By John Wilkinson IT wasn’t pretty, but director of rugby Rowland Winter was delighted by the grit and effort shown by Coventry Rugby as they took away Plymouth Albion’s unbeaten home record.
Cov edged through 24-21 in a tight game played on a Brickfields pitch that grew heavier by the minute in the wet conditions – a Will Maisey penalty proving decisive after Albion had come from 21-7 down to draw level.
“Sometimes you’ve got to win ugly and today to get the win it was more important for us to perform like that,” said Winter.
“Plymouth had not lost at home for a long time, they’ve got a very proud record there, and they’re a really tough side to break down.
“Perhaps if it had been a drier day we could have pressed them a bit more and scored more points, but the boys were a bit flat. We probably didn’t tactically play the game particularly well at times.
“The conditions were horrendous out there, it was difficult for either team to get any real control of the game, but we managed to play the majority of it towards their end and that proved the most important bit.
“We were a little bit worried at half-time after conceding a try just before we went in and wondered where the energy levels were going to come from, but the boys stood up strong and slugged it out.
“We had some tired people out there, but our scrum dominance came through and I’m really proud of all the effort they put in.
“The boys will now enjoy a well-earned week off before we return to Butts Park Arena and Rosslyn Park.”
