Harbury 26 - 0 Coventrians
Covents Second Best but Keep Respect Intact
On another sunny and breezy Saturday, Covents duly arrived at Harbury’s top of the league party with 8 regulars absent and cast in the role of sacrificial lambs. I arrived 5 minutes after kick-off as Springy drove over via The Panama Canal and encouraged by a large home crowd and 20 plus Covents supporters, both sides had started at a frenetic pace.
This game was almost a carbon copy of Keresley last week as poor positional kicking put Harbury’s slick, pacy backs in for three tries by the 31st minute as again our play seemed fragmented and individual rather than as a team. Feeling a little complacent, a Harbury flanker was overheard to say, “We’ve got ‘em now boys” and perhaps thinking our neck was to be wrung like a chicken. To quote Churchill, “Some Chicken, Some Neck!”
Half – Time 0 - 19
A different Covents took the field in the second half. A Covents that we all recognize and love. A spirited, passionate Covents, firing on all cylinders. Within 5 minutes the pack, driven forward by veteran No 8 Trevor Roberts and featuring an aggressive Giz at second row, were participating in their now weekly ritual of camping in the opposition 22. They were rumbling now, first-half cobwebs blown away, picking and driving, mauling and rucking, whipped into a frenzy by the belligerent Brum-Half (playing in flanker mode) the blue and white eight pounded at Harbury’s door time and time again. Powerful drives by Danny Pearson and Trevor Roberts, crash balls from Steve Vallis, surging runs from DJ or Carter were all soaked up by a solid Harbury defence but after every such exchange a red and white would lie injured such was the ferocity of the blue pack attack.
Similarly, the backs were doing their job when called upon; marshalled by Dougie at fly-half, winger Alan Bedford raiding out wide and Paul Brindley nearly in at the opposite corner before being bundled into touch. At the resulting lineout, Joe Swaffield once again cleaned out - he was a towering presence all day. At one point Trevor Roberts picked from the base, three yards out and taking several Harbury forwards with him, got over and down to score but was smothered and held up by good tackling. With 20 mins to go, Covents secret weapon, The Silver Fox (Deano) entered the fray and notched up the heat in Harbury’s kitchen by a few more degrees with his committed, aggressive play. Fair play to Harbury though, they withstood the heat and didn't leave the kitchen.
That said, Covents were in their half for almost 35 minutes with Harbury only kicking out three times only to return to desperate defence. When, in the last 10 they did counter, a series of big hits from full-back Simon kept our defensive line intact and as we entered the 5th minute of injury time, just as it looked like we’d draw the second-half 0-0 Harbury luckily scored a try from a rebound that they didn’t really deserve and the referee blew for time as the successful conversion was landed for 0 – 26.
So, congratulations to Harbury who will finish top if Redditch fails to win on Tuesday. League tables don’t lie, if you’re top you’re the best but once again, the blue boys put in a mighty day at the office. A second-half of blood, sweat, guts and determination made sure that once again, respect was due and left us supporters proud but wondering what if we’d played like that in the first-half. Not so good for the three quarters who would probably have needed to bring something to read but horses for courses as they say.
Don’t like to single anyone out but one or two mentions here; Wozza who shook everyone’s hand at the end saying that he’s retiring to play only second team rugby next season. (Yeah right) You're a long time retired big man, surely there's one more season of terrorizing opposition props left in you? Giz and Trev the two veterans who looked like they’d never been away, Simon for a standout performance at full-back, Swaff in the lineout and Cozzy for joining the backs in the second-half. Not to mention centre Lenny who with that ponytail, looked like a young John Kenny.
Highlights of the match – Deadeye Doug’s torpedo that found touch and then Springy’s car and Steve Vallis’s hand off that missed causing him to fall over. Finally Danny Pearson, throwing in from a lineout to number one jumper Vallis 3 yards out so hard that he knocked him over.
Boys I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed watching this season, I can hardly wait for September to roll round - Coventrians RFC – you know it makes sense!
This game was almost a carbon copy of Keresley last week as poor positional kicking put Harbury’s slick, pacy backs in for three tries by the 31st minute as again our play seemed fragmented and individual rather than as a team. Feeling a little complacent, a Harbury flanker was overheard to say, “We’ve got ‘em now boys” and perhaps thinking our neck was to be wrung like a chicken. To quote Churchill, “Some Chicken, Some Neck!”
Half – Time 0 - 19
A different Covents took the field in the second half. A Covents that we all recognize and love. A spirited, passionate Covents, firing on all cylinders. Within 5 minutes the pack, driven forward by veteran No 8 Trevor Roberts and featuring an aggressive Giz at second row, were participating in their now weekly ritual of camping in the opposition 22. They were rumbling now, first-half cobwebs blown away, picking and driving, mauling and rucking, whipped into a frenzy by the belligerent Brum-Half (playing in flanker mode) the blue and white eight pounded at Harbury’s door time and time again. Powerful drives by Danny Pearson and Trevor Roberts, crash balls from Steve Vallis, surging runs from DJ or Carter were all soaked up by a solid Harbury defence but after every such exchange a red and white would lie injured such was the ferocity of the blue pack attack.
Similarly, the backs were doing their job when called upon; marshalled by Dougie at fly-half, winger Alan Bedford raiding out wide and Paul Brindley nearly in at the opposite corner before being bundled into touch. At the resulting lineout, Joe Swaffield once again cleaned out - he was a towering presence all day. At one point Trevor Roberts picked from the base, three yards out and taking several Harbury forwards with him, got over and down to score but was smothered and held up by good tackling. With 20 mins to go, Covents secret weapon, The Silver Fox (Deano) entered the fray and notched up the heat in Harbury’s kitchen by a few more degrees with his committed, aggressive play. Fair play to Harbury though, they withstood the heat and didn't leave the kitchen.
That said, Covents were in their half for almost 35 minutes with Harbury only kicking out three times only to return to desperate defence. When, in the last 10 they did counter, a series of big hits from full-back Simon kept our defensive line intact and as we entered the 5th minute of injury time, just as it looked like we’d draw the second-half 0-0 Harbury luckily scored a try from a rebound that they didn’t really deserve and the referee blew for time as the successful conversion was landed for 0 – 26.
So, congratulations to Harbury who will finish top if Redditch fails to win on Tuesday. League tables don’t lie, if you’re top you’re the best but once again, the blue boys put in a mighty day at the office. A second-half of blood, sweat, guts and determination made sure that once again, respect was due and left us supporters proud but wondering what if we’d played like that in the first-half. Not so good for the three quarters who would probably have needed to bring something to read but horses for courses as they say.
Don’t like to single anyone out but one or two mentions here; Wozza who shook everyone’s hand at the end saying that he’s retiring to play only second team rugby next season. (Yeah right) You're a long time retired big man, surely there's one more season of terrorizing opposition props left in you? Giz and Trev the two veterans who looked like they’d never been away, Simon for a standout performance at full-back, Swaff in the lineout and Cozzy for joining the backs in the second-half. Not to mention centre Lenny who with that ponytail, looked like a young John Kenny.
Highlights of the match – Deadeye Doug’s torpedo that found touch and then Springy’s car and Steve Vallis’s hand off that missed causing him to fall over. Finally Danny Pearson, throwing in from a lineout to number one jumper Vallis 3 yards out so hard that he knocked him over.
Boys I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed watching this season, I can hardly wait for September to roll round - Coventrians RFC – you know it makes sense!
posted by coventrians at
18:34:00
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