The problem for Warriors fans, as I see it, is that up until Christmas they believed everyone else saw there side as very much the 'enfant terrible' of The Champ, disliked by many for reasons which they felt were unfair, and in the case of some supporters (like those from Cov) grossly hypocritical. We see it differently, of course, but as a group it united them against a common foe and in so doing gave them strength.

Rae has said previously that he'll only bring in players who will strengthen the squad and his track record as far as recruitment is concerned is impressive...Imagine an additional 9 players added to this squad all better than those leaving. Not only does it give the coaches more options, it should also raise performance levels to even greater heights and narrow the gap between ourselves and Ealing, hopefully enabling us to be the best of the rest which is pretty much all we

...whether this had any impact on the game itself is all hearsay BUT from the opening whistle Nottingham were as fired up as any team this season in those opening minutes. Notts flew out of the blocks and it took some excellent defence to keep them from scoring, with Cov struggling to gain any decent possession. Fired up they most certainly were but Cov managed to hold firm and Ferrie's opening try was really against the run of play. A second try two minutes later following a

That's not so with Caldy. The have a little of the old school look about them - especially in the front row where fitness doesn't appear to be their greatest asset to be fair. Cov have a really mobile pack with the second rowers able to play in the back row such is their mobility around the park. Nayalo, Strong, Ferrie, Shine and Green are all excellent ball carriers, whereas Caldy really didn't have players who could punch holes in Cov's very well organised defence.

Interestingly, before the game, Cov led The Champ with more offloads than any other team in the league this season. They seem to have adapted better than most to the recent law changes regarding the lowering of the tackle, which now make offloads less risky than before, as noted by Shaun Edwards in today's The Rugby Paper. But that is true of the opposition, too, which is perhaps one reason why we're seeing more tries scored this season.

Those on the Cov side under the lights on Friday might encounter players with greater talent and potential skill this season, but I doubt they'll face a more intense physical battle. The Army showed no mercy for the youth or smaller size of their opponents. They were fierce in their tackles, relentless in the scrum, and, as anticipated, offered no concessions whatsoever...

When the final whistle sounded, the sun had emerged, bringing a sense of Spring with it. From the elevated pitch, one could see a few fruit trees in bloom, adding a burst of color to an otherwise drab landscape. A metaphor for new beginnings perhaps, of hope for the future? As far as Cov is concerned, the shoots are already there for all to see.

It wasn't a complete Cov performance by any means, but Cov were disciplined and denied Hartpury any sort of meaningful platform on which to build. At no point in the game did they lead Cov, although Hartpury had pegged us back to 14-14 at the break despite Cov looking the better of the two sides in the first half.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

For Cov, and especially for many of the younger, less experienced players, this season has been something of learning curve. At times, a steep one. Despite the challenges, Saturday demonstrated just how much they have learned. Even when facing the strongest opponents, they showed they possess the ability, physicality, and mental resilience to meet the challenge. On Saturday, they made the supporters proud, they made the Club proud, but most importantly, they made themselves p

those starting the game yesterday did more than enough to show that there's a core of young players that has the potential to take Cov forward to that next level, even without such as talisman as Kvesic. Indeed, Kvesic had a fairly quiet game by his standards and it was the likes of Tom Ball, Chester Owen, David Opoku-Fordjour and Dan Green, when he came on, who caught the eye the most.