Cornish Pirates forward discharged from hospital after being stretchered off

The Pirates' game with the Ealing Trailfinders was abandoned after 58 minutes

Author: Cameron HallPublished 17th Dec 2023
Last updated 17th Dec 2023

Cornish Pirates forward Ben Grubb has been discharged from hospital after being stretchered off during Saturday's match.

The Pirates were trailing the Ealing Trailfinders 12-0 when Grubb - who had come on off the bench - was taken off after a tackle in the 58th minute.

Both sets of players were taken off before a decision was taken to abandon the game.

As 60 minutes had not been played, the game will be replayed in full at a later date.

The Pirates later confirmed that Grubb had been discharged from hospital after tests and scans came back clear.

They added he'd continue his recovery at the club over the next week.

Speaking after the game, Pirates joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“It was a disappointing end to the afternoon, but player safety is of utmost importance, the human aspect always comes first, and we wish Ben a speedy recovery.

“The conclusion with 57 or 58 minutes played meant that the game was not out of sight or mind, and we were expecting a red card to be shown an Ealing player, which would have meant we would likely play the last 20 minutes or so against 14 men."

Speaking about the game itself, Cattle added:

"I thought physically we were outstanding on both sides of the ball. We had limited possession in the first half and there was a stiff breeze which made it difficult for getting up the pitch, but with the limited ball we had we should have scored with two on one early on.

“Playing with a lot of energy, the grit and determination was there in bucket loads. We did superbly well in defending six or seven driving mauls before their first clever score and, overall, I am proud of the boys.”

The Cornish Pirates next play at home on Saturday 23 December when they host Hartpury at 2:30.