Cornish Pirates are currently grappling with a challenging start to their away campaign in the Championship. The Penzance-based side has struggled to replicate their home intensity on the road, leading to heavy defeats in their opening two away fixtures.
The team suffered a 38-14 defeat at the hands of Bedford on Saturday. This result followed a difficult outing two weeks earlier at Coventry, where the Pirates conceded 11 tries in a comprehensive 73-40 loss to the hosts.
In total, the Pirates have leaked 16 tries across their two away matches. The defensive lapses have left the coaching staff searching for answers as they attempt to rectify the team's inconsistent performances away from the Mennaye Field.
The contrast in form is stark when compared to their home displays. At the Mennaye Field, the Pirates have looked like a different outfit, recently inflicting a first league defeat on high-flying Ealing in 18 months of competition.
Their home campaign began with a dominant seven-try victory over Doncaster, finishing 45-19. These results highlight the ability of the squad to perform at a high level when playing in front of their home supporters in Cornwall.
Cornish Pirates coach Joe Walsh acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. He admitted that the squad is currently chasing consistency, particularly when travelling away from their home base in Penzance to face other clubs in the division.
Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, Walsh stated: "It's been tough and I think to speak the obvious we're a group that's chasing consistency and that's particularly away from home." The coach is focused on finding a remedy quickly.
The coaching staff has identified a lack of energy during the pre-match preparations for away games. Walsh noted that the players have appeared flat during warm-ups on the road, which has hindered their ability to start matches effectively.
"A lot of discussion has been around that we haven't really been able to create a positive flow of energy on a game day and we've looked quite flat in both warm-ups," Walsh explained regarding the recent struggles.
He added: "We've obviously tried our best to stimulate the guys, but that's our challenge at the minute that we need to pick up on moving forward." The team is working hard to identify the root of this.
The Pirates currently sit eighth in the 14-team Championship table. Having won half of their matches so far this season, the club is keen to find a solution to their travel woes to climb higher in the standings.
Walsh and his fellow coaches have observed a noticeable difference in the players' demeanour between home and away fixtures. The preparation process seems to be a significant factor in the team's current struggles to find their rhythm.
"I think from our perspective coaching-wise, we feel that for the two home games that the guys have been very elevated in warm-up," Walsh said regarding the team's positive home preparation and the intensity shown by the squad.
He continued: "They've been energised, their intensity on the day has been there and they've demonstrated that quite early." This early momentum has been a key feature of their successful outings at the Mennaye Field this year.
In contrast, the away day routine has failed to produce the same results. The coaching staff is finding it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the drop in energy levels before the referee blows for kick-off.
"On the away days, we just feel that by the time we get to the warm-up we haven't been able to produce that level of energy," the coach observed. This remains the primary concern for the management team.
Walsh remains realistic about the complexity of the issue, noting that there are many variables involved. He admits that there is no exact science to explain the current trend of poor away form affecting the squad's performance.
"There's so many factors at play there that it's hard to put an exact science into what that might be, but we know we're aware that at the minute, our trend seems to be struggling to find some energy away from home."
The Cornish Pirates will be hoping to address these issues in the coming weeks. Establishing a more reliable performance level on the road will be crucial for their ambitions in the Championship throughout the remainder of the season.
The club will continue to work on their preparation strategies as they look to build on the momentum gained from their impressive home victories. The focus remains on translating that energy to every venue they visit this year.
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