CORNISH Pirates joint head coach Gavin Cattle admitted he was ‘proud’ and ‘chuffed’ with the effort as the Champ Rugby side went down to Prem Rugby giants Saracens at the Mennaye Field on Friday night.

The Londoners, who brought on England internationals Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly in the second half, won 29-14, but were made to work hard in front of a sell-out crowd in West Cornwall.

Cattle said: “It was a very pleasing workout. Yes, they are really good operators under the high ball, and we did struggle in the first half to get those scraps. It also just showed that if you give them boys a sniff of space, they’ll pick you off.

“I was just glad we stayed in the fight following their two early scores and being little bit tentative in the first forty, because it would have been easy for us to slip away in the second half.

“We went for the line a bit harder and pressured that second lane harder, and by sticking to task and being physical we stayed in the fight. I was chuffed with our performance.

“Our scrum went well and we were grateful to Redruth and Camborne for loaning us Tyler Gendall and Jon Drew, as we were Camborne’s Josh Matavesi in the backs.

“Some of the new boys have showed up well in training but we are still in the process of looking at the best combinations. We have a small squad, but it is a competitive one.

“Saracens certainly have a lot of athleticism and talent coming through which was good for us to face up against, but back to our boys, I was proud and chuffed of the effort, especially after they brought on Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly.”

The Pirates start their league campaign at home to Doncaster Knights on Sunday, September 20 (4pm).