle is expecting a tough test from their capital-based visitors, currently sitting 13th in the table, but insists his side must impose themselves early.

“London Scottish can be a dangerous team, so it’s important we establish our game upon them,” he added. “In league terms we’re not that many points adrift and our eyes are still very much on the prize. Our ambition hasn’t changed.”

The Pirates, ninth in the standings, have made several changes to their matchday line-up. Angus Mawson is named at full-back, the young Australian earning a start after previous substitute appearances and valuable loan time at Redruth.

Fly-half Louie Sinclair, wing Ben Cambriani and flanker Luke Ratcliff have also been handed starting roles, while scrum-half Dan Hiscocks will mark a significant personal milestone by making his 50th appearance for the club in less than two seasons.

Meanwhile, the Pirates have launched a crowdfunder to help cover the mounting costs caused by storm damage at the Mennaye.

Storm Goretti caused around £200,000 worth of damage to the club’s main stand last month, which is insured. However, further damage from Storm Ingrid to the electronic scoreboard, electrics and another stand is unlikely to be covered, leaving the Championship club facing uninsured costs approaching £100,000.

The Pirates have been forced to move two home games to Camborne, costing the club between £9,000 and £10,000 per match in lost revenue.

Chief executive Sally Pettipher said the scale of the financial impact had only become clear over time.

“I feel really bad going out to people saying ‘please help’,” she said. “At first I said no because we thought insurance would cover it, but we hadn’t anticipated how much more it would cost us.

“The storm wiped out things like scoreboards, PA systems and electrics we’re obliged to have as a Championship club.”

Despite the setbacks, Pettipher remains confident the Pirates will return to the Mennaye later this month for the visit of Nottingham on February 21, before a friendly with Gallagher Premiership outfit Harlequins a fortnight later.

“If we have to hire temporary generators, run new wires, run new leads, we will be there,” Pettipher said.

CORNISH PIRATES: Angus Mawson; Arthur Relton, Chester Ribbons, Joe Elderkin, Ben Cambriani; Louie Sinclair, Dan Hiscocks; Alessandro Heaney, Sol Moody, Alfie Petch; Milo Hallam, Josh King; Alex Everett (capt), Luke Ratcliff, Tomi Agbongbon. Replacements: Matt Pritchard, James French, Ben Woodmansey, Matt Cannon, Rory Suttor, Will Rigelsford, Arwel Robson, Harry Yates.