Guernsey and Cornish Pirates look at links

WHAT has begun with Luke Jones signing for the Cornish Pirates could bring about a fruitful partnership between the Championship club and Guernsey.

England World Cup winner Josh Lewsey, the current acting chief executive of Pirates before he takes on his role as the Welsh Rugby Union's head of rugby at the end of the month, was in the island yesterday along with head coach Ian Davies and Steve Davies, the head of marketing, sales and communications, to meet with the Guernsey Sports Commission about Jones and also how links could be developed.

Earlier this summer, Guernsey Rugby Academy product Jones joined the Pirates having spent a year with the Leicester Tigers Academy and will combine playing for the club with his academic studies at Truro and Penwith College.

Jones was assisted in the move by being part of the Sports Commission's Rising Stars programme.

'It is a fantastic thing that your commission has done to have the ability to help a young man play professional sport,' Lewsey said.

'I wish that platform had existed in my day and to build on from that, rather than it be one isolated case, we want to see what can be done to develop a partnership.'