CHRIS Stirling insists his Cornish Pirates squad must not lose sight of the big picture after crashing to their fourth Championship defeat in five games.

However, having watched his side crash to a 29-20 reverse against Rotherham Titans, the Kiwi coach may well have to go away and re-tune his battle plan after this latest setback at Clifton Lane.

If the Pirates picture was colourful in the first month of the season, it has certainly blown a tube in the past few weeks. What was so bright and breezy in September has now been replaced with a somewhat overcast outlook come the end of October.

Of course there are mitigating factors for the change of fortune – there always are – but having laid a solid foundation in the early weeks of the new season, the Pirates have since paid the penalty for allowing a number of costly errors to creep into their game.

It was therefore kind of apt that on Halloween, the Pirates played out a bit of a horror show in South Yorkshire. Error ridden and at times ill-disciplined, hosts Rotherham simply lapped up the opportunity to inflict another untimely blow on Stirling and his side.

Recalled fly-half Jon West did much of the damage for the Titans, he plundered 21 points on the day as he happily stuck the boot firmly into the hopes of the Duchy visitors.

Six penalties and a drop-goal were the highlights of an impressive kicking display. However, even his on-field efforts were overshadowed by a sublime 50-metre drop-goal from team-mate Mike Whitehead just past the hour mark.

"We made too many errors and at key stages in the game," said Stirling afterwards. "Our set-piece wasn't that bad, but our scrum malfunctioned at crucial times. There were other crucial errors as well.

"We carried the ball well at times, but then lost it forward in the tackle and that is something we haven't done all year. Whether that was because of the pressure put on us by the opposition or whether it was lack of concentration on our part, I just don't know. I will have to look at that on the DVD."

Whatever Stirling does glean from watching the game back again, you can bet certain things will be hammered home to the Pirates players in training this week.

"It's a game which we should win nine times out of ten – against a team we should beat nine times out ten," added Stirling. "We didn't and there are a number of reasons for that. They [Rotherham] kicked superbly both out of hand and at goal. Jimmy [Moore] kicked well for us, but some of our other general kicking was not to the standard we need at this level.

"Also, I felt our level of aggression wasn't quite what it should be. At times we showed it and at other times we didn't. It's that consistency that I've harped on about and the guys have got to get it into their game. If we get that consistency, I'm sure we will come out the other side all right."

And with Bedford Blues next on the agenda at Camborne this Sunday, Stirling is now looking to his team to find a timely response.

"I've just had a chat with the boys and told them not to go away and over analysis things," he added. "We will get the DVD, that is for us coaches to go through. For the players, the important thing has to be that they don't lose sight of the big picture.

"After results like today, there are two ways you can use the disappointment and the pain they are feeling. You can either let it consume you – or you can use it as a positive, I am sure they will do the latter."

However, if the Pirates players are to heed the words of their leader, they will have to address the amount of penalties they do concede. Just three minutes had been played on Saturday when West struck the first of his healthy points haul.

The response from the Pirates, though, was immediate as straight from the kick-off a delightful move down the left saw lock Ben Gulliver gallop his way along the touchline before feeding James Doherty to cross for his maiden score, which Moore duly converted.

West countered with a second penalty before Rotherham regained the lead on 17 minutes. With the Pirates in possession of a scrum just five metres from their own line, the home pack combined superbly to push their rivals off their own ball and there was former Pirate Neil Chivers to dot down from close range.

Again the visitors hit back with Moore cutting the deficit with a penalty. However, they should have reclaimed the lead on 32 minutes when, following an excellent driving line-out, skipper Blair Cowan inexplicably spilt the ball forward right on the home line.

Rotherham made the most of the let-off to finish the half the stronger as West inflicted a third telling blow in stoppage time, this after Pirates centre Steve Winn had been sent to the sin-bin.

On the resumption, West and Moore traded penalties apiece before the Yorkshire outfit stretched their advantage to ten points with two drop-goals in as many minutes. Whitehead struck the first with an audacious blow from halfway, then West followed suit with a much closer effort.

The Pirates, though, were hardly dead and buried and when skipper Cowan atoned for his earlier faux pas by scoring from a similar line-out move – again converted by Moore – the contest was set for a gripping finale.

Sadly it was not to be for the visitors as West closed out the game with two late penalties.

In an unsavoury conclusion to the game, former Redruth centre PJ Gidlow – on his debut for Rotherham – was caught up in an ugly skirmish with at least two Pirates players. His actions are currently being scrutinised by the visitors and submissions to the game's authorities may follow.