Chinnor 47 Coventry Rugby 26 - who (forgot to) let the dogs out...?

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 would serve as a testament to the unyielding Cov spirit, that never-say-die attitude that secures victories in games that might otherwise have been lost. It's what supporters have come to associate with the club over the years, something of which they are fiercely proud and is at the heart of all things 'Cov'.

The CovDog.

Oh, the irony...

Yesterday, that CovDog passion and the on-field belief among the players that they can always overcome the odds as a team, regardless of the circumstances, was noticeably missing. The dog had been well and truly left behind in the club's kennels, padlocked and bolted away. After the first 17 minutes during which Cov raced into a 19-point lead, there wasn't even a bark to be heard from the visitors and it was the home side that growled and snapped at the heels of an increasingly sluggish and nervy looking Cov side.

Once Chinnor got themselves on the scoreboard and the crowd smelt an upset, there was only ever going to be one winner.

It was unfortunate that Josh Barton should pose with the three dogs, all wearing CovDog t-shirts, following such a disappointing performance from a Cov side that offer such little resistance for so much of the game. He and Jordon Poole, more than most in the squad, typify that relentless belief and unwillingness to give in, no matter the odds.

Surely, those adorable, soft-coated Golden Retrievers (thanks, Stumped!) are more suited to a cozy spot in a retired Andrex puppy home than as potential mascots for a Championship rugby team? Picture them trying to look fierce next to a muscle-bound, growling Rottweiler or Doberman—it's like asking a teddy bear face down a pack of wolves. If there's a "dog" factor in play, Coventry certainly don't have a monopoly on it. Chinnor was practically wagging their tails with it yesterday, and they strutted away as well-deserved winners. One Chinnor reporter even hinted this might be the club's crowning achievement—beating a full-time professional team by 21 points. Now that's barking up the right tree...

We were out-thought and out-played and in the end just plainfound out. Having taken a lot of confidence from the performances against Worcester and Bedford in the opening two games, this defeat is a reality check and one that should dampen expectations of anything but a real fight to achieve in a top 6 finish and a place in the playoffs at the end of the season.

A fully professional set up we might be, but sad as it is to say it, this wasn't the professional performance that we've come to expect under Alex Rae and, for me, this is probably the least impressive Cov display I've witnessed in the last two or three seasons. To ship 40 points to go from 0-19 up to 40-19 down over a 45-minute period of play is a real concern and Rae's post-match comment that his squad 'was going to learn a lot about each other this week' hinted that there might be some difficult and robust conversations to follow.

And so there should be. Three second half performances that have been anything but convincing suggest there's plenty to do to ensure Coventry remain competitive enough to be a realistic bet for a top six finish.

However, I do have a lot of sympathy for Rae and his coaching team. Talk on the Unofficial Forum of there being a need for change seems harsh as do comments regarding Cov seeming to be making little progress year-on-year. If we continue to lose upwards of 12-14 regular first team players at the end of each season, it's small wonder that at times it seems a case of two steps forward and one back. Without a core squad that remains consistent, there's little opportunity for real progress and I don't think it's fair to judge either the coaches or indeed the players on just three competitive games with this squad.

It's frustrating but it is what it is...

(For the record on 17th August, The Rugby Paper listed Chinnor as having 6 'ins' and no 'outs' - that seems a little unlikely but with Cov showing as 13 'ins' and 18 'outs' (slightly inaccurate too), it does highlight at least part of the problem facing Coventry Rugby).

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Chinnor is a lovely place to go and watch a game of rugby, even when you're on the wrong side of a drubbing as we were yesterday. Along with Cambridge, Chinnor is one of the more bucolic settings in The Champ but in no sense is it a backwater of the English second tier. It's everything a successful community club should be and one of the standout features of our trip down there was that so many of its junior sides were involved in the organisation of day, whether it be unfurling the pre-match flags before kick off or greeting the players onto the pitch. Boys and girls of all ages seemed to be genuinely happy to be a part of the day.

There was also a SEND game in progress when we arrived with the announcer explaining the club was supporting neurodiversity whilst also providing SEN kids with the opportunity to be share in the game and learn the values of being part of a both a team and the wider rugby community, too.

Despite the crowd at 2100 plus being 400 plus more than Chinnor's average gate last season, queues at refreshment outlets were minimal. There were 7 separate bar areas and a purchase at each resulted in a prize awarded...?! It cost me £14 to get in (an early bird concession rate) and I could have paid a fiver more and sat at a newly-erected stand at one end of the pitch which is certainly a very competitive rate these days.

The new electronic scoreboard and other updates give the ground a modern atmosphere, enhancing the impression that the club is on the rise.

For all Cov's very grandiose plans for ground developments, whether it be hotels or new stands or sheltered accommodation, other than installing an artificial surface back in 2019, there has been little change in the facilities at the BPA for the past 15 years or so. Okay, the marquee has been expanded to allow more corporate hospitality, but there's not been a great deal else and, dare I say it, parts of the BPA are beginning to look and feel a bit tired these days.

I understand Cov's needed to develop the stadium in order to self-finance the rugby club, but I do like the approach of club's like Chinnor, too.

Rather like Worcester, young children were well catered for with the inflatable slide and 'football' darts appearing to be extremely popular throughout the afternoon.

Josh had been excited all week at the prospect of dining out at Chinnor as the club had topped the Unofficial Champ Food Watch last season with a very impressive 9.0, achieved not only due to the quality of the food available but also because of its variety and pricing.

This time, Josh decided on a pizza and selected the ham and mushroom option. Freshly baked in a pizza oven, it looked and smelled as any freshly cooked pizza does, enticing, and was generously topped with both ham and mushroom pieces. I'd already wolfed down a sandwich on the way, but, to my stomach's delight and my dignity's dismay, I couldn't resist. I jumped on the pizza bandwagon with Josh, opting for the meat feast extravaganza!

Now, I don't know what it is about gourmet food reviewer and general epicurean and bon viveur Josh S this season, but his critique of the first three Champ Food Watch offerings has been a little on the mean side.

Perhaps it's his way of driving food standards up even higher but whatever the reason, he could only bring himself to award a healthy, but not overly generous 7.5.

His main criticism, and a valid one too, was that despite the pizza being freshly made and generously topped, the base was wetter than a fish's wet bits and eating a slice inevitably meant a lot of sticky fingers and a good deal of spillage which detracted from the overall enjoyment a little.

At £12.50 though, it represented good value, especially in comparison to the offerings at both Cov and Worcester in previous weeks. He also had a portion of fries at the end of the game which were rather anaemic and at £4 and served cold, this further added to the sense of disappointment overall.

Last season there was also more choice with a very popular fish and chip van taking a good deal of custom all afternoon. This year it was absent, another reason why Josh's final score fell short of last season's stunner.

A surprise early on in the season, then, opening the door for the rest of the league to snatch this most coveted of gastronomic awards.

The Unofficial Champ Food Watch - 2025/26

1. Chinnor 7.5

2. Worcester Warriors 7

3. Coventry Rugby 6.5

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Following two losses and facing a fully professional team expected to perform well this season, it would be understandable to think the Kingsey Road crowd might have been somewhat nervous before the game. However, this just wasn't the case. Everyone appeared focused on simply enjoying the afternoon, and with the announcer contributing to the positive atmosphere, there was a genuine feeling that everyone at Chinnor was just glad to be back home after the travels and travails of the previous two weekends.

At the BPA, had Cov found themselves three tries behind in the first quarter, and it seeming likely to turn into a cricket score, the Cov fans would probably have been on the backs of both the ref and the players. Not so at Chinnor. The crowd quietened for sure but spurred on by the PA, and encouraged by a Chinnor side that refused to lie down, the atmosphere started to change as soon as the home side got a foot in the door.

A lone red kite began to circle ominously overhead as Chinnor scored again and suddenly Coventry looked sluggish and uncertain. The home side's pack began to rumble and with their scrum half pulling the strings, their backs became a real threat. They were faster at the breakdown, appeared to have more options on the wings, and we squandered the limited possession we had. This was either due to box kicks that didn't challenge the receiver or by making basic errors, whether in handling or support.

Maybe it was the surface that caused us a few problems (this was our first start on grass which had been cut long and would have been a much more draining surface to play on?), or maybe it was just an inability to up the tempo when it was needed but when nothing was going right, Cov seemed unable to go left.

An injury to Jordon Poole soon after he came on as a replacement added further disruption but, in all honesty, it never felt as if Cov were going to turn things around once Chinnor had pulled away. They had moments in the final quarter when they got themselves into good positions but either players found themselves isolated, as was the case with Tom Ball after he'd broken through some resolute Chinnor defence, or we squandered good lineout ball deep into Chinnor's 22...they were, in the words of the legend that is Elvis Costello, unable to stand up for falling down.

Conceding 40 unanswered points isn't great for morale and with Ealing the visitors next weekend, it's hard not to fear the worse. But we've seen Cov react to disappointment before and with Alex Rae clearly angered by the performance, next week could be a chastening experience for everyone in the squad.

It's hard to find positives given the nature of the defeat, but I thought Tom Miles looked a good prospect when he came on for Josh Barton, adding tempo to the game and switching play well.

Api Bavadra also looked strong in attack when he came on and threatened to break the line several times - a strong powerful runner, he might be a starting option before too long if injuries persist.

Onisivoro Nayagi also did enough to show that he could yet feature strongly in the reckoning if change is needed and Josh Thomas looking certain to return for the Ealing game.

Maybe against Ealing, the coaches will opt for a similar line up to that against Bedford (accepting that Poole is unlikely to be available and with question marks about Morgan Adderly Jones), but we do have a strong squad and maybe we'll see some of the fringe players come into the match day 23 more regularly before too long.

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But this was Chinnor's day and deservedly so.

We were given a bit of a spanking really and the measure of this squad will be how quickly the players can pick themselves up from what was a really disappointing performance.

Hopefully, on Saturday someone will remember to unlock that kennel door...

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