Gavin Cattle: Cornish Pirates coach admits players will have to be versatile

Gavin Cattle (left) has been at Cornish Pirates since 2004 and is a former club captain

Cornish Pirates coach Gavin Cattle says a lack of finances means his players will need to cover several positions for the Championship side next season.

Cattle has taken joint-charge with Alan Paver following the departure of Ian Davies because of budget cuts.

"You'll see back-rowers stepping up into the second row because they have to, basically," he told BBC Cornwall.

"With the size of our squad this year being a bit smaller than in the past, we have to look at versatility."

Pirates, who finished ninth in the second tier this season, signed Argentine centre Nicolas De Battista on Tuesday.

"He can cover at 12, 10 and 13 in that order, so it gives us a bit of flexibility," added Cattle.

"You'll see a number of our backline playing across the backline, as with the forwards as well.

"There's no secret that we're light on the ground in terms of our infrastructure, but I think we work pretty decently as a team."