Alan Paver: Cornish Pirates coach guarantees side will improve

Gavin Cattle (left) and Alan Paver are under contract at Cornish Pirates until May 2019

Cornish Pirates coach Alan Paver says he and his side "will be better" this season as they look to improve on their sixth-placed Championship finish.

Paver, along with joint-boss Gavin Cattle, has spent time with Super Rugby sides in New Zealand this summer.

"We've been out to different high-performance environments. We've come back, and grown a lot," Paver said.

"We've accelerated, and this group has, but this is a results-based business so sometimes you can be better."

He told BBC Radio Cornwall: "What I thought I was like as a coach two years ago and what I think of myself looking back, we are miles away from that."

Pirates have largely retained the squad which missed out on the play-offs by three points last term.

They have bolstered their ranks with four signings, including Argentina sevens player Nicolas Coronel and ex-Nottingham lock Toby Freeman.

"There are so many factors that you have to take into play, but the one thing I can guarantee is that all of us collectively will be better."