Cornwall RLFC: The new boys looking to break down barriers in union stronghold

Veteran coach Neil Kelly admits he will be “winging it” in the early days as he looks to establish professional rugby league in the union hotbed of Cornwall.

The former Dewsbury, Widnes and Leigh boss, once Super League coach of the year, is four months into his appointment with rugby league’s newest club, Cornwall RLFC, who play their first match in Betfred League 1 on Saturday against North Wales Crusaders in Colwyn Bay.

Kelly has assembled a 24-strong squad, largely from rugby union with a remit to focus on local players.

And the 59-year-old admits it has not been plain sailing as he attempts to break down century-old barriers.

“We’re still meeting some of that mistrust under the surface,” he said. “It’s almost taken me back 30 years to when Jonathan Davies signed from rugby union.

“But Penryn have been very welcoming and there’s only a little bit of an overlap. There are areas where we can work together. I don’t see a conflicting situation.”

Kelly will be without several of his “converts” for the opening game as they complete their commitments with their current rugby union clubs and he will rely heavily on the rugby league nous of former Widnes, Huddersfield, Leeds and Toronto forward Anthony Mullally, the squad’s most experienced player.

Kelly, a former Wales national coach who has worked in rugby union in such far-flung places as America, Namibia and Ulster, was a teacher at Airedale College, near Castleford, when he spotted the exciting opportunity created by Canadian entrepreneur Eric Perez, the man who founded Toronto Wolfpack.

“I found him really refreshing,” Kelly said. “He’s very engaging and upbeat.

“Coming down here is all about the experience, it’s not about financial reward or anything like that.

“I’ve