Ian Davies: Cornish Pirates head coach says final home match will be 'emotional'

A win for Cornish Pirates on Sunday will give them their best home record in four seasons

Cornish Pirates head coach Ian Davies has admitted his final home game in charge of the side, against London Welsh on Sunday, will be "emotional".

Davies has spent seven years with the club but will leave at the end of the season because of budget cuts.

Coaches Alan Paver and Gavin Cattle will take joint charge at the Mennaye Field for the 2016/17 campaign.

"It's helped them having me here and it's certainly energised me having those guys," Davies told BBC Cornwall.

"They're still learning their trade and they're going to make mistakes, but then everybody makes mistakes - you don't improve unless you make a few errors.

"They are fantastic individuals and they're going to be fantastic coaches. Hopefully they've seen me as a good mentor who's helped them in some way."

The match itself is a dead rubber, with both teams safely in mid-table, although Pirates have the incentive of possibly above the Exiles.

Davies will take up a new post as head of rugby at Christ's Hospital School in Sussex.

"I suppose post-match on Sunday will be quite emotional, but at the moment we're determined to try and get that win," he added to BBC Radio Cornwall.

"There are lots of guys who are going to be pulling on the Pirates shirt for the last time at home as well, and the focus is certainly on those guys."