Worcester Warriors 29 Coventry Rugby 19 - the Second Sitting of the Last Supper

Another Guru in the money

Another mantra in the mail

An easy way from rags to riches

God's little acre's up for sale

The time is right for resurrection

We think you'd better come down

The church don't ring with hallelujahs

You haven't been for so long

So long, so long

Two thousand years and he ain't shown yet

We kept his seat warm and the table set

The second sitting for the Last

Supper (Supper, Supper)

Second Sitting of the Last Supper - 10CC

10cc's somewhat cynical commentary on Christ's apparent absence for over two millennia might strike some as an unusual way to begin a post about Coventry Rugby's first game of the 2025/26 season against Worcester Warriors.

However, it does share some parallels with the current predicament of Cov's opponents.

Following Worcester's demise over three years ago after it was placed into administration, its supporters, most of them loyal to the core, have sort a quick fix to enable a return to professional rugby - and by 'quick', I mean anything that would avoid the same fate as clubs like Richmond and London Welsh, a place in the lowest leagues of the rugby pyramid.

Put another way, they have prayed for an easy route to salvation. 'An easy way from rags to riches/God's little acre's up for sale'...

But for many fans of Champ clubs outside of Worcester, the current prodigal son of English rugby appears to have sold its very soul to the devil (in the form of the RFU obviously). And it has come to pass that for Worcester Warriors at least, deliverance from its previous sins is indeed at hand and that Bill Sweeney and his faithful disciples, the most unlikely of Messiahs, have given the club a golden ticket to the promised land.

Feast well, my soldiers for tomorrow we go marching as to war, with the cup of Sweeney waiting at our door

Not so for the rest of us, the ones who are poor in spirit, who hunger and thirst for righteousness as well as those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake.

According to Moses, the one who kept taking the tablets, we, the reviled ones who have had all manner of evil falsely said against us for the sake of the RFU's own agenda, ours is the kingdom of heaven.

Not Worcester's...

Yeah, right.

We might be meek but, unlike Worcester, we stand bugger all chance of inheriting the earth.

Amen.

Pardon the scepticism, but with rumours currently circulating that the RFU is undergoing a complete reversal and is now earnestly considering altering the existing promotion/relegation plans and with Prem Chief Executives like Saracens' Charlie Beal making statements such as:

'If a franchise model meant that you could grow the league over time by carefully selecting who would get access to promotion into that league, you could carefully grow it in a sustainable way'

...it's not surprising that many Champ fans think any such change in the agreed pathway would simply be another way to keep both the front and back doors ajar for Worcester Warriors, and potentially London Irish or (less likely) Wasps, to make a return to the top flight.

Even though my middle name is Thomas, I'm sure it's on the RFU's 'to do' list. And sooner rather than later. No doubting that...

And once in, that door will be locked and bolted and the promotion/relegation debate brought to a swift conclusion once and for all.

There are many Cov fans who declined to make the journey down to Sixways for the game yesterday, a protest not against Warriors' fans or even the players (although the defection of one or two of the Cov players at the end of last season does still rankle) but against the club itself.

I understand their decision and I must say there was sizeable part of me that felt uncomfortable making the trip, but in the end yesterday was all about supporting Cov rather than celebrating Worcester's return.

There is no doubt that Worcester's presence in The Champ brings its benefits, too; it would be churlish of me to argue otherwise. It has certainly raised the competition's profile and there is a strong argument to be made that without its presence in the second tier, any television deal would have been far harder to negotiate. But both, for me anyway, are secondary to the inequalities and injustices that have resulted in the RFU's decision to allow Worcester a place in the second tier.

Yes, it's great for their fans and who can't be anything but impressed by the hordes of fans who have returned to Sixways? There was a great atmosphere there yesterday, no arguments about that. However, that alone doesn't justify the RFU's decision to reinstate Worcester, not by a long shot.

However, I do genuinely wish their fans well, if not the club.

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For all my misgivings about Worcester's return to the professional game, I have to say that everyone connected with the club with whom I had contact with yesterday, from stewards to supporters, were uber friendly and helpful. Whilst in no way negating my reservations, it does highlight that the issue is with those who manage the game at the highest levels, rather than with the fans themselves.

I was fairly vocal during the course of the game and sitting in the midst of a section that seemed devoid of any other Cov supporters, I'm sure my nuisance value was high for many there. Had the boot been on the other fault, I would certainly have been rather less accommodating but, much to their credit, several supporters game over to thank us for coming to the game and wishing us luck for the rest of the season. I'm not convinced Cov fans would have been quite so generous of spirit had the game been at the BPA.

The stewards were friendly and proactive and happy to help, not something that is always the case at Cov, especially once inside the ground. Sixways is everything you want from a rugby stadium, designed with the fans very much in mind. Food outlets and toilets are never far away and whilst we didn't venture into the main bar, the top of the East stand where we were had bars and internal seating areas that were open to everyone.

Despite there being a sellout 12000 crowd (according to The Rugby Paper. Just in - official attendance 9000. Many thanks, Graham.), it never felt that big with seating and standing available on three of the four sides and, with a children's play area and a facepainting stall, there was something for the younger fans too.

There were just a couple of gripes. First, the seats in the East stand seemed either a bit smaller than those at the BPA or placed closer together, and sitting next to someone of larger size made it a bit cramped. Second, the PA system was extremely loud, and before the game, trying to have a conversation while seated was futile because you couldn't hear the person next to you. If that's an age thing, then I apologise but both my grandson and daughter had similar difficulties (yes, three generations of the Smith family were there to watch the game yesterday. Needless to say, I felt very blessed).

The lack of a clock was also a pain! Although it might have made those final few minutes of the game that much harder to bear...

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Given the vast number of requests received in the days leading up to yesterday's Champ opener, it would be remiss of me not to include 'The Unofficial Champ Food Watch' in this season's posts, given its previous popularity.

Young Josh, leaner and fitter following a strict summer regimen of exercise and dieting in preparation for another culinary adventure across the nation's Champ stadia, was eager to discover what a former Premiership club had to offer.

He was left a little disappointed.

With several options to choose from including the more classic burgers or fried fish and loaded chips, he quickly decided upon the crispy, aromatic hoisin duck bao bun with katsu chicken tenders and a rice bowl as part of a meal deal.He was pleased to find a healthy alternative to the traditional double cheeseburger and felt that the chicken was freshly cooked and not excessively sauced. However, at £17 and without a drink included in the meal deal (with a bottle of water costing an additional £3), Josh it was overpriced for what it offered, especially compared to similar healthy options available at places like Cambridge, Chinnor, and Caldy last season.

With all this in mind, Josh awarded Worcester a solid 7/10.

So:

The Unofficial Champ Food Watch - 2025/26

1. Worcester Warriors 7

Last season, this would have secured a mid-table spot, but with clubs now more aware than ever that they're being closely watched by Josh, will they have upped their game, or will increasing costs negatively impact their decisions and budgeting?

Stay tuned.

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I felt that having the families of the Worcester players accompany them onto the pitch before kick-off was a nice gesture. I'd be more than happy to see something similar at a future Cov game, especially as the club rightly prides itself on its family-oriented ethos.

I was less enamoured, though, with the decision to include The Champ trophy pitch side as the players exited the tunnel. For those of us, and there are many outside of Worcester Warriors, who feel that Worcester's promotion into The Prem is likely a done deal within the next couple of seasons, it merely serves to heighten that belief, one that wasn't helped by the PA's hope that it would be in the Sixways trophy cabinet at the end of the season.

Me, I love a good conspiracy theory.

Why not take it to Ampthill or Caldy or Chinnor? All the games are televised and for the loyal supporters at those clubs, well it would probably mean a good deal more.

As for the game itself, well there're been plenty of reports written elsewhere by people far more knowledgeable about the game than I am but I'm happy to offer a few observations of my own, more opinions than anything else though.

I'm not sure Cov could have done much more to win the game; for me they gave it their all. They left the pitch battered and bruised, with Morgan Adderley-Jones and Josh Thomas playing on with facial injuries that meant the medical team were conducting running repairs throughout the second half. Cov appeared to give it their all and, indeed, went into half time leading 19-9 and deservedly so. They looked faster and sharper and had the beating of Worcester out wide, with both wingers scoring well-worked tries.

I can't help thinking Cov were probably the worst opposition for Worcester to face in their opening game. Despite all that's been said, or not said as the case may be, the number of players leaving Cov for Worcester at the end of last season, and the manner in which they did so (in at least one case), must have caused some resentment.

Cov surely must have felt they had a point to prove?

They certainly played as if they had.

For 40 minutes they silenced the expectant crowd. Sixways felt eerie at times. Cov got into Worcester faces and clearly under their skin on occasions and with the wind playing its part too, Cov were definitely on top.

The scrum was solid, as it was for most of the game and with Tom Ball stealing some important ball in the lineout, Worcester struggled to break Cov down. I thought defensively we were really well organised and Worcester didn't threaten a great deal, although when they did enter our red zone, they looked ominously strong.

Second half, Worcester were a different proposition altogether. With the wind in their favour, they played with far more intensity - the collisions were harder, the transition quicker and the use of the high ball far more effective. They won the battle at the breakdown and squeezed us of possession. The limited ball that we did get was met by some ferocious tackling (the hit on Dan Green that caused him to spill the ball that led directly to Seabrook's try was immense).

They relied more on physicality than on guile and in the end it proved too much as Cov tired and were forced to play much deeper in their own half. Nonetheless, Cov still had chances to score, with two prime opportunities slipping away. The first came in the initial minute after the restart, and then later, when Oli Morris seemed poised to score, only for the ball to be knocked on in what appears to have been a questionable tackle by Louis Brown. I didn't see the tackle initially, and when I watched the replay, I was concentrating more on the knock-on than on the tackle itself. I'll leave it for others to deliberate on that one...

Conceding a try in the final play of the game was tough to take, but there was an inevitability to it the more the game wore on. I thought we deserved a point from the game, if not two, but in fairness, based on their second half showing, Worcester did enough to deserve the win.

5-0 just seemed a bit harsh at the time and still does almost 24 hours on.

I wasn't as impressed with Worcester as I'd anticipated I'd be. Based solely on this one performance admittedly, they'll need to improve a fair bit if they're to avoid losing a few games throughout the season, even without considering Ealing. Their squad doesn't appear large enough or deep enough in talent to remain unconcerned about injuries to key players.

As for Cov, we looked far better at this stage of the season than I'd expected pre-season. The front 5 look strong and I thought when he came on Aristot Benz-Salomon looked really good with ball in hand, prepared to take the attacker on and with a safe pair of hands, too. Morris looked the pick of the backs and with Adderely-Jones we look to have a mid-field pairing better than anything on show last season (I liked Tom Hitchcock but he flattered to deceive at times, I felt).

Josh Thomas controlled the game well when we were going forward and Pete Sullivan looks a big unit who will cause less organised defences real problems. He doesn't seem to have quite the pace of Opoku-Fordjour or even James Martin but he's physical and strong and a really useful addition to the squad.

With plenty of options from 4-8, if we can remain injury free Alex Rae has the choice of rotating his second/back row in a 'horses for courses' way, as probably was the case with Dan Green playing at 6 yesterday (which seemed to suit him tbf). Morgan Strong worked tirelessly and put in a good shift, but with little space to work in, I don't think we've seen the best of him yet. There were a couple of occasions when he went on the charge but in games where play opens up, I imagine he'll come into his own.

Losing a game is always tough to take, losing against this opposition under these circumstances having battled so hard is doubly so. I'm sure the players will have been gutted as they left the pitch yesterday, but hopefully the coaches will have seen enough to know that Cov weren't too far off the pace and if the goal is a top four finish (which is perhaps one or two places higher than I would have put it pre-season), then they're certainly on track...

Bedford next weekend presents another tough challenge but I'll be heading to the BPA confident that with Cov playing at home, and showing the same levels of intensity and belief that we saw for much of yesterday's game, then Cov have every chance of securing their first points of the season...

Up the Cov!

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