GRAHAM DAWE has called on Plymouth Albion's players to stand united following yesterday's heavy 46-7 Championship defeat at Cornish Pirates.

The loss, in which Albion conceded seven tries, was the city side's first setback in five league outings.

The Brickfields club had disposed of London Welsh, Rotherham, Bedford and Exeter prior to yesterday's thrashing.

However, they were completely outplayed by the Pirates who led 21-0 at the break before going on to claim a deserved victory.

Chairman of rugby Dawe said it is now up to each and every one of Albion's players to ensure that yesterday's defeat does not have a lasting impact on the remainder of the season.

"It has got to come from within everybody," said Dawe when asked how he and the team can maintain the belief they have built up in recent weeks.

"We are certainly not the finished article, but we are a good team that can compete with all the other teams in this league.

"That's our goal going forward.

"We have got eight weeks left of the regular season.

"We need to be improving in certain areas of our game, a few technical areas, and we need to try and maintain our form going into the end of February."

Dawe added of yesterday's loss at the Recreation Ground in Camborne: "It was quite tough conditions first half for us to play into and we didn't really master them.

"They got a couple of good tries and ended up going in (at the interval) three tries up and it was a big ask second half.

"We still felt we were in the game but the game was soon killed off with a penalty and another try.

"Our forwards worked extremely hard the first 40 minutes and it probably showed in the second half that we did work hard, with or without the ball."

Trailing 14-0, Albion had a great chance to narrow the deficit midway through the first half when they camped themselves in the Pirates' 22.

However, despite eight minutes of heavy pressure, the visitors could not convert it into points.

They were then hit with a sucker punch as the Pirates immediately went up the other end and scored their third try of the match to head in at the break with a commanding 21-0 lead.

"We could have been within one score after half-an-hour," admitted Dawe.

"We just need to do better in those positions. We had been scrumming quite well, putting them under pressure, and the referee was penalising them.

"Our scrum was good first half.

"We had a penalty where we went for the scrum, which was quite a tough call for our forwards, who had worked so hard to get there.

"They obviously felt confident enough to do it, but if you make those calls, you have got to back it up."

Dawe added: "All of the forwards worked hard, everybody worked hard, but it just didn't happen.

"We didn't get enough field position for that effort and effectively the tank was empty before the end of the game."

Albion entered yesterday's clash unable to call upon several first team regulars due to injury and unavailability.

As a result, Plymouth had an unfamiliar back-row playing at Camborne.

Lock Mike Lewis started the game at flanker, James Waterhouse made his first league start for the club while flanker Wayne Sprangle took over from injured captain Kyle Marriott in an unaccustomed number eight role.

However, Dawe would not use the inability to select certain players as an excuse for yesterday's drubbing.

"The season is a squad effort," said Dawe, who was also without Sione Tu'ipulotu and Martin Rice, who played for Wasps in their win over Harlequins at Twickenham.

"It is tough for a player when you come in for your first start, and it is tough having two players in the back-row making their first starts in those positions.

"But that is something you have got to get on with."

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