Cambridge 19 Coventry Rugby 36: Cov given timely reminder of just how tough this league is

I wanna be on top, forever on the up

And damn the competition...

Just like the politicians

I wrap my conscience up, I wanna win that cup

But back in the dressing room

The other side is weeping

And we're winning (winning), winning (winning) ugly

Win Ugly - The Rolling Stones

After two convincing victories in the first two rounds, Cov received a stark reminder yesterday of the unpredictable nature of this league as Cambridge posed a significant challenge for them throughout the game.

After thumping wins against Scottish and Bedford, on paper at least this should have been the easiest of the games so far, yet Cambridge never allowed Cov to settle into any sort of rhythm and in the end probably deserved at least a point from the game.

Ultimately, they got little out of it, other than the knowledge that they were competitive for a full 80 minutes and made Coventry work extremely hard for the win. Sitting just above Caldy at the very bottom of the table, Cambridge must have the belief now, surely, that they are more than good enough to beat more of the less fancied teams around them, or even spring a surprise or two amongst big guns at the top end of the table. If I had a few quid to spare, I'd put money on them finishing above the relegation spot at the end of this season.

Conversely, Coventry will understand that being the top side in the league early on makes them a prime target for other teams, motivating every team to elevate their game, similar to what Cambridge did, to hinder Coventry's chances of clinching a play-off spot for the Premiership in the upcoming season.

Not that Cov's inability to play with the kind of fluency we've come to expect from sides coached by Alex Rae was down to the opposition alone.

This wasn't a great performance by any means and many of the problems were of Cov's own making, but one of the pluses for me was that in games where Cov underperformed away from home last season, against Caldy and Ampthill for instance, they lost. Yesterday, they battled hard, played the conditions well, especially the strong breeze which they kicked into in the second half, and got the job done despite a couple of Cambridge tries in the final quarter.

Despite the game seemingly secure with a score of 12-28 and only 13 minutes remaining, Cov's decision to kick a penalty suggested that they believed Cambridge still posed a potent threat. Opting for the three points from a penalty over a more attacking play, like a lineout i the corner or quick tap, is not the norm these day for Cov under Rae but it seemed like the correct decision then, especially so considering the strong finish Cambridge enjoyed towards the end.

And, of course, the win was made all the more enjoyable, and important, given the defeats of both Pirates and Ealing over the weekend.

This would make a good photo for a caption competion - perhaps something along the lines of: 'Say that Ealing score again - I think I misheard you the first time...'

Does this now mean that Jon Sharp and the Board can still afford to hang back on ensuring that the MOS are all met and signed off - surely now there's a case to be made for applying early so that everything is in place well before the deadline (sometime in January???).

No one should be getting carried away at this stage, but equally no one should be writing off any team's chances in the belief that it's Ealing's Championship for the taking. It's anything but...

What this weekend has shown is that any side is capable of beating any other on any given day, so no fixture can be seen as a given. All Cov can do is take each game as it comes and see where that leads and hope that upsets such as those against Ealing and Pirates continue to happen around them.

It does make for an exciting few months, though!

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I'm not sure what percentage of the 1,534 at Ellgia Fields was made up of Coventry supporters, but there were a good few there. In addition to the two coaches, many more of fans had made their own way and there was a really good atmosphere around the ground as kick off approached.

Pizza vegetariana, Cambridge style

Although there is only a relatively small seating area in the main stand, the facilities are otherwise excellent, with plenty of food and drink options available. With short queuing times and a range of foods available, everyone seemed well catered for - including Josh who was able to enjoy what is fast becoming an annual treat...a Cambridge pizza. And at £9 it wasn't overpriced really, unlike many burgers and other fried food.

Whilst the vegetarian option wouldn't have been my particular pizza of choice, let's be real, wholesome food that doesn't cost a small fortune at any sporting venue is always going to be a winner.

It was good to have a chat with Rowland Winter again and even better to see him looking so relaxed and smiling and back at Cambridge where he enjoyed so much success prior to joining Coventry. Listening to him for just a few minutes reminded me how open and up front he was with supporters for those first couple of seasons when we were in National One. I'm not sure what his role at Cambridge these days, but his experience and vision is something that should prove very useful in what will be a difficult season ahead. I wish both him and Cambridge well.

James Tyas warming up prior to kick off - notice how lush the grass looks

Despite the heavy rainfall we've endured these past few days and weeks, the pitch was in near perfect condition. I was surprised how short the grass was, but even though there were plenty of scrums and rucks, it didn't seem to cut up at all.

A wet, muddied pitch at this time of year would have spelled trouble, with little chance of it regrowing given the amount of use it gets over the course of what is a long, hard season.

Thankfully, it held up exceptionally well, and although I strongly support having an artificial pitch at the BPA for both playing and commercial reasons, it is also nice to watch games being played on a natural grass surface.

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Despite the scoreline, Cambridge made life very uncomfortable for Cov. In the areas where we'd been so dominant in the previous two games, particularly the scrum and breakdown, we certainly didn't have things our own way. We lost possession far too often both in hand and in the ruck, where turnovers on both sides were a regular occurrence.

We also fell foul of the referee on too many occasions which seemed to frustrate some of the players, with Jordan Poole regularly asking questions of the referee. At one point we were marched back 10 metres and whilst it had no marked impact on the play at that time, such ill-discipline could cost us dear in tighter games. We weren't able to get the upper hand in the scrum in the first half and even when changes were made to the front row, there seemed little difference to its overall effectiveness.

We also missed a fair few tackles over the 80 minutes; at least I was more aware of them more than I usually am. There were a number of occasions when Cambridge were able to breakthrough the first defender and as a result, we were having to scramble our defences perhaps more than we would have liked. Whilst James Scaysbrook had every right to be delighted with the way Cov defended against Scottish and Bedford, against Cambridge we didn't look quite so effective from the touchline, although he might well argue differently.

That said, there were plenty of positives, too. I though Liam Richman had another very assured game, kicking judiciously and controlling the line well. Whenever, Richman is mentioned, reference is made to his prodigious boot, both out of hand and in dead ball situations. We saw that once again yesterday and even when playing into a stiffish breeze he as able to get the ball to travel a good distance.

The backs saw more of the ball yesterday and with Hitchcock in midfield, they looked far more capable of unlocking defences. Both wings scored again and James Martin was given the MofM award in The Rugby Paper after yet another strong showing.

Martin has matured a lot in the last season or two and carries a real threat every time he gets the ball - in addition to his physical power and strength, he's extremely quick and is able to turn defences in the blink of an eye. He has the uncanny knack of making things happen and whilst Hutler is more a conventional winger in that he's quick and elusive, Martin tends to want to get involved more and puts pressure on defenders to make mistakes more than most.

I sometimes wonder if having Food Heroes so involved in the club is one of the reasons why James M has remained with us. If the Premiership saw enough in the two Wills, Rigg and Wand, to come a-knocking at Cov's door, then I would have thought Martin would have attracted the attentions of one or two Prem clubs, too?

Keeping players of the calibre of Ball, Martin, Nkwocha, Hitchcock and co can only add to the spirit and morale of the team...

After Charlie Robson's cameo last weekend, there was real pre-match excitement to see what he could bring to the party following his selection to start the game against Cambridge. He'd almost scored a blinder against Bedford, being tap-tackled just yards from the line following a run from deep in his own half.

Yesterday, he followed it up with a try that has to be favourite for the Championship's 'Try of the Week' barring a worldie from one of the other games, and it would have to be that to stop Robson winning it. Picking the ball up some 60 metres out, he scorched past 5-6 players to score.

Whilst I'm not convinced yet he is as assured as Steff Davies under the high ball, leaving him out when he carries that much of a threat is going to be a tough call. It will be really interesting to see who gets the nod against Chinnor next weekend. It's one of those decisions where the coaches will be far more objective about it than supporters for whom the excitement of seeing Robson set off on one of those runs, which are fast becoming his trademark, outweighs any tactical reason why Davies might be the better option.

The back row had functioned pretty well prior to Tom Ball's entry into the game after 45 minutes in place of Daniel Okeke, but we were quickly reminded of just what an effective player he is. His quick thinking led directly Barton's try - first to the tackle, he picked up the ball and, after a short burst, off-loaded to Coventry's replacement scrum half.

His presence also coincided with Cambridge's lineout faltering somewhat, losing three on their own throw in the second 40.

Jack Bartlett and Ollie Betteridge, both playing their rugby at Cov last season, had good games.

Bartlett was feisty (managing to wind Toby Trinder up at one point early on) and effective till replaced after 55 minutes and Betteridge looked solid with the ball and did little wrong defensively. It was a big game for the both of them and both came out of it with reputations intact.

A word, too, for ex-Cov player, Jake Bridges. The last time we saw him was when he faced us in a Nottingham shirt last season. Back then, Nottingham's scrum had been mullered for the whole of the first half and he suffered the ignominy of being substituted just a minute before half-time. To make it even worse, his replacement was then yellow-carded at the next scrum...

He's still pretty young (he was part of the Academy while at Cov), so it must have been a tough time for him in his really fledgling career. But yesterday he came on after 64 minutes and looked like he belonged out there. No one enjoyed seeing Jake struggle at Nottingham, so it's nice to see him settling in at Cambridge.

Well, it wasn't the performance we were expecting, but getting 5 points away from home in this league, especially this season, is a pretty good outcome no matter how you look at it. It probably didn't hurt for the players, either, to be reminded firsthand how unpredictable the league can be. Alex Rae had spoken before the match of an element of complacency in training after the Bedford game on Tuesday, so I'm sure he'll be making it clear to the squad that nobody's spot is guaranteed with the squad's current depth.

Chinnor on Saturday will be another difficult test; their results have already shown they're a team that has to be respected and we saw in the pre-season friendly just how awkward they are to play.

Hopefully another 3000 plus crowd will roar Cov on to a fourth win as the club continues to build momentum.

And whilst a free-flowing try fest would be good, I'm more than happy to see Cov win ugly...

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