Cov left dancing in the dark as Pirates approach from the south-west

Man, I ain't getting nowhere

I'm just livin' in a dump like this

There's something happening somewhere

Baby, I just know that there is

You can't start a fire

You can't start a fire without a spark

This gun's for hire

Even if we're just dancing in the dark

Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen wrote 'Dancing in the Dark' at a time when he was struggling to find a meaning to his life - his creative spark had deserted him and without that spark, there could be no fire.

It's him questioning his very purpose in life; at the time he wrote the song he was doing little more than just 'dancing in the dark'.

Which is not unlike Coventry Rugby right now.

Yes, they're riding high, top of the Championship and with an outside chance of pushing Ealing Trailfinders for a potential promotion into the Premiership, but without that incentive the club's future in the top echelons of the game is uncertain to say the least, especially given Bill Sweeney's recent outpourings.

The continuing uncertainty over the future of the Championship and, by association, the 11 clubs that currently make up the second tier of English rugby, casts a huge shadow over the game and does nothing to improve the already deeply sullied reputation of its governing body, the RFU.

Unless, you're one of the possibly 2 or 3 clubs that have Ealing in their sights, you're doing nothing else but treading water until details of the new structure are agreed. And for those one or two clubs, a couple of losses and you'll quickly find yourself in the same position as the rest of the chasing (or not, as the case may be) pack.

With little over three months left of the season and at a time when clubs would normally be talking to players, both current and potential, about contracts for next season, this must be a deeply frustrating time for Head Coaches given they have no idea what the league structure will look like for the 2024/25 campaign.

Bill Sweeney's threat, or is it an ultimatum (?), that all 11 clubs will be relegated if they fail to sign up to the RFU's Premiership 2 proposals has done nothing to calm the already muddied waters.

Faced with so much uncertainty, I'm not sure how Alex Rae can even begin to assemble a squad for next season under such circumstances. I have huge sympathy for all Head Coaches in this respect. Do they go ahead and work on bringing together a squad for next season to play in a Championship with a similar structure, with similar or reduced funding, or do they wait to see if the Championship goes ahead in a different format, either Prem 2 or a different league altogether, should Sweeney carry out his ill-thought out comminations.

That's potentially 4 different scenarios clubs have to be preparing for.

In short, clubs are damned if they do and damned if they don't - prepare from one and they pick the wrong outcome, then they're in big trouble. But to prepare for all scenarios would be financially untenable.

And the precariousness of the situation clubs currently find themselves in isn't just damaging them as businesses. Nick Johnston, Coventry Rugby's CEO, recently referred to Sweeney as 'playing god with people's well-being'.

How can players, coaches, admin staff or anyone who enjoys some form of financial renumeration from their involvement in the game at this level, be expected to look to the future with any confidence. Mortgages have to be paid, bills have to be met, yet with Sweeney's metaphorical sword of Damocles hanging over them, there's every chance that many will be either out of a job or considerably worse off financially come May or June.

That, of course, is presuming they don't walk first.

Further, why on earth should sponsors dig deep into already shrinking pockets if the future of the Championship remains in doubt? And without sponsorship income, even with the RFU proving acceptable levels of funding (ie well above what clubs presently receive), clubs could find themselves unable to remain viable propositions.

Sweeney seems to show no compunction to bring some clarity to the situation, no empathy for the hundreds of families affected by his apparent refusal to negotiate anything like an acceptable deal (in the eyes of the Championship clubs, that is). Such obstinacy is surely calculated, designed to ensure that the closer to the deadline, the more pressure there is on the Championship clubs to accept.

Surely, before too long there simply isn't going to be enough time to put any alterative structure in place in time for a September start which is exactly why Sweeney is happy to wait. He knows he holds all the cards.

Unless, of course, whilst this impasse has been going on for the past weeks and months, behind the scenes the clubs have been working together to come up with an alternative plan. Certainly, I've read somewhere (Simon Halliday in The Rugby Paper, perhaps?) that this is the case but whether this is a bit of dissembling on the part of the Championship is unclear. That said, given Sweeney's somewhat totalitarian approach to decision-making, not to do so would seem foolish in the extreme.

The spark needed to fire up the negotiations into providing some sort of positive outcome has to come from the RFU. Intransigence is not the way to ensure further negotiations.

There must also be players seriously considering their futures in the game as it is at the moment - and who could blame them? For those clubs in the Championship that remain fully, or close to, professional, it must be a real concern. If funding is reduced once again for next season, or even if it remains at similar levels, players will struggle to earn a decent living and the thought of playing on a semi-professional level and earning an income outside of the game as well must be an appealing one.

I do appreciate playing any sport at this level involves making sacrifices but given the long-term damage to bodies and minds that many players seem to be suffering these days, maybe there comes a point where it just isn't worth it and that point can't be too far along the line right now.

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Cornish Pirates on Saturday then.

First v third - and it really is a case of 'to the victor the spoils'. A win would see either club maintaining the pressure on Ealing but a loss would make even a top two finish a tough ask over the second half of the season.

For me, Cov are very much in the driving seat if only because Pirates' next three games are all away: to Coventry, then Bedford and finally Ealing. Arguably the three toughest away games they have.

They've had just two games away from home so far this season, winning at both Ampthill and Cambridge. Win all three of those coming up and Pirates are in the driving seat, lose a couple and they're out of the running.

So, with three such important games in consecutive weeks, managing the Cornish squad must be a tough ask for Alan Paver and Gavin Cattle; it will be interesting to see if they put out their strongest side for this, the first of the three games, or if they try to juggle things around a little to ensure a strong squad for the Ealing game. With two tough games away from home before the Ealing encounter, they'll be very fortunate not to pick up the odd injury.

Coventry must be favourites given their current form and having home advantage, although the Hartpury result demonstrated just how unpredictable this league can be at times. With players beginning to return from injury, Cov can start to pick from a far more settled squad especially in the pack, an area which has seen the worst of the injuries so far this season.

If Tiki Nayalo remains unavailable on Saturday, then that would be a blow. Whilst Jack Bartlett has done a good job covering for Tiki, in those games he's been absent Cov has struggled a little and his physicality is something that sometimes goes a little under the radar.

The backs tend to pick themselves these days when there are no injuries, the only real decision to be made appearing to be the midfield pairing. Lucas Titherington is now fit again and he gives us a slightly different dynamic when he plays. The Wand/Rigg partnership is a formidable one, but there is certainly a case to argue that Titherington deserves a start. Perhaps it's a bit too early in his comeback just yet but he's surely going to be in the coaches' thoughts?

Ticket sales for Saturday's game v Pirates as of 17.00 Wednesday 24\01\24

Tickets sales for the game look to be very healthy, even without the club advertising it as strongly as they did for the Boxing Day fixture against Nottingham. There's even some significant purchases of tickets for Blocks 1 and 8, always the last to sell and regularly very sparsely populated. With a couple of days left before match day, is a crowd of 4000 still a possibility? I'd tentatively suggest it is.

A large crowd only adds to the pressures on a Cornish side that really has to come away from BPA with the win. Cov, too, need a five pointer but playing in front of another loud and passionate crowd, they must have the initial advantage.

Hopefully, the behaviour of a couple of Cov 'supporters' at the end of the Scottish game won't be repeated and the game will be conducted in manner we've all come accustomed to at home - loud but fair.

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I've used Springsteen a few times over the years, but I'm pretty sure 'Dancing in the Dark' is making its first appearance.

And not before time.

Give the video a go - it's the one where he brings his mum (and daughter) on stage.

Magical.