County Championship: Cornwall's Graham Dawe fears backlash if team loses

Graham Dawe's Cornwall have won the County Championship in the last two years

Cornwall head coach Graham Dawe says he will be made to "walk the plank" if his side fail to reach a fifth consecutive County Championship final.

A 56-11 win at Devon on Saturday means they will reach the Twickenham final if they beat Hertfordshire on 20 May.

"We always sneak it against Hertfordshire, and I hope we sneak it again," Dawe told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"I was fortunate enough to be born in Devon, but the Cornish are very kind - they've sort of half-adopted me."

Cornwall are a point clear of Hertfordshire in the south section heading into the last pool match, meaning a draw in Camborne would be enough.

Only the pool winners will make it through, with Lancashire or Yorkshire likely to qualify from the north section.

"I'm not sure they've [Cornwall] completely adopted me, because if we lose one game I think they'll make me walk the plank out in the sea," Dawe joked.

"That's the way it goes - that's the territory. The Cornwall public are very passionate about their rugby.

"I just hope this competition stays alive and it doesn't become meaningless, because it's so important for a county the size of Cornwall."