Match Report: Coventry Rugby 14-13 Hartpury

Coventry made it seven-from-seven at the start of the 2024/25 Championship season by claiming a desperately tight 14-13 home win over Hartpury through Liam Richman’s conversion of Daf Tiueti’s try in the closing seconds.

With Storm Darragh swirling around the Butts Park Arena, Tiki Nayalo scored an early converted try for the hosts to which the Gloucestershire side responded with an Aristot Benz-Salomon score shortly before the break plus five points from the boot of Harry Bazalgette.

Hartpury’s no.10 added a second three-pointer early in the second half and they held that six-point advantage until Tiueti’s late intervention finally swung the contest in Cov’s favour.

This result plus the previously-secured away wins at Caldy and Ampthill mean Cov have reversed half of the league defeats suffered last season ahead of next week’s trip to Mennaye Field, a venue where Alex Rae’s team await a first-ever success.

Ball retention proved tricky for both sides in the gusty wind and when Hartpury turned possession over Tom Hitchcock’s raking kick won Cov a five-metre attacking scrum from which Nayalo picked up at the base and powered over.

After fit-again Liam Richman slotted a fine angled conversion the visitors won a series of penalties which took them to the base of the home posts only for Cov’s front row to drive them back and win a penalty of their own.

A well-judged Mathews’ touch-finder then took Cov deep into the visitors’ 22 but after a loop move released Richman he was unable to locate Jimmy Martin with a behind-the-back offload that would have left the winger with a simple run-in.

As the contest entered the second quarter Cov conceded three consecutive penalties which took the visitors into the home 22 only for their lineout to again go astray.

But the home side continued to fall foul of referee Sara Cox’s whistle and Bazalgette soon kicked three easy points from in front of the Blue-and-White posts.

Cov also received a warning for their repeated infringement and after Nayalo was then adjudged to enter the breakdown illegally he was duly despatched to the sin bin.

And Hartpury took immediate advantage by driving prop Benz-Salamon over from a close-range lineout for a try that Bazalgette converted with a well-judged kick.

Cov finished the first half piling pressure on the visitors’ line but when Hartpury forced a turnover they took a narrow 7-10 advantage into the break.

When the home side were penalised at a scrum on their own 22 Bazalgette extended this advantage to five points with a well-struck kick.

And Hartpury’s no.10 was then almost immediately narrowly wide from 45 metres when Cov’s front row infringed for a fifth time.

When Coventry turned possession over midway inside the Hartpury half the visitors released Ollie Holiday down the right wing who made 50 metres before being bundled into touch on the home 22.

The Blue-and-Whites forced their way into the Hartpury 22 as the game went into the closing ten minutes with Nayalo and Richman going close from tap-and-go attempts only for some robust defence to eventually force Hutler into touch.

Martin’s break then gave Coventry another good opportunity but when Nayalo tapped quickly from five metres Hartpury’s defence again held strong.

The visitors then lost Ollie Holiday to the sin bin following a clash of heads which also removed Hitchcock from the field for an HIA and as a result saw home skipper Jordon Poole return as a stopgap centre.

And despite also being reduced to 14 players through Rhys Anstey’s leg injury Coventry had one final push in them and eventually their repeated forward thrusts allowed Tiueti to go over close to the posts for a try that Richman converted to clinch the spoils.

Coventry 14-13 Hartpury

Coventry: Richman; Hutler, Tiueti, Hitchcock (Poole 78-80), Martin; Mathews (Opoku 49), Barton (Lane 49); Trinder (Warren 65), Poole (Biggs 65), Johnson (Salt 65); Tyas, Nkwocha (Anstey 58); Hinkley, (Owen 55) Kvesic (Okeke 58), Nayalo

Hartpury: Morgan; Holiday,Edwards-Giraud, Smith (Taylor 70), Johnson;Bazalgette, Austin; A.Benz-Salomon (McArthur 60), Hunt (Crane 65), J.Benz-Salomon (Rees 70); Cobbett (Lemon 62), Davies; Lewis, Short (Beddall 70), Cowan

Replacements: Jones, Denty

Referee: Sara Cox

Star Man: James Tyas (Coventry)

Half-Time: Coventry Rugby 7-10 Hartpury

Attendance: 2707

Scorers:

Coventry:

Tries: Nayalo (4), Tiueti (79)

Conversions: Richman (4) (79)

Penalties:

Hartpury:

Tries: A. Benz-Salamon (34)

Conversions: Bazalgette (34)

Penalties: Bazalgette (30) (49)