Doncaster Knights 38 Coventry Rugby 24 - a tale of two halves as Donny power past stuttering Cov

Now I'm free, free fallin'

(Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a

Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a)

Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

(Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a

Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a)

(Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a)

Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

Oh!

Free Fallin' - Tom Petty

After the final whistle and the faces say it all...

Top of the league in mid-December, yet here we are, just 12 games later, mid-table and with a distinct possibility that Saturday's visitors, Nottingham, might yet finish ahead of us when the season concludes in just three weekends.

Perhaps selecting 'Free Fallin'' to accompany this post seems a bit severe, yet it does reflect the dramatic change in the club's fortunes.

Before December, Coventry's performance, even when winning, had been somewhat inconsistent. It's hardly surprising, therefore, that with so many players unavailable since the Pirates' game, victories have been hard to come by. And while injuries might not be the sole reason for many of Cov's indifferent performances since January, they have certainly added to the challenges facing the coaches. Indeed, I'm struggling to remember a sustained period in recent years when so many key players were absent. With a relatively small squad of just 33 players (assuming the official Cov website is correct), it was inevitable that results would be affected.

In our last 12 Championship games, the results have been LLLWLWWLLLL. For a club that has recently experienced a couple of very strong seasons and with hopes of finishing in the top two back in September, this has been something of a reality check.

And as luck would have it, just as the season nears its end, the number of injured players appears to be decreasing.

The inclusion of Matt Johson and Matt Kevesic, along with the return of absentees Tiki Nayalo and Aaron Hinkley to the matchday squad, meant we headed to Donny with significantly more experience in our ranks than in recent weeks. However, even with Kvesic and Nayalo starting, Cov still didn't have enough on the day to overcome a Doncaster side that were excellent value for the win and, as a result, they moved above us in the table.

For 40 minutes, Cov didn't do a lot wrong in fairness, other than to once again concede way too many penalties. From the first whistle they took the game to Donny and started the sharper, but 13 penalties in the first half (I think!) meant that we lost a lot of the territorial advantage we had worked so hard to gain. Had Doncaster's lineout functioned more effectively, Cov's lead of 24-10 at half time might have been reduced somewhat but they contrived to lose four or five on their own throw which greatly benefitted us.

The physical presence of both Kvesic and Nayalo ensured that we looked more competitive than we have at times in the second half of the season, with Kvesic powering over from close range early on. We looked dangerous every time we entered their 22, although much of the threat came from the forwards rather than the backs. The scrum waspretty solid and when James Martin raced over from an interception to put plenty of daylight between the two sides at 10-24, Cov supporters would have been forgiven for starting to believe that they could yet come away with the points.

Even in the first half, though, there were signs that Doncaster possessed the power and pace to worry Cov, especially amongst the backs. On a couple of occasions the back three, although given little room in the opening 40 minutes, did enough to suggest that with more ball and in a bit more space, they could damage us - which is exactly what they did in the final 20 minutes. Their transition from defence to attack appeared far quicker than ours and whilst we tended to be a little flat when we moved the ball wide, Donny were able to break the gain line at pace and make inroads.

Cov's first half performance was another step up from that against Hartpury (which itself had been an improvement on the last couple of games before that) and we got a reminder, if one was needed, of just how much we've missed Kvesic in recent weeks. He was disruptive at the breakdown and led by example, but we continued to incur the wrath of the referee, something that seems to have become a regular occurrence this season. This is probably a naïve thing to say, but at this level, even if a team feels they are being hard done by in terms of the decisions given against them, shouldn't they be a little more adept at playing the ref?

Too often this has been happening for it to be coincidence surely, so either we're doing something fundamentally wrong or we're getting a reputation for committing offences at, or around, the breakdown. (This is where I need someone like Rhys Davies to give me an impromptu lesson on what the problem is so I don't embarrass myself further).

At half-time I 'Xed' that even with the 14-point lead, we'd need to score more points. In the second half we were playing into a stiffish breeze and a strong sun and there was no way that Donny were going to be as profligate in their set piece as they'd been in the first 40.

And so it proved.

The week before, against Hartpury, the defeat was hard to take - we had the beating of them and with so many opportunities in the second half and with so much territorial advantage, there's an argument to be made that we were the better side over the whole 80 minutes.

On Saturday though, the gulf between the two sides was evident in the final 30 minutes or so.

We looked like a side that was lacking in confidence and on a relatively poor run of form, they looked like a side that had gone six Championship games unbeaten. They played as a team, we didn't really. Once again, there was no lack of effort but it just didn't seem to click at all and we struggled to cope with the power and pace of a side that from the moment we went down to 14, believed they had the game won.

It was a really tough watch for me, not least because the players just hadn't performed in that second half - Donny deserve huge credit for that, but there just didn't seem to be a response when it was most needed.

Perhaps all the background noise surrounding who's leaving and who's staying is affecting the players and if that is indeed the case, then I would have some sympathy for them. However, we are a fully professional club these days and you'd hope the players could put such concerns aside once they're out on the pitch.

Donny's backs took full advantage of some tired legs and the likes of Olowofela and Veainu exposed a ragged defence; the longer the game went on, the more Cov's head's seemed to drop. In the final few minutes, Cov appeared to rally, seeing more of the ball and although they tried to attack Donny, there wasn't a great deal of threat. It was all a bit predictable really and there was little creativity in the back line for me with the partnership of Henry and Morris unable to offer anything different.

The final sentence of the report in the Rugby Paper reads: 'Coventry, who've lost four successive league matches, must be wondering how they threw away a match winning position'. Having thought about it for a while, that seems a little harsh on Cov - yes, they were in the lead at half time, but for me on the basis of that second half display, Doncaster Knights are one of the strongest sides we've faced this season (we only beat them by a point at home, remember) and even taking a 14 point lead into the break, it was always going to be a tight game.

Doncaster Knights were expected to be challenging Ealing this season after an expensive summer recruitment drive that saw them bring in some big-name players with plenty of Premiership experience on a playing budget that was, by all accounts, far in excess of Cov's.

Early results were poor, very poor in fact, but the tide seemed to turn when they travelled down to Ealing and beat them on their own (astro)turf 35-36 in early October. They are now showing the kind of form that many had expected of them back in September, so it's no surprise, and certainly no disgrace, that a weakened Cov, itself on a poor run, struggled as we did.

With a number of positives to take out of the game, the weekend's trip up north wasn't quite as disappointing as the second half scoreline (28 unanswered points) might suggest and gives Alex Rae and the coaches plenty to build on for this week in preparation for Nottingham's visit to the BPA on Saturday.

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It isn't hard to see why Castle Park already meets the RFU's Minimum Standards requirements for Premiership rugby. The main pitch (there's also an artificial and at least two other grass ones) has large areas on three of the four current sides to build additional seating to the required 10,000, as well as good access and a large parking area.

It's also well maintained and the pitch has to be the best grass playing surfaces currently in the Championship.

With foot outlets inside and at one end of the ground, queuing for food and drink isn't a problem although there's a lack of choice with the famed cow pie and chips being the biggest seller by a country mile.

With no Josh this weekend, sous chef Steve H kindly took over tasting duties and, not unsurprisingly, opted for the pie. I've included a photo from a previous visit (see below) as I was elsewhere in the ground when Steve was having lunch.

Donny's cow pie is much talked about by visiting supporters but Steve wasn't particularly enamoured with his. Whilst the pie itself was fine - a solid 7/8 - the chips were undercooked and the sides he had with it were bland. Given what he also felt was a lack of choice, Steve awarded a 6 overall, a disappointing result for a club that makes such a meal of its culinary offerings.

Thanks, again, to Steve for stepping into Josh's shoes - not the easiest of jobs given the growing reputation the young maestro is currently enjoying.

So, once again with apologies to Cornish Pirates (it was just a trip too far this year), here are the current standings with just Ealing Trailfinders to come.

1. Chinnor - 9

2. Caldy - 9

3. Cambridge - 8.5

4. Coventry - 8

5. Hartpury - 8

6. Leicester - 7.5 (added for comparison to Prem)

7. Nottingham - 6

8. Doncaster - 6

9. Ampthill - 5.5

10. London Scottish - 5

11. Bedford 4.5

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The reaction of the players at the end of the game showed just how much the defeat had hurt. Some just removed themselves from everyone and sat isolated on the pitch, others looked a little shell-shocked after that second half mauling, having got themselves into a decent lead by the break.

There was a sense of real disappointment too and despite a number of positives to take from the game, the coaches are going to have to work hard to instil the confidence that will be needed if the team is to beat Nottingham at the weekend, another side whose results have picked up a little of late.

With Coventry appearing to make an important announcement regarding those leaving/staying at the BPA on Friday, perhaps once everything is out in the open, the pressure will be off some players and they can concentrate purely on seeing out the remainder of the season.

Whatever the size of the crowd for the Nottingham game, it's bound to be bigger than the 1416 who watched the game at Castle last weekend - I'm not sure how Donny can survive on those sorts of numbers given their expenditure, especially on salaries. If Cov can get the sort of start they enjoyed against Doncaster and the crowd then plays its part, I saw enough on Saturday to believe Cov have the beating of the Archers.

It won't be easy, it seldom has been this season, but Cov are due a good win.

Here's hoping we see it in three days' time.

Up the Cov!

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