"Cup games bring an atmosphere all of their own and we have played in some brilliant contests over the last few seasons. You get just the one chance and have to turn up on the day and deliver. If you are not completely focused on the task in hand you are likely to end up with the wrong result, there is no second chance and no return game to balance the books. You can be sure that training this week will have an extra edge.

All of this makes for compelling viewing and this weekend there should be 3 great games to watch. If you have never been to a live rugby game I would encourage you to make your way to Tregorrick and enjoy some fantastic rugby supporting your local lads."

If I knew my predictions would be so good I would have bought a lottery ticket ! With 3 cup games over the weekend we registered 3 wins, with the maximimum winning margin of 6 points and 2 games settled by just 1 point

Colts beat fierce local rivals Newquay 18 - 17
Saints took the South West Intermediate Cup by defeating an excellent Wimborne side 14 - 8 and now stand just one win away from Twickenham
U17s won a spectacular game against Walcot by 32 - 31

Each and every game was a classic of its own and really did reflect my words of a week ago. The atmosphere was outstanding and all teams were forced to put on top class displays. It is great credit to the players and coaching staff that in the cauldron of a cup tie all the sides kept their heads to record fine wins and march on to the next round. These types of games help forge a team spirit and desire to win that is invaluable.

Many thanks, as well, to all supporters from all sides who turned up and made it such an exciting weekend of rugby.

Once again there was a great example of rugby's camraderie when Wimborne stayed to watch the England v France international on our big screens. By all accounts this was a great evening with much singing and both sides and supporters mixing freely. While Wimborne may have lost this game they are still flying high in their own league and all at Tregorrick wish them every success for the rest of the season. we will watch out for their results with interest.

It is this mutual respect for opponents and for officials that makes our sport special and something that we should all work hard to maintain. In all games there are 3 teams on the field, the 2 playing sides and the referees who control the games. I watched the Saints and the U17s , and had feedback on the Colts game and have to say that the referees in all games acquitted themselves very well.

It can sometimes be too easy to criticize referees without really understanding how difficult a job it can be. I have heard players who regularly knock on simple passes or fluff a tackle be very vocal when a referee misses something they feel was a clear infringement. There can be a lack of empathy sometimes.

The simple truth of the matter is that referees have to make a decsion in a split second , and keep making decision after decision for the whole 80 minutes of a game. There is no opportunity to watch a replay, they cannot stop and debate their decision for 5 minutes. When they blow the whistle 30 players, plus umpteen subs, coaches and supporters all look to them to see what happens next. Having refereed when coaching age group rugby I can assure you while it may look easy it is anything but.

So among all the euphoria of 3 close fought cup games I want to thank the referees for the time and effort they put in to ensure that we are able to play our games.

This Saturday the Saints return to league action against local rivals Truro. This is never an easy game and they picked up a good win at Ivybdrige last Saturday. In fact they have come through a sticky patch to win 3 and draw 1 of their last 5 games, recording just the 1 loss. So they are on a good run at the moment. We all know that if we are not focussed on Saturdays game, Truro are a side who can turn us over.

It is down to us to be prepared and ready to give a good account of ourselves

Once again kick off is at Tregorrick at 2:30, so with another great afternoon of rugby in prospect why not come along and give the lads a cheer.