Coventry produced a blockbuster ten-try victory, surging to a statement win with the business end of the season looming. A second half hattrick by Opoku-Fordjour headlined an afternoon dominated by attacking rugby.  

Caldy got the game underway on a bright afternoon at the Nick Newbold Stadium, with Coventry playing with the breeze in the first half. Coventry started brightly, having an early opportunity involving Reeves and Tom Bacon, but the latter just slipped into touch before the line. 

It didn’t take long to make amends. After a second early lineout steal the ball was moved quickly to Api Bavadra, who broke through two tackles and stepped the final man to crash over for the game’s first score. 7-0 brilliant start.

Coventry’s intent was clear- every time the ball went to the wide players, they were injecting a level of pace and intensity that the Ravers couldn’t live with. After such a dominant start all that was left was to get more points on the board. Whilst the offloading game lookedblistering at times a touch more patience might have yielded even more.

Still, the pressure soon told again. A failed Caldy clearance was seized upon by Mackenzie Graham, whose quick reactions created space for Tom Bacon to finish from 30 metres. 12-0 

The third try followed shortly after. A superb break from Jack Reeves carved open the defence, allowing Josh Barton to run in an easy score.19-0

As the end of the half-lingered Reeves then added one of the standout moments of the half, collecting the ball in his own half and weaving through a stretched Caldy defence to secure the bonus point before the break. Coventry headed into half-time in complete control at 24-0, with only a late yellow card for Tommy Mathews blemishing an otherwise dominant opening. 

The second half began in similar fashion to the first. A clever restart by Barton was recovered well by Coventry who sent it wide to Bavadra. An offload to Tom Ball extended the lead. Caldy responded admirably to get their first score of the contest. Will Robinson scored to give the hosts a wakeup call. 31-5

Coventry was in the mood for more tries, and this time Opoku-Fordjour joined the party. From a lineout on the 22m line a brilliant move saw the winger move inland, picking an excellent line to send him through under the posts. Caldy hit back again through Ryan Higginson, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished.

Opoku-Fordjour was in unstoppable form, bouncing off his opposite number before reaching over to make it 43-12. This was followed another try for Opoku-Fordjour. In a move very similar to his first try, he held a lovely line and was found by Mathews to dive through for his third. Mathews added the extras as Coventry completed the half century 50-12. 

A penalty try and yellow card for Charlie Hyde compounded Caldy’s misery, before Mackenzie Graham added another with a finish out wide more akin to a winger.

The final score was 69-12 as Sam Maunder found time to join in the try fest, capping off a relentless attacking display. 

This was a statement performance from Coventry. Clinical, creative and physically dominant when called upon. They overwhelmed Caldy from the outset and never let up. With contributions across the team sheet, Coventry showcased the kind of form that makes them a serious force as we edge towards the playoffs. 

Man of the match: Jack Reeves. The January signing has looked increasingly confrontable in Coventry blue and white, and this was one of his best accounts. His linkup play with those outside him was clinical and his line breaks consistently caused trouble for a Caldy team that couldn’t handle his presence all afternoon. 

Goal kicking

Tommy Mathews: 4/8

Josh Barton: 2/2

Kieran Wilkinson: 1/2

Try Scorers:

Coventry Rugby: Api Bavadra (8’), Tom Bacon (21’), Josh Barton (31’), Jack Reeves (39’), Tom Ball (41’), David Opoku-Fordjour (47’, 58’, 70’), Penalty try (75’), Mackenzie Graham (76’), Sam Maunder (79’)

Caldy RFC: Will Robinson (43’), Ryan Higginson (57’)

Line-ups:

Coventry Rugby: Aristot Benz-Salomon, Jordon Poole (c), Matt Johnson, Jack Shine, SenitikiNayalo, Mackenzie Graham, Tom Ball, Morgan Strong, Josh Barton, Tommy Mathews, Jack Reeves, Api Bavadra, Dafydd-Rhys Tiueti, David Opoku-Fordjour, Tom Bacon

Finishers: Murray Davidson, Keston Lines, Eliot Salt, Dan Green, Allan Ferrie, Sam Maunder, Morgan Adderly-Jones, Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi

Caldy RFC: Monty Wetherby, Matt Gallagher, Joe Sproston, Sam Olyott, Dylan Hodkinson, Will Bennett, Tristan Woodman, JJ Dickinson ©, Ollie Wynn, Kieran Wilkinson, Will Robinson, Lewis Barker, Connor Wilkinson, Rhys Tudor, Charlie Hyde

Finishers: Alfie Longstaff, Nathan Rushton, Ryan Higginson, Martin Gerrrard, Jack Wilson, Tom Akehurst, Osian Roberts, Jacob Mitchell