Coventry Rugby 67 Nottingham 5 - crowd get a glimpse of the future as Cov youngsters put Archers to the sword

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's alright

Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter

Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's alright

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

It has indeed been a long, cold winter, but yesterday the sun reappeared both literally and metaphorically, bringing warmth to the hearts of the Coventry faithful and with it a glimpse of what could yet be in store for those who have found the past few months as challenging as they have been exasperating.

Alex Raw had earlier requested supporters to remain patient and continue backing his young team despite some below-par performances. Who would have imagined that only a week later they would be rewarded with an 11-try thrashing of Nottingham, a team that had dealt Cov one of its most painful defeats of the season back in late December?

For me, one of the more encouraging aspects of this victory is that it was achieved with just four, possibly five, of those departing in the starting XV.

In the pack, only Matt Kvesic and Rhys Anstey are on their way out, while in the backs, Jake Henry and Logan Trotter are also leaving. I'm intentionally not including Sam Maunder in this count as his name wasn't on the initial list of those leaving, and there was talk at the ground yesterday that he might return next season if a deal can be finalised.

Additionally, my grandson is convinced that the mysterious blank space labelled 'Coming Soon' in the list of new signings released on Friday is a silhouette of Maunder. I hope he’s right. I'm not convinced but he has an annoying habit of making the right call...

Be it 4 or 5, it matters little, 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 most for me.

Owen (21) and Green (20) are powerful, robust carriers who attack the line with force and can seriously challenge opposition defences with ball in hand. Add to them the likes of Ball (23), Mackenzie Graham (22), and the highly regarded Morgan Strong (24), then there's the foundations of a very effective pack, complemented by seasoned front rowers with extensive experience, both those in the current squad who are remaining and those incoming.

I strongly believe in the saying 'you reap what you sow,' and for several years, Coventry has been dedicated to nurturing young talented players within its own Academy, giving them opportunities early if they demonstrate the potential to succeed at senior level. Martin, Opoku-Fordjour, and Ball are prime examples of this approach. Moreover, the club has acquired players like Owen, who came from the Leicester Academy but chose Coventry as the better option. In short, Coventry Rugby has backed itself to unearth young talent, much of it local and the success of such an approach is clear to see. And with an increased pool of youngsters announced last week, the conveyor belt of talent looks to be moving quite nicely, thank you very much.

Yesterday's victory was much-needed, breaking a dismal run of results that had prompted fans to start questioning the players, coaches, and even the club itself. The sense of relief at the final whistle was evident, and the smiles on everyone's faces showed just how painful these past few weeks have been. However, the real significance of it perhaps lies in the individual performances of some of those aforenamed youngsters. Give them a season or two and, provided the big boys don't come knocking at the door, this could be a very exciting group of players to watch.

What a difference a week makes ('just 168 little hours' for fans of Dinah Washington - sorry, force of habit).

In the first half against Donny, Cov gave away 13 penalties in the first half alone. Yesterday, it was just 6 during the entire 80 minutes. So instead of conceding hard-earned territory, Cov had a foundation on which to build and this improved discipline was key to ensuring that Nottingham weren't able to get a foot in the game in those early minutes when it looked as if it was going to be a much tighter game than it obviously proved to be.

The game seemed to turn on Ryan Olowefela's yellow card after 12 minutes. Up to that point there wasn't much to call between the two sides, with Coventry being forced to defend deep in their own 22 on a couple of occasions. Then, for some reason best known to himself, Olowefela had a rush of blood to the head. With Coventry already enjoying an advantage deep in the visitor's half, the Nottingham flier went for an impossible interception. An outthrust arm was rightly deemed a deliberate knock on by the referee, allowing Cov the bonus of the extra player for 10 minutes.

And Cov took full advantage, scoring shortly afterwards.

And what a score it was. Cometh the hour and all that...

David Opoku-Fordjour has come on heaps and bounds this season but until yesterday perhaps hadn't scored the number of tries his ability merits. One of the things that has endeared him most to the Cov crowds is the work he does off the ball. His defence is really good for someone who's only made 23 appearances and is still relatively inexperienced at this level. He's exceptionally quick to contest the ball after a tackle and has won plenty of turnovers and numerous penalties this season from isolating the attacker and forcing him to hold on as he awaits support. Unfortunately, though, he hasn't seen a great deal of ball out wide and often has had to go for looking for it.

But on Saturday he had that opportunity and boy did he use it.

Mathews and Maunder opted early on to kick behind Nottingham's defensive line, allowing DO-F to run on to the ball and show just what electric acceleration and speed he has. He gave his man a good 10 metres for his first try but outpaced him with some ease, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.

His second try, just three minutes later, was a re-run.

The irony of this wasn't lost on those supporters who'd endured the Cov defeat over at Lady Bay back in December; it was Nottingham then that used their kicking game to break Cov down, with Olowefela scoring a hattrick of tries himself that day. Yesterday, good as he is, the Nottingham wing was given a look in.

5 tries on Saturday put David O-F in the record books - no other Cov player has scored more tries in a competitive game in the modern era. He appears quiet and unassuming, on the pitch at least, but moments like yesterday should give him the confidence to go on and break a few more records too - wearing a Cov shirt, hopefully.

Cov were good value for their 24-0 half-time lead and although they did manage to get on the scoresheet six minutes into the second half, they looked bereft of ideas or confidence as the game went on. With the game all but won after 55 minutes or so, Rae had the luxury of bringing on fresh legs and in the last 25 minutes, Cov scored 7 unanswered tries.

I've already mentioned the impact Dan Green made when he arrived on to the pitch, but Poole and Hinkley both deserve a mention in dispatches too. Both were fired up and ripped into the opposition - perhaps with points to prove albeit very different in nature. Jordon Poole was clearly gutted at the end of the Donny game, he's a natural leader on the pitch and will have taken the responsibility of the defeat on his shoulders, especially after his yellow card. He was everywhere yesterday and added another level of physicality just as Nottingham were tiring.

Aaron Hinkley, hasn't been offered a contract for next year. He arrived with a bit of a reputation, but aside from a recent 3-game suspension, he hasn't shown much on the field to warrant that. Similar to Poole, he brings plenty of physicality into games and is a real disruptor during matches. His departure has likely surprised and disappointed many fans, considering his commitment on the field—perhaps the issues are rooted elsewhere, possibly in training. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching him play and hope to see him return to the Championship next season.

Josh Barton and Tom Hitchcock both looked sharp too, with Hitchcock bagging a brace of tries for himself and leaving many wondering why he hasn't been able to rekindle the kind of form we saw from him last season. Barton had a great little cameo yesterday, sniping away with both pace and strength, with one memorable break leading to a try under the posts.

If Maunder does indeed sign on the dotted line (please!), it would be hard to find a better foil for the Exeter man. I've mentioned it before, but having Barton come on for the final 25-30 minutes of a game with all the energy he offers could be a really effective use of the no 9. He'll obviously start games too, but used in that Pete White role, I think he'll unlock many a tired defence.

With Ealing to come next weekend, Saturday's result was just the fillip Cov needed. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Cov push Ealing a lot harder than most have done down at Vallis Way and if it is a tight game going into the last quarter, well on the evidence of this weekend, Cov has the bench to make life very difficult for the league champions.

The Nottingham result mustn't mask what has been a really disappointing post-Christmas run, the worst I imagine since we joined the Championship in 2018. Injuries aside, we've still not performed at the levels expected but what we saw yesterday should give us hope, belief even, that if there's enough depth to the squad (only 26 players have been announced as of today) then we should be looking at a play-off place next season. And those extra games are important as much for the financial rewards as anything...a couple of home games, played in front of a capacity crowd makes a significant addition to the coffers I imagine.

Even after all the excitement of yesterday's game, I won't be sorry to see the back of this season. There have been some highs and a fair few lows but, in all honesty, the lows have been lower than any of the highest highs with perhaps the exception of the Leicester win. I've already renewed my season ticket and, right now, conversations about Cov with Josh are focused more on the new players and next season rather than the rest of this one.

Yesterday's crowd was another in the high 2000s, a decent size but well below last season's average and itself indicative of the poor run Cov has endured in recent weeks (with the old player's reunion dinner before the game, hospitality in the marquee looked busy though!). Hopefully, the final game of the season, and a chance to say our farewells to those leaving, will bring a few more back.

In between that though, there's that trip down to West London...

Not one for the faint-hearted.

Up the Cov!

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I couldn't find the Beatles version on YouTube but George Harrison's is probably better known anyway.