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

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.

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

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