London Scottish 29 Coventry Rugby 54 - pipers' lament for brave Scottish as Cov cut loose
- 1874tsmith
- 20 hours ago
- 8 min read
O flowers of Scotland
When will we see your like again?
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
The hills are bare now
And Autumn leaves lie thick and still
O'er land that is lost now
Which those so dearly held
Flower of Scotland - The Corries
One of the more distinctive features of games against Scottish at the RAG over the years is the presence of a solitary piper who greets both teams as they enter the field before the match begins and performs at various intervals during the game.
It's an evocative sound that strongly connects with the home supporters. 'Flower of Scotland', of course, has historically served as a rallying anthem for the Scottish during closely contested games both club and international sides.
Yesterday, though, with the home team battling for their lives near the bottom of the table and confronting a genuine risk of relegation through the playoffs in May, the presence of two pipers felt more like a lament for the London Scottish team this time.
Despite a determined performance that earned them a deserved bonus point, the gap between the two sides widened the more the game progressed.
Cov struggled a little to find the kind of fluency we have so often seen since the opening few games of the season and despite scoring 8 tries, they were never really firing on all cylinders. Scoring 50 points in any game suggests a dominant display, but for me it wasn't quite such an impressive performance as the scoreline might suggest. Defensively, we struggled a little in our 22 after the first 20 minutes in which we won two really important turnovers that prevented Scottish from getting any sort of stranglehold on the game. Cov were never quite able to kill the game off until Varndell and Reeves scored in the final 10 minutes.
Interestingly, before the game, Cov led The Champ with more offloads than any other team in the league this season. They seem to have adapted better than most to the recent law changes regarding the lowering of the tackle, which now make offloads less risky than before, as noted by Shaun Edwards in today's The Rugby Paper. But that is true of the opposition, too, which is perhaps one reason why we're seeing more tries scored, and conceded obviously, this season.
Cov's commitment to an attack-focused strategy has certainly been rewarding this season, with only Ealing scoring more than their 793 points. However, in contrast, 8 teams have conceded fewer points (607). This style makes for an entertaining watch, but the reality is that Cov will occasionally lose a game due to their adventurous approach. As a spectator, that's a risk I'm happy for them to take, although were promotion at stake with all the 'rewards' that brings, perhaps they would need to rein themselves in just a little.
Certainly, in recent seasons, Cov fans have consistently had great value for their money. While I'm sure the loyal supporters of teams like Chinnor and Caldy are just as content to see their teams win, even if it's occasionally less attractive with matches focused on set pieces and driving mauls, I prefer watching Cov, knowing there will be times when we make some mistakes and drop points and when a more disciplined approach in tighter games might be required. Cov plays to its strengths these days and these lie in a faster, more expansive style of rugby than perhaps we saw pre-Winter.
In Opoku-Fordjour, Sullivan, Bavadra, Reeves and Varndell, we have some real options out wide if and when all are fit at the same time, but that might all change when next season's squad is eventually announced. If we can keep four of them, we'll have some real pace and skill amongst the wingers.
Opoku-Fordjour might have been playing his 50th game for Cov but yesterday it was very much Reeves and young Taio Varndell who stole the limelight, with Varndell scoring a try on his debut having been on the pitch for just 9 minutes. (Sue came along yesterday and having watched Varndell for the first time turned to me and said, 'I've got the perfect song to accompany your blog - Roberta Flack's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Pace').
Tommy Mathews once again showcased an impressive performance at 10. Although many think that a fit Josh Thomas would be the preferred choice for fly-half, Mathews has proven he can effectively fill that role himself. In challenging conditions yesterday, his kicking from hand was outstanding, whereas his counterpart, Wilstead, struggled with the strong, gusty wind.
He consistently pressured the opposition with kicks that led to a series of fumbles, putting them on the defensive and providing us with numerous attacking opportunities from those fumbles (often recovered by a revitalised Matt Johnson or resulting from a dominant scrum where there was no immediate advantage). In fact, Scottish couldn't handle the high ball at all, allowing Cov to repeatedly gain significant ground from defensive situations. Mathews might have had an off day from the tee last weekend but yesterday he converted 7 from 8 attempts and whilst some were from in front of the post, Scottish only converted 2 of their 5 tries.
Once again, the pack delivered a dominant performance with the Scottish scrum being regularly penalised for what appeared to be front row infringements. Despite missing Nayalo, Cov's forwards were in control for much of the game and Cov's scrum was so dominant that Scottish conceded 6 consecutive penalties at one point and a yellow card in the process.
Not long ago, Cov's scrum was considered a weak point. However, over the past few seasons, that's no longer the case. Initially with Johnson's arrival, followed by the continuous improvement of Salt (along with significant contributions from Trinder and Poole/Suva, and more recently Davidson), the scrum has become a real strength. As a result, most teams have found it tough going competing with us in the set piece.
The work rate of the back row also one of the key areas of this current squad, with Ferrie, Ball and Strong arguably up there with the best the league has to offer. But their life is made that much easier because as locks both Nayalo and Dan Green play as extra flankers in many ways. Yes, Nayalo was absent yesterday but Green was everywhere and it was no surprise that he popped up in support to score Cov's 5th try of the afternoon.
Nayalo's physicality is a real asset but Jack Shine has been unlucky in many respects not to have had more starts...he's a big lad who put in a big shift yesterday, scoring the opening try and putting himself about a bit in the areas it mattered most.
As so often happens, over the course of the season the squad has become that much tighter and with a mixture of experience and youth, there is much to look forward to if Alex Rae can keep them together for another season or so. However, despite what the RFU might argue, The Champ remains a shop window for the Premiership, a bargain basement one at that, and we have come to accept that several of the key performers are likely to move on to bigger, though not necessarily better things, at the end of every season.
If, however, the core of the squad does stay intact, then with a few new additions and the promotion of one or two Senior Academy players to the First Team squad, we'll have the foundation for a more competitive team, and the gap between Ealing and us will likely narrow further. If there were sort of value added methodology to compare the cost of assembling a squad against its effectiveness on the field, I doubt Ealing would dominate The Championship as much as it currently does. This highlights the impressive ability of the coaches at Coventry (and elsewhere) to achieve such results within the budgets available to them. That's not just the case at Cov of course, the likes of Chinnor would feature highly, too. When Coventry plays the entertaining and expansive rugby we've witnessed for much of this season, then we supporters have even more to appreciate.
Less than 1000 supporters turned up at the RAG yesterday and given a good 100+ were Cov supporters, it doesn't strengthen the argument (if, indeed, there is one) that The Champ's popularity has increased since the RFU's enforced changes earlier in the season.
Certainly, the impact of ClubberTV has done little to raise awareness if current attendance levels in rugby's second tier are anything to go by and Elior UK, the league's new sponsor, is going to have it's work cut out if it is to have the kind of impact on The Champ that we're all hoping for over the next couple of seasons.
I will miss clubs like Cambridge and possibly Scottish next season, as they embody everything positive about the game at this level, albeit it for differing reasons. Scottish brings a history and tradition to the sport that should always be acknowledged, while Cambridge represents the quintessential community club operating on a limited budget, perfectly suited for the pyramid system. They have deservedly secured their place in the league and have made many friends in the process.
However, I do acknowledge that National One clubs like Plymouth and Blackheath, both of which have much stronger support and possess significant history and ambition themselves, will likely contribute as much, if not more, to the league if either or both are promoted. The excitement of relegation and promotion is what makes the game far more engaging and enjoyable. The RFU's decision to eliminate this dynamic from the Premiership is a serious misstep, leaving those outside the top tier with scant regard for the game's governing body.
Sorry, I digress...
The RAG is very much a ground that has been lost in time, a reminder of a previous era before the advent of the professional game. It's the only ground I know of in the top three leagues where you get your hand stamped when you enter the main ground, and I'm not aware of any alterations their over the last decade or so. It's tired and in need of a makeover and with Scottish sharing the ground with Richmond, it's in constant use (at least three or four games on a Saturday with more on a Sunday) - yet for all that it has a charm of its own. Barring a disaster for both clubs, at least one of either Richmond or Scottish will be in The Champ next season - I'd miss my visits there.
(Blackheath has seldom been a happy hunting ground for Cov - a few nightmares still linger from previous games at the old Rectory Field).
Josh was pleasantly surprised to find a new culinary experience at the RAG - a pizza twist. It was essentially a baguette-shaped pizza with a margherita filling. The concept was great, but the execution was somewhat lacking, as it was too doughy and didn't have enough filling.
However, after spending a couple of hours in the car, he needed something to eat, and this fitted the bill. At £6.50, it wasn't rated as badly as it could have been, with his hunger affecting his judgment more than it probably should have. But he is the arbiter of all things food-related on a match day, mine is not to reason why...
In the end, Josh awarded it a respectable 6.5, putting it slightly behind the Richmond score which is ironic given it's a groundshare.
So Unofficial Champ Food Watch Scores for 2025/26 are currently:
Caldy 8.5
Cambridge 8.25
Doncaster Knights 8.0
Chinnor 7.5
Ampthill 7
Worcester Warriors 7
Richmond 7
Coventry Rugby 6.5
London Scottish
Bedford Blues 3.5
With just Nottingham and Pirates to come, Caldy are in pole position to take this year's trophy, although Nottingham under the lights is just the right place for an upset.
Next week though it's back to the...erm...the Nick Newbold Stadium and the visit of Caldy who almost caused an upset of their own by giving Ealing the fright of their season, going down 19-21 up at Paton Field. They're be on a high I should imagine and confident they could go one step further and turn us over at ours.
Not a game for the faint-hearted if some of the previous encounters between the two teams are anything to go by...
Should be a corker.
Up the Cov!
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