In some ways, it's unfortunate that the Forum didn't occur a couple of weeks later - back then, we were on a 5 or 6 game unbeaten streak, and the meeting's tone was optimistic regarding our on-field performance. After the disappointing games against Bedford and Chinnor, I believe there would have been different questions posed to Alex Rae, and given his commendable honesty, some straightforward answers as well. If the online Supporters' Forum is anything to go, the vulture

With a minute to go before the break, Cov were 14 points clear and had they managed to defend their lines in the final play of the half, perhaps things might have been different. But urged on by a loud and understandably partisan crowd, Bedford's pack rumbled over the line and suddenly Cov were just 7 points clear and facing the steep slope (in rugby terms) second half, it always looked to be an uphill task from thereon in. And so it proved.

Over the past four years, the club has incurred losses of £3.4 million, averaging around £800K annually. This situation is unsustainable, and the club has historically relied heavily on personal investments from JS and more recently from BT. BT acknowledged that Coventry Rugby has been pursuing the dream of Premiership rugby for too long, a dream that was always out of reach. It has become crucial for the club to now focus on achieving the more realistic goal of financi

Well, Roll My Breakfast, 'Cause I'm A Hungry Man. I Said Shake Rattle And Roll, I Said Shake Rattle And Roll, I Said Shake Rattle And Roll, I Said Shake Rattle And Roll; Pirates were at first shaken, then rattled but it's Cov who remain on a roll as they go into the break with 7 wins from their last seven outings, showing the sort of form that should see them comfortably into the play-off places come the end of the season in May.

...but Cov have slowly built up momentum and despite what was, for me, a pretty average display against Cambridge, they've consistently picked up points of late and look to be in a good place right now. A significant amount of recognition should be given to Alex Rae and his coaching team. Despite facing criticism early on from certain quarters, they managed to ignore these external distractions and concentrate on their strengths, effectively responding to their critics

After establishing a seemingly decisive position at halftime with a 24-7 lead and dominating the last 15 minutes with a four-try salvo, Cov lost their discipline resulting in a series of penalties that allowed an increasingly confident Archers' team back into a game that appeared all but over when the outstanding Allan Ferrie scored just 5 minutes into the second half, extending Cov's lead to 24 points.

There really aren't many tougher places to grind out a win in The Champ than Caldy. Cornish Pirates, perhaps, but that's about it. Regardless of the opposition's quality, the nature of the exposed ground, the limited atmosphere (the result of the pitch being open on three sides) and the slope make it very challenging for any visiting team. Not mention the tough, gritty northern opposition. Never, ever should they be underestimated. Ampthill is comparable in terms

I'm not sure whether the stats would back this up, but it felt as if we kicked far less than we have at times this season and with far fewer handling errors going forward, we caused the Scottish defence all sorts of problems and in truth, they struggled to handle the pace and directness of our runners. The penalty count, 21-7 in favour of Cov, is indicative of the pressure that Scottish found themselves under and I thought they were a little lucky to get away with just a coup

...the whole crowd goes so loud He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out He's chokin' how, everybody's chokin' now The clock's run out, time's up, over, bloah! Snap back to reality, oh, there goes gravity Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad But he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have it He knows his whole back's to these ropes Lose Yourself - Eminem The report of the game in today's The Rugby Paper acknowledges that Cov are a 'decent rugby side who did

Post-match, there have been plenty of comments rightly praising the likes of Maunder and Thomas for their roles in changing the momentum of the game, but I've not heard or read anything regarding what was for me a very different, a very tactical, use of the bench. Had there been a couple of further injuries at the start of the second half, then Cov could have been really exposed but, as it was, the plan worked to perfection

Alex Rae had suggested in his post-match comments (after the Caldy game) that the players would learn things about each other during the course of the week leading up to yesterday's game against Ealing and for most supporters who turned up yesterday, the performance as much as the result was of greatest importance. Just what had they learned and to what extent would it impact on the team's performance on the pitch?

And I can't see colour, any colour will do I'll stick on you, that's why they call me "pit bull" 'Cause I'm the man of the land When they see me they say, who? Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who, who? Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who, who? Who let the dogs out? Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men It should have been the ideal photo to highlight Coventry's first away victory of the season, featured prominently in game reports and tagged atop the club's socials. It wo

A totting up of the individual attendances last weekend (Round 1) indicates that 17580 were present at individual games and a further 12420 plus watched via ClubberTV. I imagine that figure will drop a little once the novelty wears off but it does appear a significant number, one that The Champ certainly feels is worth publicising. It would be really interesting to know if that figure is in line with original projections and whether televising all the Champ games is financia

But for many fans of Champ clubs outside of Worcester, the current prodigal son of English rugby appears to have sold its very soul to the devil (in the form of the RFU obviously). And it has come to pass that for Worcester Warriors at least, deliverance from its previous sins is indeed at hand and that Bill Sweeney and his faithful disciples, the most unlikely of Messiahs, have given the club a golden ticket to the promised land.

Here comes the rain again Falling from the stars Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are As my memory rests But never forgets what...

You see, I had this crazy dream last night This man, he talked to me He told me everything that's good and bad about my history But he...