Cov Rugby XV 24 Army 44: Cov youngsters stare down the barrel and show their mettle and the renaming of BPA

1874tsmith
2 days ago
8 min read

Now you remember what the draft man said

Nothing to do all day but stay in bed.

You're in the army now, oh, oh

You're in the army - now.

You'll be the hero of the neighbourhood

Counting the days till you're back for good.

You're in the army now, oh, oh

You're in the army - now.

You're In The Army Now - Status Quo

Although the side named to face The Army on Friday evening was billed as a Cov Rugby XV, it appeared to be pretty much an Academy side bolstered by a good few invitational players as far as it was possible to tell. However, with so little information about the players available, that's certainly something that I can't confirm with any degree of certainty.

What was evident, though, was the disparity in the sheer size and physicality of the two sides, with the Army players (as one would expect) seeming to be both far older and physically bigger (for the most part) than the Cov youngsters. In previous encounters against The Army, this hasn't always been the case but on Friday they brought along a squad of 40 plus players most of whom looked a good deal more experienced than their opponents and certainly far more physically imposing.

To illustrate the point, two of their starting XV were Dylan Morris (29) and Onisivoro Nayagi , both of whom are in the current Cov senior squad and both of whom have had game time this season in the Championship.

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. Not should they have done - it would have done neither side any favours and as it was, the Cov XV did themselves and their coaches proud .

All of which makes the Cov XV performance all the more exciting to me. At no point did the Cov side shy from the intensity of the collisions and at times, away from the scrums and the driving mauls, Cov's young pack took the game to their opponents and, in open play, they showed that in their backs they had both power and pace enough to trouble them at times.

Cov couldn't compete with The Army in the scrums, though. Hardly surprising, given the physical advantage they deferred to the opposition. Yes, both Will Dorrell and Sam Gibson are players of huge potential )with Gibson having already played in the Champ against Cambridge this season) but sheer weight and power was so much an advantage for the Army that there was little Cov could do but try and ensure quick ball on their put in or else concede the penalty. For Cov, being awarded a scrum was no advantage on Friday, the reverse in fact and without a solid base there, it was always going to be a really tough ask.

Lineouts were generally a balanced contest. When we had possession, despite a few calls that appeared to be either misinterpreted or not well executed, we performed well. However, competing effectively on their throw was unlikely due to their size and height advantage.

The Army scored 8 tries in total and had their kicker had a better evening with the boot, the scoreboard would have looked a good deal worse - they only managed two conversions. But Cov scored four themselves and their were several periods in the game when The Army were forced to defend their line against a well organised set of forwards whose handling was sharp for a group of players who won't have played much competitive rugby together.

Surprisingly, the more familiar names in the Cov side (to me, at least), the likes of Sam Gibson, Will Dorrell and Taio Varndell, weren't the ones who really stood out on the night. It wasn't the sort of game where the front row were really going to excel, although both Gibson and Dorrell were busy in the loose, and what little ball Varndell did get saw him in positions where he was tightly marked or unable to break free of the defender. He has pace a-plenty but on Friday there was no chance for him to ignite the afterburners.

However, there were players who did catch the eye, the most obvious one being Emosi Toava Nabakeke. He's represented Old Coventrians a fair few times already and on Friday playing on the right wing he was a constant threat, breaking tackles and even bouncing a couple of Army tacklers. I'm presuming he's part of the Academy set up already given he's a local lad? A strong, powerful runner, he looks a real prospect and a player we'll hopefully see a good deal more of down at the...erm...NNS.

I think I've seen Jack Condliffe play for an Academy side on a couple of previous occasions and at 10 he led the line well, kicked effectively when required (there was relatively little kicking in the game as a whole) and generally looked in control even when things weren't going our way. Mason Winterburn at 9 provided plenty of good ball and the two half backs seemed to work well together.

Outside of him, both centers appeared solid, although they faced challenges defensively against a formidable set of Army backs who occasionally displayed overwhelming strength and power. Nevertheless, with the ball in hand, we seemed threatening, as the full back, Oli Farquharson, successfully scored a couple of well-executed tries. Our backs gained significant ground and broke through the Army's defenses several times.

The Cov backrow worked really hard all game and against some really big, beefy opposition they stood tall and did themselves proud. The 6, Robin Jordan (?), was tireless and was all over the park, winning some key ball at the breakdown and generally making a nuisance of himself.

So despite the scoreline, this was a really encouraging performance against a very strong opposition who were given a really good workout. I'm presuming that Cov will have had some advanced knowledge of the relatively strength of the opposition and as such will have been more than happy that such a relatively young and inexperienced group of players acquitted themselves so well.

Although the contest was very competitive at times, being down 24-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half made me fear the worst. It speaks volumes about the team's character that Cov only lost the second half by a single point, despite the clear physical disparity between the two teams.

Facing a completely fresh group of players in the second 40, it's hard not to be impressed by the stamina and fitness of the Cov XV. There must have been some weary bodies out there at the end of the game and a good few aching bodies, too.

The 908 fans present at the game appeared to value the efforts of both teams, particularly those of the Cov XV. This was a respectable attendance for a Friday match, considering it was essentially an Academy team under a different name. This turnout reflects the increasing interest among Cov supporters in the Academy, which is likely to grow as a few of these players join the first team squad in the coming seasons.

Interestingly, Coventry Rugby sent out a rather cryptic 'tweet' a few hours before the game kicked off, offering the message 'opportunity awaits' and highlighting four individuals - Sammie Erskine, Mason Winterburn, Cam Brown and Emosi Nabakeke.

The exact opportunity that awaited these four and whether they seized it remains uncertain. However, I can't help but feel they all emerged from the event with their reputations intact, if not improved. None of them are senior Academy players, so maybe thereby lies the opportunity...?

Only three of the eight senior Academy players announced earlier in the season were on show on Friday night - Gibson, Varndell and Drew Johnson (captain on the night but playing out of position in the second row). The other five, Joe Johnston, Sam Harding, Matty Thomas, Harry Ingram and Will Smith weren't involved - hopefully we'll get more opportunity to see them all in the not too distant future.

When I got to the stadium, I was rather bemused, taken aback even, to find that the Army had set up a recruitment station on the far side. Considering the average age of a Cov supporter down at the NNS these days, I doubt they had a long line of eager recruits signing up! Still it was interesting to walk around and have a gander at what was on offer although I'm still not sure what they were expecting to get from the evening as far as enrolment was concerned.

I'm honestly having a bit of difficulty with the decision to rename Butts Park Arena to the Nick Newbold Stadium. This is partly because the decision was made rather swiftly following Nick Newbold's passing, and partly because I was so blissfully unaware of his considerable efforts in the background to help the club become one of the top 15 in the country.

I hope this doesn't come across as disrespectful, as that is certainly not my intention. From reading numerous tributes and obituaries, it is clear that Nick Newbold's impact on both the club and the broader Coventry community was significant, and those familiar with him and his role within Cov Rugby appear to broadly support the decision to rename the club.

If the Board deems it suitable, they have every right as the club's owners to proceed, and when the name change becomes official on Saturday, it will be an opportunity for supporters like me to express our appreciation for someone we knew very little about.

This, though, is the issue many supporters face with the stadium's renaming. It's not the concept of changing the name that's troubling, but the fact that the new name is so unfamiliar to many. During the 17 years Nick Newbold was linked with Cov, I can't ever recall hearing his name in conversations I've had with other supporters and I definitely don't remember seeing him on match days (I must confess that I didn't even recognise his photo when his passing was first announced) and I suspect I'm quite typical of most supporters in that regard.

Knowing what I know now, it's clear that behind the scenes Nick Newbold's contribution to the change in the club's fortunes over the past decade in particular (and 17 years in total) has been considerable and it's a great shame that we weren't aware at the time. That said, his relative anonymity is the reason why the renaming has come as something of a shock.

Moreover, in my personal opinion, while I'm not against the renaming the BPA, I would have liked it to be named after someone that the majority of supporters could connect with, someone whose name is strongly linked to the club. And whilst Nick Newbold is that person for some, he isn't for everyone.

Jon Sharp, Peter Rossborough, David Duckham or (and this would have been my preferred choice) Harry Walker would seem to names with whom the vast majority of supporters could identify purely for their contribution to the furthering the good name of the club either on the pitch or off it; preferably both. I suppose the norm for a rename of a stadium is for it to reflect a sporting legend or hero, someone for whom most supporters associated with Cov, and with rugby generally, will have some knowledge.

Initially at least, that won't necessarily be the case with the Nick Newbold Stadium but presumably given time everyone will come to accept it. I'm sure I will eventually, despite my reservations. However, it is what it is and once can only admire the loyalty the Board has shown in its decision to rename the BPA in this way.

Honouring individuals who have significantly contributed to the club can be achieved by renaming bars, banqueting areas (if they are not sponsored), or sections of any future new constructions; hopefully, this will be the case with some, if not all, of the above.

I'll be there on Saturday, part of the celebrations and genuine in my thanks for what Nick Newbold did for the club, even if I wasn't aware of it at the time. However, there it will be the BPA for me for a good while yet...

...the NNS doesn't have quite the same ring to it for me.

Up the Cov...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIxsPBbZ_b8