Coventry Rugby 41 Cornish Pirates 26 - 15 men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a Happy New Year

Get Out From That Kitchen

And Rattle Those Pots And Pans,

Get Out From That Kitchen

And Rattle Those Pots And Pans.

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;

Shake Rattle And Roll - Bill Haley and the Comments

Cornish 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.

Outside of perhaps the opening defeat to Worcester back in October, for me this was arguably our best performance of the season so far against opposition who played far better than their lowly league position suggests.

In some respects, the fixture list has done Pirates few favors, with their final five games of Block 2 being Warriors (a), Bedford (h), Chinnor (a), Ealing (h), and Cov (a) - it doesn't come much tougher than that. Cov were fortunate to get these games out of the way early on, and although we'd lost to both Hartpury and Donny since, we had built up a head of steam that enabled us to go into Thursday's fixture full of confidence. It was that confidence and self-belief that partially enabled us to withstand a Pirates comeback, which could have caused us more trouble, as seen in some of our second-half performances earlier in the season.

Cov also benefitted from having an extra day to recover after the Christmas fixtures, playing on the Friday whereas Pirates played on the Saturday, making the long journey up on Wednesday and staying overnight in Cov. Not an easy ask of any team.

We have occasionally been naive under pressure this season, which has been costly for us on more than one occasion. However, I believe the team's performance against Pirates demonstrated a maturity and determination that is highly promising for the remainder of the season and beyond. Although Pirates are currently positioned in the lower half of the Champ table, they have a group of forwards that posed significant challenges for Cov in the scrum and were flawless in the line-out, where we chose not to contest their throws for much of the game. Once again, Dan Hiscocks at 9 was a thorn in our side all afternoon, and their backs showed that they were always a threat with ball in hand.

Yet despite this, Cov were the better side and fully deserved the win although as a Pirates supporter I'd have felt a little hard done by when they failed to secure the second bonus point despite having so much possession in our 22 min those final, pulsating minutes.

Cov went into the break 27-12 up and had it not been for a spark of genius from Josh Thomas on 37 minutes, then it could have been a lot tighter. With three minutes to go before the half time whistle, Pirates had an attacking scrum, midfield on our 40, and opted to go right but a thumbing tackle from Dafyd-Rhys Tiueti caused the visitors to knock the ball forward.

That in itself was a big moment but from the ensuing scrum, Maunder switched play to the left and Thomas's left foot did the rest - from fully 55 metres an inch perfect kick struck the corner post forcing a Pirates' defender to carry it over for a Cov scrum 5m out.

In the following minutes, Cov maintained pressure on the Pirates' line. Although a clearance seemed like it would be conclusive, Cov ultimately scored when Tiki Nayalo powered his way over from a short distance. Typically reserved on the rugby field, Tiki was visibly delighted, pounding his fist on the ground and tossing the ball away in celebration. He clearly grasped the importance of this score at that moment in the game...

It was a stunning kick from Thomas, and his chase, together with that of Morgan Adderly-Jones, was characteristic of the efforts put in by everyone all afternoon. Cov could have just put the ball into touch at any point after the 40 minutes had elapsed, but for a good four or five minutes, they continued pummeling the Pirates' defence and, in the end, got the result their efforts deserved, with the added advantage that Pirates had a player binned in the process.

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A crowd of 3600 plus was a further improvement on previous attendances this season but still below where we were 12 months or so ago. The atmosphere was the best its been all season for me and the crowd really got behind the team at key moments although it didn't feel like the main stand was full and certainly there were plenty of empty seats near us in Block 5.

The photo above is taken from ClubberTV's coverage of the game just minutes after kickoff and serves to illustrate just how 'empty' the main stand was, given we were told that it was close to being sold out. Increasingly, spectators are taking their seats well after kickoff, which is frustrating for those watching, as there is a constant series of interruptions followed by more 20 or so minutes later as people leave to either refuel or for a trip to the loo. A polite message on the PA asking everyone to take their seats before kickoff wouldn't go amiss (and only to return when there's a break in play!).

Maybe some of these empty seats belong to those involved in the pre-match hospitality meal before the game (which seemed to be a buffet rather than waitress served?)? From a distance it looked like a good few punters had decided to stay for the duration in the relative warmth of the main marquee rather than brave the elements.

We'd got the ground early as always and up until 2.15 or so the ground was eerily quiet, so much so that we actually walked trough the main bar area at one point (the first time this season) just to check whether people had decided to stay inside given it was a bit 'mis' outdoors.

There must have been a big influx of folk in the final 45 minutes or so which presumably put added pressure on the various bars and refreshment areas which also might explain why so many seats were empty at 3.00 pm.

The Food Corner, a recent outdoor addition, certainly wasn't doing a brisk trade prior to 2.30 when we took our seats, even with the free glass of mulled wine for the first 250 (?) customers. Whoever decided to use the old turnstiles as tables (see above) deserves a commendation - recycling at its best! If ever they re sold on, I think I'd be first in the queue - who wouldn't want one of them in their garden. Just fabulous!

There wasn't much in the way of food available really, given this was the largest crowd of the season, just a couple of vans selling either burgers and fries or some Greek options. Josh went for fried halloumi and chips (he's gone vegetarian for the month of January!) which apparently looked better than it actually was, as the salad lying on top of the chips had made them go soggy.

At £10 it was fairly expensive given it wasn't a big meal on its own - the £7 for a pie and chips on offer through the club would seem a better bet even if it isn't overly healthy.

With just one club participating in any pre-match activities on the field before the game (Brakers Butts?), there was a noticeable lack of children around the stadium. This absence might explain the missing excitement leading up to the game. While children can sometimes be overwhelming when they're everywhere, their presence does add energy, and before kick-off, their absence was felt (by me anyway).

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When the squad for the Pirates' game was first announced, I was more than a little concerned that Cov had opted for a 4/4 split, but it actually worked very well, for which the coaches deserve plenty of credit. It's not unusual to see it as high as 6/2 in the modern era, so to only have four forwards on the bench seemed a bit of a gamble, one presumably brought about by injuries/lack of availability rather than purely tactical reasons. With no obvious backrow cover (although both Tiki and Dan Green could be switched), any early injuries could have been costly. However, as it was, the only player who struggled before the break seemed to be Pete Sullivan, who was playing on one leg for the last few minutes (he didn't look like he wanted to come off at all!).

Our scrum, so often the dominant force in recent games, struggled to make an impact and was forced to concede a few penalties throughout the first half - credit to Keston Lines and a returning Mikey Summerfield who seemed stabilise the back when the changes were made on 65 minutes.

In tough conditions, with rain and a stiff breeze making handling potentially very difficult, Cov produced a very disciplined display, and their ball retention was a good deal better than the Pirates' for the most part. When Cov got themselves into the Pirates' 22, more often than not they left with points on the board, although they did waste a couple of golden opportunities in each half.

With three weeks until the next game, the first of which is presumably a free week for the players, Alex Rae was probably able to keep players on longer than he might otherwise have done, which perhaps explains why young Murray Davidson was the only replacement who didn't get a run out. While he must have been disappointed, arguably with Suva Ma'asi's long-term injury he's already probably had more first-team rugby than he might have expected back in September.

Allan Ferries opened the scoring, having outpaced their center in the process of scoring after hitting the perfect angle, and a successful penalty saw Cov 10 points up in as many minutes, and it looked like the Pirates might be overrun in the opening quarter. However, a quick response saw the visitors suddenly find their mojo, and all of a sudden, it was a real contest. The Pirates' game is built principally on the power of their forwards and the guile of their halfbacks, with backs who will always threaten if the gaps are there. Cov did really well to weather the storm for the next 10-15 minutes, and the Tiki try in added time in the first half was the icing on the cake.

However, it was in the final quarter that we really saw what this squad is capable of, holding firm under some real pressure from Pirates as they hit our line with everything they had. Cov were so disciplined, giving away little in terms of penalties and causing Pirates to make several unforced errors, the result of an organised and very workman-like defence. It was a real team performance which was thoroughly appreciated by an increasingly noisy crowd.

The added time try, either the icing on the cake or the final nail in the coffin depending on who you support, was a classic - Api Bavadra picking up on a lose ball in our 22 and barging through the first defender to gallop away, chased by three Pirate defenders. Without the legs to finish, he angled his run cleverly to allow the impressive Tom Miles time to take the pass and offload to a grateful Ewan Baker who walked over to score.

Tom Miles looked really sharp again, firing bullet passes either side to keep his players going forward wherever possible and only kicking when it was absolutely necessary. On the days when either Maunder or Barton aren't available, Miles looks a natural fill-in, with the potential to be another Will Lane for sure... and look where he is now!

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This is still a young team, and with numerous new additions, we've only just begun to witness their true potential. However, it's still quite early. If we can maintain this group of players and strengthen it where necessary, we have the foundation for a very strong side—one as competitive as any since our return to The Champ. While we may not have the big names like the Pellegrinis, Wands, Riggs, and Chudleys (thanks, Graham!) as in the past, this group appears collectively stronger than in previous seasons. Watching them on their journey is exciting and although there are plenty of obstacles still to come before the end of the season, Bedford in three weeks time being but the first, I'm as confident as one can be that we're in line for a top six finish in a few months time.

Up the Cov!

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