Match Report: Coventry 49-31 Caldy

Two tries apiece from the outstanding Senitiki Nayalo and Charlie Robson helped Coventry complete a seasonal double over a battling Caldy side who left the Butts Park Arena with a well-deserved bonus point.

In all Cov claimed seven touchdowns – all of which were converted – to record their highest score of the Championship campaign to date and in the process hop back above Bedford into second place in the table with seven rounds of action remaining.

But on an action-packed afternoon they also saw Aaron Hinkley and Billy Nairau spend spells in the sin bin while their error count provided the visitors with ample encouragement during a first half which ended with Cov trailing 14-21.

In the run-up to the game head coach Alex Rae called for his team to play with tempo from the outset and they responded by striking from 70 metres with the opening move of the game.

After forwards Dan Green and Jevaughn Warren made initial headway, when the ball went wide it was full back Robson who raced to the corner for a try that Tommy Mathews converted with a fine kick.

The visitors’ forwards impressed during Cov’s narrow win at Paton Field in the Autumn. After the hosts turned possession over attempting to run from deep for a second time it was therefore no surprise when the Ravers’ pack mauled their way to the home posts from where prop Joe Sproston barged over for a score that Lewis Barker upgraded.

The remainder of the opening quarter saw the Blue-and-Whites make a frustrating number of handling errors, concede two scrum penalties and twice fail to secure lineout throws in promising positions.

When Cov did eventually manage to take play through a number of phases with forwards and backs combining to good effect they immediately drove Nayalo over for a try which Mathews improved.

However, once again Caldy bounced immediately back through scrum-half Ollie Wynn who raced to the home line in support of a slashing midfield break from Will Robinson.

After Barker’s conversion brought the scores level the end-to-end action saw Cov reclaim their own kick-off and go within inches of claiming a third try only for the visitors to kill the ball on the ground in desperate defence.

Resulting frustration saw home flanker Aaron Hinkley despatched to the sin bin and while he was on the sidelines the Ravers grabbed a third try through left winger Robinson who gratefully scooped up an unkindly-bouncing ball on halfway and outpaced the cover to the corner.

After Barker added the conversion Caldy right winger Nick Royle was unfortunate not to record a bonus-point score when play was recalled for a forward pass.

This left the visitors with a 14-21 interval advantage and after Rae made three changes at the break the newly-arrived Suva Ma’asi carried deep into Caldy territory from where some quick hands left Robson with an easy finish.

Mathews’ conversion brought Cov back on level terms, but again their concentration lapsed and after Robinson and Wynn threatened down the right the hosts conceded a penalty in front of their own posts which Barker converted into three points.

The Blue-and-Whites had breathing space for the first time when Nayalo got on the shoulder of a powerful Tom Hitchcock break to register their bonus-point score then Chester Owen almost immediately took advantage of Nairau’s nimble offload to claim their fifth score.

Although Mathews converted both, Caldy grasped a lifeline when Nairau was sent to the sin bin and lock Tom Sanders went through a lineout gap to score a try that Barker again improved.

Leading by only four points with ten minutes remaining Cov had to score next – and when they did it was an outstanding try created by Hitchcock and Nayalo and finished by Josh Barton.

Theo Mannion converted and the young fly-half also had the last word when he turned Barton’s well-weighted kick and some neat handling into his team’s seventh score which he also converted.

Line-Ups:

Coventry: Robson (Trotter 49); Martin, Tiueti (Hutler 40), Hitchcock, Henry (Salt 64-72); Mathews (Mannion 60), Maunder (Barton 49); Warren (Trinder 40), Biggs (Ma’asi 40), Nairau (Salt 73);  Green (Poole 49), Nayalo; Ball, Hinkley, Owen

Caldy: Kilcourse (Rogers 73); Royle (Mitchell 72), Wilkinson, Barlow, Robinson; Barker, Wynn (Hanson 63); Weatherby (Rushton 56), Gallagher (Hearn 56), Sproston (Higginson 69); Groves (Stevenson 64), Sanders; Jones (Olyott 72), Ridgway, Dickinson

Referee: Jonathan Cook

Half-Time: Coventry Rugby 14-21 Caldy

Attendance: 2459

Scorers:

Coventry:

Tries: Robson (1) (43), Nayalo (23) (54), Owen (58), Barton (71), Mannion (75)

Conversions: Mathews (1) (23) (43) (54) (58), Mannion (71) (75)

Penalty:

Caldy:

Tries: Sproston (5), Wynn (25), Robinson (30), Sanders (63)

Conversions: Barker (5) (25) (30) (63)

Penalty: Barker (48)