The Pirates will carry a healthy 21 points lead into this return encounter, but they will be mindful that their job is not yet complete. This is, in effect, only half-time, and in the knowledge that Bristol have an unbeaten record at home in the Championship this season, it will also be noted that they have also registered some hefty victories along the way.

Recording such an emphatic result in the first leg certainly drew extra attention to the Pirates, and to the Championship competition in general, as nobody but nobody would have predicted a 45-24 outcome. Besides ‘Sky’ television, who had their best ever ratings for the Championship for this game, national press coverage was also unprecedented, not forgetting also that supporters of Newcastle Falcons quite understandably followed the match with added interest, as they will again this coming weekend.

For Sunday’s game Kyle Marriott continues at No. 8 for the Cornish Pirates, having been a second half replacement on Monday for the injured Ben Maidment, and lock Matt Smith is named on the bench. The full selection is as follows:-

Cornish Pirates: R. Cook, G. Pointer, S. Hill, A. Suniula, D. Doherty, C. Thomas, G. Cattle (capt), K. Marriott, P. Burgess, C. Morgan, I. Nimmo, L. McGlone, A. Paver, D. Ward, C. Rimmer.

Replacements: R. Storer, R. Elloway, R. Brits, M. Smith, D. Ewers, T. Kessell, M. Evans.

Worcester’s Lydia Thompson, Bristol’s Sally Tuson and Darlington Mowden Park Sharks’ Ruth Laybourn will form a new look backs line-up for England, while Bristol’s Kate Newton will join an experienced front-row comprising of Rochelle Clark and Emma Croker who share 93 caps between them.

Worcester’s Danielle Waterman will start at fullback, her first game since the victorious autumn international series against world champions New Zealand, whilst Ceri Large and Georgina Rozario are the half backs.

In the forwards, Lichfield’s Sarah Hunter wears the captaincy armband and she is joined in the pack by fellow Six Nations winners Emily Braund, Tamara Taylor, Marlie Packer and Harriet Millar Mills.

On the bench Fiona Davidson (Richmond) and Lauren Cattell (Chesham) are also set to make their England debuts.

Graham Smith, England’s Head Coach for this tournament, said: “Despite this being a relatively new look England side, training has gone well and the squad have come together really well. I have been impressed with the squad’s approach to training and their discipline and they are working together really well. There will obviously be some challenges for the new caps on Saturday and that is where our experienced players will be vital.”

England’s opener against Spain is the first of three games in this tournament as England look to defend their European crown. They will also take on Italy on Tuesday May 12 and France on May 19.

“This is a demanding schedule but we are used to playing back-to-back games,” added Smith. “We have undoubtedly got a tough opener against Spain, with Spain pushing us all the way in the final of the European Trophy last season. We only won that game 5-3 with a pushover try in the dying minutes.

“Spain are traditionally a powerful forward dominated side and we know we will have to defend well against them. That game was a huge learning curve for our England A side 12 months ago and I am sure this match will be no different for a lot of our new players.” 

England Women’s team v Spain

15. Danielle Waterman (Worcester), 14. Lydia Thompson (Worcester),  13. Sally Tuson (Bristol), 12.Kim Oliver (Bristol), 11. Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 10. Ceri Large (Worcester), 9.Georgina Rozario (Lichfield), 1. Rochelle Clark (Worcester), 2.Emma Croker (Richmond), 3.Kate Newton (Bristol), 4. Emily Braund (Lichfield), 5.Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 6.Sarah Hunter (Captain) (Lichfield), 7.Marlie Packer (Bristol), 8.Harriet Millar Mills (Lichfield). Replacements: 16. Vicky Fleetwood (Lichfield), 17. Laura Keates (Worcester), 18  Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield), 19. Rowena Burnfield (Richmond), 20.Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 21. Fiona Davidson  (Richmond), 22. Lauren Cattell (Chesham).

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, KO 430pm BST

Italy v England, May 15, KO 5pm BST

France v England, May 19, KO 630pm

The first ‘semi’, which is of mighty importance and is big in every way, will be played at home on Monday the 7th. May, the early May Bank Holiday, and because SKY television is covering the match it will kick-off at the rather unusual time of 1205.

Clearly a big big crowd will be present at the Mennaye Field for this match, with there a likely invasion of Bristol supporters. It is an ‘all pay’ game and the obvious advice is to purchase your tickets needs early. They are available from the club’s ticket office 01736-331961 (open Mon – Fri from 9am – 12 noon), on-line at www.cornish-pirates.com, and from various Warrens bakers shops about the county. Season tickets holders who wish to book their usual seats in the stands have until Friday midday to do so and are advised to please telephone the ticket office accordingly.

The return semi at the Memorial Ground, Bristol, is to be played on Sunday 13th May (ko 1245), and the two-legged finals are scheduled to take place on Wednesday the 23rd and 30th May.

However, should Nottingham fail to pick up a bonus-point win when away to Doncaster 24 hours earlier then the Exiles’ place in the Championship semi-finals for a third consecutive year will be assured.

Sunday’s meeting will be the fourth between London Welsh and Bristol this season, with the sides sharing one win a piece and a 12-12 draw at the Memorial Stadium last month. Former Exile Matthew Jones’ penalty with the last kick of the game giving Bristol a share of the spoils.

With the largest margin of victory being just six points, Sunday has the potential to be another tight affair.

That came when Bristol travelled to Old Deer Park in January, with tries from Saul Nelson and Hudson Tonga’uiha giving the Exiles a 23-17 win.

Welsh won both meetings between the two sides at Old Deer Park during the 2010/11 season. Aled Thomas scoring 21 points as the Exiles won 39-14 during the regular season, while 54-9 was the margin of Welsh’s victory in the play-offs.

Bristol’s last win at Old Deer Park came in March 2010 when they won 28-3, on their way to reaching the Championship final.

London Welsh: 15. Alex Davies, 14. Joe Ajuwa, 13. James Lewis, 12. Hudson Tonga’uiha*, 11. Nick Scott, 10. Gordon Ross* ©, 9. Rob Lewis, 1. Tom French, 2. Vili Ma’asi*, 3. Greg Bateman, 4. Gary Johnson, 5. Matt Corker, 6. Lee Beach, 7. Mike Denbee, 8. Ed Jackson.

Replacements: 16. Dan George, 17. Shawn Pittman*, 18. James Tideswell, 19. Adam Brown, 20. Ben Russell, 21. Jack Moates, 22. Simon Whatling.
* Denotes full international

The Exiles face Pool A rivals Bristol in front of the live Sky Sports cameras needing just a solitary point from their final two fixtures to secure their third consecutive Championship semi-final appearance.

However, that could prove academic should Nottingham fail to come away with a bonus-point win when they travel to Doncaster 24 hours earlier.

Jones doesn’t believe the two-week break will have an adverse affect on the Exiles, but he’s challenged his players to make sure that’s the case on Sunday.

“I don’t anticipate it being difficult, but it’s down to the individual,” said Jones. “Players should realise that every time they cross that white line they get measured – their livelihoods depend on the strength of their performance.

“All you’re looking for is boys to be more consistent in the way they prepare during the week, and consistency and continuity in performance. If you can do that you’ve got a future, and a successful one.”

Last time out, Welsh ran in five tries in a 40-19 win over Doncaster at Castle Park to leapfrog Bristol in the table, after they were held to a draw at the Memorial Stadium by the Green & Whites.

Jones admits that on balance the Exiles would probably have preferred to have kept going, after their win at Doncaster maintained Welsh’s unbeaten start to play-offs.

“Momentum is a wonderful thing, it’s like playing well in the first half – you just don’t want half-time,” he said.

“Likewise now, we’re really pleased with the way we’ve played and the way we prepared for Doncaster. We’ve built up some momentum, so it will be interesting to see how we respond after the break.

“I think players can take the break for what it is and that’s a chance to recharge physically and mentally and come back bigger and better, and build on the things they’ve progressed on. Bad players can’t do it.”

With Nottingham holding Bristol to a draw, the Exiles knew that victory over Doncaster would send them top of Pool A, while the Knights needed victory to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the last four.

The home side trailed by a point at the break, but the Exiles controlled the second half with Nick Scott completing his hat-trick to ensure Welsh got the win they needed to leapfrog Bristol in the table.

“Doncaster are a very good attacking side and going away from home is never easy,” said Jones.

“Having said that, I would say our away record this season is better than our home record and that’s an area of concern that the players need to address before the next fixture.

“To score 40 points (v Doncaster) in a game of rugby is fantastic, so for us to do it away from home in the play-offs against one of the better sides is a double-whammy.

“It wasn’t a case that Doncaster were short of players through injury or played badly, they played well. It’s just that we took our chances in attack and played well.”

Victory over Bristol on Sunday would guarantee the Exiles top spot in Pool A, but Jones does not believe that will be of any discernable advantage to Welsh.

“Normally it’s good to finish on top because you avoid the better side in the other pool, but I think the four teams that qualify for the semi-finals will be of equal ability and can beat each other on the day,” he said.

As for the Exiles only requiring one point to book their place in the semi-finals, or for Nottingham to drop a point, Jones is not unduly concerned by such permutations.

“What’s important to us now is building on the performances we’ve put in so far by looking at consistency, realising our potential as individuals to reflect our team performance and if we can do that then league positions look after themselves,” he said.

Sunday will be Welsh and Bristol’s fourth meeting of the season. Jack Tovey’s late try gave Bristol a 35-33 win over the Exiles in an eight-try thriller in front of the live Sky Sports cameras in October.

Tries from Saul Nelson and Hudson Tonga’uiha then saw Welsh run out 23-17 winners at Old Deer Park, while Bristol needed a penalty from former Exile Matthew Jones with the last kick of the game to earn a 12-12 draw when the sides met in the play-offs at the Memorial Stadium last month.

Welsh will be particularly keen to reverse that last-gasp defeat to Bristol in front of the Sky cameras – a game the Exiles led from Rob Lewis’ first minute try. And Jones believes the fact that Sunday’s game is live on Sky is sure to have a bearing.

“People are measured by their peers and everyone will want to put in a good strong performance. It’s going to bring out another edge in the 30 players who start the game,” he said.

With a seven point gap opening between Nottingham and London Welsh in second place, the number crunchers are predicting Friday’s trip to the Memorial Stadium to meet Bristol as the final nail in the East Midlands clubs’ hopes of Premiership promotion.

Delaney’s message, however, is “Put the calculators away.

“They tend to come out early with this sort of stuff, with all the ifs and buts factored in already,” Delaney added.

“If play-off rugby teaches you anything, it’s that every week there is something different waiting to happen.”

Apart from going back over familiar ground about Nottingham’s stoic play-off performances – pushing Bristol at Meadow Lane last week and the long periods of domination in the opening defeat to London Welsh – it’s the resurgence of Doncaster last week which gives Delaney heart.

The side that was batted by 60 points by Bristol in the opening finals game, threatened to upset a London Welsh side that had a week earlier held that same Bristol side to a draw.

“Doncaster weren’t given a hope against a side that achieved what so many thought was impossible when they nearly beat the in-form Bristol on their home patch,” Delaney said.

“And when you breakdown our performances, there should be no surprise in what we are capable of.”

Delaney has entrusted those beaten by five points last week to atone for the loss, naming an unchanged side for the trip to the Memorial.

As far as the Green and Whites are concerned, they will be looking to start where they finished five days earlier.

“There is no reason to change much,” Delaney said.

“What we did was certainly working. Maybe, we will do it a bit better this week.

“It’s that wonderful little game of chess and that is effectively one half of rugby played.

“We put huge amounts of pressure on them in the last 20 minutes and we saw some cracks.

“Our job now is to reinforce and take advantage of what openings we saw, continue to put them under the same sort of pressure from last week and this time finish it with a result.

"We now mix things up with what worked and what might work this time around.”

Nottingham Rugby team to take Bristol at the Memorial Stadium, Friday 30th March:

1 Michael Holfrod 2 Joe Duffey 3 Ryan Bower 4 Calum Green 5 Nic Rouse 6 Sione Kalamafoni 7 Brent Wilson 8 Filio Levi 8 Sean Romans 10 James Arlidge 11 Tim Streather 12 Juan Socino 13 Andrew Forsyth 14 Alex Lewington 15 David Jackson.

Replacements from: 16 Matt Holloway 17 Ben Prescott 18 Matt Parr 19 Alex Shaw 20 Craig Hammond 21 Finlay Barnham 22 Kieran Hallett.

While there is still some tug-of-war over starting spots, especially in the front row, Delaney sees no reason to change a winning formula.

It’s the first time in six matches that Delaney has not shaken up his outfit.

“Everyone has been performing well and we are trying to get some consistency in there,” Delaney said.

“Those who had their chance to perform did so, and now they go again. And we are only better for it as we build up during the week with the focus all on Bristol.”

Delaney said the 30-3 win over Doncaster, while not as comprehensive as it could have been, has made for a buoyant atmosphere at training.

What looms a must win game against Bristol, a side that Nottingham has failed to beat in the RFU Championship campaign this season, does not bring with it any extra stress.

Rather, it’s the side that topped the league and was held to a 12-12 at home to London Welsh last week that carries the greatest burden into the match.

“Don’t think too much pressure on us, would say it’s more on the opposition,” Delaney said.

“Certainly after their home game last week, ending in a draw, you know they will see this as a game they need to win to progress.

“For us, well, we just go through our routine of playing at home. Right now, it’s a pretty comfortable place to be.

“Our mindset is to play our own game, on our own turf where we have performed all season.”

Delaney, however, denies the Green and Whites are getting carried away with their position in Pool A of the play-offs.

“We have every right to be confident in how we are playing, but by no means will that turn into cockiness,” he said.

“We haven’t proven anything yet and the only way we will is to work hard and give the best account of ourselves possible.”

Nottingham Rugby team to take on Bristol: 1 Harris 2 Duffey 3 Bower 4 Hammond 5 Rouse 6 Kalamafoni 7 Wilson 8 Levi 9 Roman 10 Arlidge 11 Erinle 12 Socino 13 Streather 14 Lewington 15 Jackson

Replacements from: 16 Stevens 17 Holford 18 Prescott 19 Shaw 20 De Carpentier 21 Barnham 22 Hallett.

The Exiles completed the double over the Knights in the regular season, when they followed up their 21-10 win at Castle Park with a 37-14 mid-week victory at Old Deer Park last month. Jack Moates scoring the pick of the Exiles’ five tries.

That mid-week win extended Welsh’s winning run over the Knights to seven matches, and gave the Exiles their third consecutive win over Doncaster at Old Deer Park. The Exiles came out on top 29-24 last season and recorded a 26-10 victory in the sides 2009/10 play-off meeting.

Doncaster’s last win at Old Deer Park in October 2009 was also their last victory over the Exiles in any competition. The Knights coming out on top 20-9.

Welsh go into the game a point adrift of Bristol in Pool A, with Doncaster still searching for their first points after defeats to Bristol and Nottingham.

London Welsh: 15. Edd Thrower, 14. Nick Scott, 13. James Lewis, 12. Hudson Tonga’uiha*, 11. Ashley Smith, 10. Alex Davies, 9. Jack Moates, 1. Shawn Pittman*, 2. Saul Nelson, 3. Greg Bateman, 4. Adam Brown, 5. Gary Johnson, 6. Lee Beach ©, 7. Michael Hills, 8. Ed Jackson.

Replacements: 16. Dan George, 17. Tom French 18. Matt Corker, 19. Ben Russell, 20. Ben Stevenson, 21. Gordon Ross*, 22. Will Hurrell.

* Denotes full international

Welsh welcome the Knights to Old Deer Park on Saturday (kick-off 2:30pm), with the Exiles having come within a last gasp Matthew Jones penalty of leaving the Memorial Stadium with all four points tucked neatly under their arm, before the following weekend making the return trip to Castle Park.

Three Alex Davies penalties and a Gordon Ross drop goal looked like they might be enough to give Welsh victory on Sunday, only for Jones to strike late and ensure a 12-12 draw.

Doncaster, meanwhile, are still searching for their first points, having conceding 95 points in their opening two Pool A games against Bristol and Nottingham.

However, Beach, a veteran of Welsh’s Championship semi-final defeats at the hands of Bristol in 2010 and the Cornish Pirates last year, is adamant that Exiles will be taking nothing for granted.

“We have two games against Doncaster which are not going to easy,” said Beach, who captained Wales to World Cup Sevens glory in 2009. “They’ll be looking to just go out and play and that makes them very dangerous.

“As a squad we’ve got to think about Doncaster home and away, and then we’ll think about Bristol after that.

“Doncaster will be coming down to try and upset the applecart and if they can do that it’ll be a big plus for them.

“We can’t think about the Bristol score and the Nottingham score – we’ve just got to get our own house in order.”

Sunday’s draw ensured the status quo at the top of Pool A, with the Exiles still trailing Bristol by a point. It was a result, though, that left Beach and his team-mates with mixed emotions, particularly in light of Welsh’s narrow defeat at the Memorial Stadium earlier in the season.

“It was a game we should have won. Going to Bristol and coming away with a draw isn’t a bad result, but the game was well within our reach,” he said.

“But there were a lot of positives; we’d worked hard through the week on certain weaknesses in our game and we put them right against Bristol. There’s still lots to work on, but it’s very positive at the moment.”

One such positive so far in the play-offs has been the Welsh defence. Not content with having kept Nottingham to a solitary James Arlidge penalty during the consecutive sin-binnings of Davies and Ross a week earlier, the Exiles kept their tryline in tact against a Bristol side which had run in nine tries in their 65-3 win over Doncaster.

“Defensively we’re getting better; we’re still giving away one or two penalties at the ruck, but that’s easily fixed,” said Beach.

“Our contact area is also getting much better and that’s one area we needed to improve on and are improving on. Bristol was a big step forward for us.

“Twice they broke out and looked dangerous, but we handled them pretty well in terms of our scramble defence.

“What we did do, which was also a massive positive, was give Bristol no time, cutting down their space. We frustrated them.

“Maybe our attacking game wasn’t quite where it should have been, but Bristol defended well and didn’t really give us the opportunities. The ones we did create we should maybe have finished.”

While Sunday’s offering may not have delivered the free flowing rugby served up by the two sides on the same ground in October, it was no less compelling. Not least in the scrums which developed into fascinating power struggle.

An area of weaknesses for Welsh earlier in the season, the Exiles have enlisted the help of England’s Women’s assistant coach Graham Smith.

The fruits of the work put in on the training pitch were clear for all to see at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday, with head coach Lyn Jones keen to “break all barriers and create a positive scrum game in the Championship”. Jones sees Smith as being instrumental in this.

“The past couple of weeks Graham’s come in and he’s really broken it all down, and he’s been doing one to ones with the front row,” said Beach.

“We knew the challenge going into the game with Bristol and it was a big mindset for us to get the scrum sorted, and we were very pleased with how it went.”

Bristol was also a performance that owed something to the memory of the late Mervyn Davies – preceded as it was by an impeccably observed minute’s silence at the Memorial Stadium.

Indeed, the great man had been guest of honour at the club’s end of season awards night at Old Deer Park, just under than a year ago.

“It was in the back of our minds, especially the Welsh boys and those of us who were at the club’s awards night with him last year,” said Beach,

“He was a legend for what he did for Wales, the Lions and London Welsh. He was very nice man, very down to earth.”

Sunday’s performance was a fitting tribute and Beach firmly believes that this London Welsh side has what it takes to emulate its predecessors in taking the club to a third consecutive Championship semi-final, and maybe even beyond.

“Bristol are the best team in the league, they finished top, but we played well against them,” he said.

“Deep down we felt gutted that we didn’t come away with a win. Our performance wasn’t great, but we still held them.

“I’d like to think we can get to the final with the squad of players we’ve got – everyone’s singing off the same hymn sheet. I think we can keep building and progress.”

Bristol needed a Matthew Jones penalty with the last kick of the game to grab a 12-12 draw on Sunday, and keep the Championship favourites on top of play-off Pool A.

But while it was may have been more late Memorial heartache for Welsh, after Jack Tovey’s last-gasp try snatched a 35-33 victory for Bristol over the Exiles in September, Jones was satisfied with the result.

“We would have taken that at the start of the day,” said Jones. “Just because Bristol stroked a penalty over at the death we shouldn’t be reflecting on that moment.

“There were several opportunities throughout the game and on reflection 12-12 was a fair score.

“In the grand scheme of things, to come to Bristol and pick up two points in the play-offs is a bonus.”

Welsh defended tigerishly throughout to keep their line in tact against a Bristol side which had run in nine tries the previous weekend in their 65-3 rout of Doncaster Knights.

Gordon’s Ross’ 69th minute drop goal looked like it might be enough to win it for the visitors, until former Exile Matthew Jones stepped up at the death.

“There are areas in our game that we need to tidy up but overall I’m delighted with the way the players applied themselves,” added Jones.

“They showed a lot of commitment, we improved in a lot of areas from Nottingham and there’s more to come.

“Our set-piece was sound and our desire to work hard in defence was greatly improved.”

In particular, the scrum was a fascinating arm wrestle and while last Sunday’s fare may have lacked the free flowing attacking rugby of the Exiles’ September visit to the Memorial Stadium, it was no less compelling for that.

“It was to and fro; James Tideswell scrummaged particular well. We know this league is dominated by the scrum,” said Jones.

“We haven’t been great all season, but we’re very positive in the way we play and the way we scrummage, and we just need to keep on going that.”

Considering Bristol’s performance against Doncaster and Welsh’s bonus point win over Nottingham, as well as events in September, Jones was a little surprised that Sunday’s game failed to produce a single try.

“We’ve just experienced Wales and England doing well in the Six Nations on the back of sound defences, and we saw it again on Sunday – two sides working hard and disciplined in defence,” he said.

“You can’t always score tries but there were opportunities on both sides. We had two clear opportunities and so did Bristol, but both sides turned them down.”

Welsh now face back-to-back games with Doncaster, starting with the Knights’ visit to Old Deer Park on Saturday, but last Sunday’s result has set up a titanic clash between London Welsh and Bristol in the return game on April 15. Jones, however, is not getting carried away.

“It’s a long way to go; we just need to look after ourselves and making sure we perform to our highest ability,” he said.

“All we’ve got to do is focus on winning our games. We’ve got back-to-back matches with Doncaster, starting next Saturday at home, and we need to give Doncaster a huge amount of respect and be as professional as we can.”