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Coventrians RFC vs Upton-Upon-Severn RFC
paul McIntosh6 Dec 2021 - 11:20
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Coventrians hold out for narrow victory
A cold, biting wind blew across the Black Pad, where Coventrians played host to Upton-Upon-Severn RFC. A player shortage in previous games led to a big call out to bring previous players back to the club they all love, with some ex-players returning to wear the shirt with pride.
Before the game, Coach Goddard and Captain Callum Craig set out the game plan, utilising the wind when available, Coventrian grunt when it wasn’t. Upton won the toss and chose to play with the wind in the first half.
A decision which seemed to pay off almost immediately for the visitors, as some strong running through the middle of the field earned Upton a penalty right in front of the posts within the first few minutes. 0-3 to Upton.
Coventrians soon turned on the power however, when the first scrum was won against the head by a strong Coventrians pack, which was the general story of the first half. Upton began shipping penalties themselves and Coventrians controlled the possession and territory despite the prevailing conditions.
After a couple of handling errors at the back of the scrum in promising areas, Covent’s number 8, Chris Hope scored the opening try when the Coventrian pack shunted their opposites backwards over the line for a simple dot-down. Conversion missed. 5-3 Coventrians.
Upton made some good use of some confusion within the Coventrian ranks. Thinking a maul had been called by the referee the defenders lay over the ball, only to find no such call had been made, penalty to Upton. Finding themselves within touching distance of the Coventrian try-line, the initial defence was good from the Blues, generally driving the Upton players back in the tackle, but persistence paid off for the visitors, scoring in the corner. Conversion missed. Upton 3-8.
Chris Holman, returning to the side at 10, utilised his boot to good effect against a difficult wind maintained strong field position for the team, with the centres Paul McIntosh and Reuben Roberts-Hunt running hard lines from a strong platform, after some open play with Coventrians on the front foot, Callum Craig, uncharacteristically passed the ball wide. Still with a lot to do, Ben Coton did what he does best, put his head down, and fought his way over the try line. Conversion missed, Coventrians lead 10-8.
Coventrians piled on the pressure for the remainder of the half and despite laying in some big hits, were unable to increase the tally. Half-time Coventrians 10, Upton 8.
Initially, the second half looked as if it would go to plan perfectly; Coventrians made use of the prevailing wind and maintained territory. Coventrians started brightly and some strong runs from the pack dominated their opposite numbers. Coventrians pushed on with their tails up, with club stalwart DJ Sexton eventually forcing the issue. Conversion missed, Coventrians 15-8.
If anyone in blue thought the flood gates were about to open, they didn’t count on the spirited Upton side, who travelled well, despite the poor conditions and distance involved (102-mile round trip, I Googled it, RFU what on earth were you thinking?) and while they couldn’t match the physicality up front, utilised some great open field counter attacking through some lax tackling to put themselves in dangerous positions, leading to centre Paul McIntosh being sin-binned for illegally slowing down the ball. Penalty kicked through, Coventrians 15-11.
With the numbers advantage, Upton kicked on and eventually tired legs and a lack of practice showed through, Upton earning and converting another 3 points, with Coventrians holding at 15-14.
The Blue Brothers got it together for the last ten minutes of the game and while the threat of an Upton counter never fully disappeared, Coventrians controlled possession and territory, with Captain Craig eager to push for a bonus point try. Despite excellent field position, the line-out which had worked very well for Coventrians was spoiled by the Upton jumpers and Coventrians claimed a hard-fought win.
Fulltime:
Coventrians RFC 15 – Upton-Upon-Severn RFC 14
Player of the Match: Ben Coton
Ben made some outstanding contributions to the game, notably his first half try and also an interception in the second, which not only relieved pressure but set up the platform for the Coventrian try. Excellent tackling and dangerous running from the winger earned him the award.
Conclusion:
A closer game than home fans would have liked to see, Upton travelled well and were a credit to their club. Coventrians dominated up front and were in control for long periods of the game but an inexperienced “cut and paste” back line showed both promise and naivety, both things which need training to be worked on.
Before the game, Coach Goddard and Captain Callum Craig set out the game plan, utilising the wind when available, Coventrian grunt when it wasn’t. Upton won the toss and chose to play with the wind in the first half.
A decision which seemed to pay off almost immediately for the visitors, as some strong running through the middle of the field earned Upton a penalty right in front of the posts within the first few minutes. 0-3 to Upton.
Coventrians soon turned on the power however, when the first scrum was won against the head by a strong Coventrians pack, which was the general story of the first half. Upton began shipping penalties themselves and Coventrians controlled the possession and territory despite the prevailing conditions.
After a couple of handling errors at the back of the scrum in promising areas, Covent’s number 8, Chris Hope scored the opening try when the Coventrian pack shunted their opposites backwards over the line for a simple dot-down. Conversion missed. 5-3 Coventrians.
Upton made some good use of some confusion within the Coventrian ranks. Thinking a maul had been called by the referee the defenders lay over the ball, only to find no such call had been made, penalty to Upton. Finding themselves within touching distance of the Coventrian try-line, the initial defence was good from the Blues, generally driving the Upton players back in the tackle, but persistence paid off for the visitors, scoring in the corner. Conversion missed. Upton 3-8.
Chris Holman, returning to the side at 10, utilised his boot to good effect against a difficult wind maintained strong field position for the team, with the centres Paul McIntosh and Reuben Roberts-Hunt running hard lines from a strong platform, after some open play with Coventrians on the front foot, Callum Craig, uncharacteristically passed the ball wide. Still with a lot to do, Ben Coton did what he does best, put his head down, and fought his way over the try line. Conversion missed, Coventrians lead 10-8.
Coventrians piled on the pressure for the remainder of the half and despite laying in some big hits, were unable to increase the tally. Half-time Coventrians 10, Upton 8.
Initially, the second half looked as if it would go to plan perfectly; Coventrians made use of the prevailing wind and maintained territory. Coventrians started brightly and some strong runs from the pack dominated their opposite numbers. Coventrians pushed on with their tails up, with club stalwart DJ Sexton eventually forcing the issue. Conversion missed, Coventrians 15-8.
If anyone in blue thought the flood gates were about to open, they didn’t count on the spirited Upton side, who travelled well, despite the poor conditions and distance involved (102-mile round trip, I Googled it, RFU what on earth were you thinking?) and while they couldn’t match the physicality up front, utilised some great open field counter attacking through some lax tackling to put themselves in dangerous positions, leading to centre Paul McIntosh being sin-binned for illegally slowing down the ball. Penalty kicked through, Coventrians 15-11.
With the numbers advantage, Upton kicked on and eventually tired legs and a lack of practice showed through, Upton earning and converting another 3 points, with Coventrians holding at 15-14.
The Blue Brothers got it together for the last ten minutes of the game and while the threat of an Upton counter never fully disappeared, Coventrians controlled possession and territory, with Captain Craig eager to push for a bonus point try. Despite excellent field position, the line-out which had worked very well for Coventrians was spoiled by the Upton jumpers and Coventrians claimed a hard-fought win.
Fulltime:
Coventrians RFC 15 – Upton-Upon-Severn RFC 14
Player of the Match: Ben Coton
Ben made some outstanding contributions to the game, notably his first half try and also an interception in the second, which not only relieved pressure but set up the platform for the Coventrian try. Excellent tackling and dangerous running from the winger earned him the award.
Conclusion:
A closer game than home fans would have liked to see, Upton travelled well and were a credit to their club. Coventrians dominated up front and were in control for long periods of the game but an inexperienced “cut and paste” back line showed both promise and naivety, both things which need training to be worked on.
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