Barker opts to join the Bears

THE Cornish Pirates have confirmed that lock Steele Barker will be joining Premiership outfit Bristol Bears for the start of next season, writes Phil Westren.

The 23-year-old. who was born in York, started out at the Yorkshire Carnegie Academy, before moving to Cornwall, where he studied at the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus and played men’s rugby at Penryn, and then for Redruth.

To date he has made 35 appearances for the Cornish Pirates since first featuring in the 2021-22 season.

Commenting on this latest news from the ‘Paver-Cattle Production Line’, on behalf of himself and fellow joint head coach Gavin Cattle, Alan Paver said: “Steele really is a great lad who has come on leaps and bounds from the young man from university who turned up as a gritty northerner.

“After sending him to Redruth to learn his trade, Steele grabbed that opportunity with both hands, and working alongside the likes of Louie Tonkin he has developed into a fine forward. He calls the lineout, is very astute, and having developed physically is also tough and athletic.

“Yes, we would have naturally loved to have kept Steele for another season under tutelage of the Cornish Pirates, but I think now is the right time for him and we know that he will be looked after well at Bristol by Chris Morgan.”

Meanwhile, the club have also announced the passing in Australia of John Patrick ‘Tess’ O’Shea, aged 83.

After playing his early rugby for Newbridge, Welshman O’Shea made 213 appearances for Cardiff (1963-70), plus he featured in 12 games for the Pirates of Penzance & Newlyn RFC, who he captained in 1970/71, having first played for the club the previous season. He also made one appearance for Cornwall, which was at Redruth against France ‘B’ on April 18, 1970, which they lost 14-13.

Besides his club appearances for Newbridge, Cardiff, and the Pirates, plus the famous Barbarians, the prop forward also won five caps for Wales (1967/68), and he toured with Tom Kiernan’s British Lions to South Africa in 1968.

Indeed, he played in the first Test and became the first ‘Lions’ prop to score two tries in a game when he crossed twice against Rhodesia.