Pirates v Warriors: Teams

Hill: Warriors play Pirates away

The first leg of the RFU Championship final kicks off on Wednesday, with the Cornish Pirates facing Worcester on home territory.

Having sustained an injury in Worcester's play-off pool game against Nottingham, Warriors captain Chris Pennell returns from the sidelines to start the match.

Head coach Richard Hill has also added hooker Chris Fortey to the front row where he will join Adam Black and Tevita Taumopeau, while flanker Jake Abbott has swung a place in the starting line-up. Adam Balding, now back in action, will start the match from the bench.

Hill knows if his men can pull off a strong opening play, they will stand a good chance of returning home with a win.

He said: "We have got to go down there and play exceptionally well to try and get something from that game. What we are hoping for is a really good start."

Hurdle

The Warriors are hoping an away match will ease locker room nerves and improve their game.

Hill said: "There will be a bit of pressure on the Pirates, they are on their home ground and they will see it as a must-win.

"We are hoping that by going away first that will help us, but we have got a tough first hurdle to get over and that one-off first game is going to be vital."

The Pirates can boast that they are the only side to beat Worcester in the domestic campaign - however the Warriors hit back to win away and hold a 54-53 aggregate advantage.

And Pirates boss Chris Stirling knows his side will have their work cut out.

He said: "I'm sure Worcester will come at us pretty hard and pretty direct.

"They've got to come down to ours and I know that the boys are not just satisfied to make the final - we're not there to make up the numbers."

Warriors15 Chris Pennell (c), 14 Marcel Garvey, 13 Alex Crockett, 12 Dale Rasmussen, 11 Miles Benjamin, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Jonny Arr, 1 Adam Black, 2 Chris Fortey, 3 Tevita Taumoepeau, 4 Greg Rawlinson, 5 Craig Gillies, 6 Neil Best, 7 Jake Abbott, 8 Kai Horstmann
Replacements16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Bruce Douglas, 18 Graham Kitchener, 19 Adam Balding, 20 Ollie Frost, 21 Joe Carlisle, 22 Alex Grove