This coming Sunday 28th September the Cornish Pirates will welcome a strong Nottingham side to the Recreation Ground, Camborne (ko 3pm).

The 'Green & Whites', who are sometimes also naturally referred to as the 'Merry Men from Nottingham', were a revelation last season, as they finished a fantastic third in National Division One. Indeed, they beat the Cornish Pirates both home and away, it a feat repeated only by Northampton Saints.

They have tinkered little with their successful squad, which is understandable, as their Kiwi Director of Rugby, Glenn Delaney, is clearly of the view that by retaining and developing the obvious quality within their ranks it has given them an edge. Knowing they can perform as a group dispenses any bedding in period, as the players will already be familiar with each other and know how they need to perform to achieve the level of success sought – even if their season's opener, away to Leeds Carnegie, saw them start the game disappointingly. They were 14-0 down in almost as many minutes, the telling damage done, and although they came back into the match, there was no argument with a final 34-19 scoreline. Since then Nottingham have won all three of their matches played against Plymouth Albion (43-19), Esher (3-25) and Sedgley Park (32-24), with them presently placed fourth in the league.

Another influential New Zealander in their squad is flanker Chris Hammond, who has been a successful leader and has now played over 170 games for the club. Playing alongside Luke Sherriff (their leading try-scorer last season with 13) and No. 8 Dan Montagu, theirs is a potent unit, but they aren't the only names that demand respect. In last week's bonus point win against Sedgley Park, long-serving full-back/wing Dave Jackson took his points tally to an impressive 64 in just five games, 'Jacko' scoring a try, two conversions and two penalties in the match. Of other backs, Tim Molenaar (another New Zealander!) is a gifted performer, as are youngsters such as Jack Cobden and Alex Dodge, who have close links with Leicester Tigers.

What is certain is that the Pirates will be keen to exact revenge and hopefully end September feeling confident that their squad is starting to gel. The pressure is already on, the season, as we expected, already promising to be an enthralling one.

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