I'm heavenly blessed and worldy wise
I'm a peeping-tom techy with x-ray eyes
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades
Yeah, I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades
The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk3
If expectations were high in the days leading up to Coventry's Championship opener, then by the end of the game yesterday, and after a second half demolition of visitors Caldy, they were verging on the stratospheric.
That's not to say Cov had it all their own way by any means.
In a first half in which Coventry struggled to put points on the board despite having much the better of both possession and territory, the home side had to come back from behind and went into the break just 14-5 up, their second try coming at the end of the final play before the break.
5 tries in the second half though sent the Coventry faithful home happy and content and relishing the prospect of continuing to build on the kind of form that in the past few months has seen us beat Ealing away and draw at home against eventual league winners, Jersey Reds, as well as beating Saracens, drawing against Harlequins and losing to the final play of the game against Gloucester at Kingsholm.
A Bit of a Moan
First things first though (and I'd strongly recommend you to skip the next few paragraphs if you don't want to read a 'Covblog' gripe, although in my defence there have been few of these this time round).
Coventry has decided to implement a bag check for everyone before entering the ground.
Were this for security reasons only, then it is something that should be applauded and doubtless it would attract no criticism from anyone, least of all me, even if it means a slight delay getting into the ground at peak times.
However, the sole justification given by the two chaps conducting the searches yesterday was to prevent anyone bringing in their own food and drink, either from home or pre-purchased outside of the ground.
As a result we were told in no uncertain terms that we couldn't gain entry into the BPA with just the couple of plastic bottled soft drinks in our possession.
It's apparently a condition of any ticket purchase and has been for some time, but it's only being enforced now. And whilst I've not seen it publicised anywhere, I totally accept that is the case if that's what they say. However, I do think a post prior to the game via the club's own website and through its various social media outlets to re-emphasise the point might have been good for public relations.
And yesterday, how easy it would it have been just to let us in with a bottle of water and a Diet Coke (and I'm talking a grandad and his grandson here) and say it was ok this week but from the next home game onwards no one will be allowed entry?
It's a common sense approach that doesn't alienate the club from its supporters.
Further, there is a far more serious issue here.
If there is to be a complete ban on any food and drink other than that purchased within the confines of the BPA, then it is incumbent on the club to ensure that there are some healthier options available around the ground other than loaded fries and greasy burgers, lovely as they are.
The Food for Heroes van is a great addition to the culinary experience at the BPA (as well as representing a fantastic cause, too), but it has now become a monopoly which I'm sure is not the intention.
However, when the person behind Food for Heroes is also a member of the Board, it's not a great look.
Where there were a number of outdoor options available previously, including chicken wings, pizza and the like, now it's just burgers and chips. None of them particularly healthy either, but at least there was a choice. Now even that's gone.
For those of us who find themselves advised by their doctor to eat healthily (and 37% of the UK population over 30 are on statins, a percentage that increases dramatically for those over 50) or who just choose to eat healthily because it's the right thing to do, then there's no alternative.
And if you're unlucky enough to have a particular type of food allergy which makes fatty foods a non-starter, then you've got no chance.
Where are the healthy food options? Salad bowls, sandwiches, rolls, wraps and so on. If it's not cost effective to make them available, then for goodness sake allow people to bring in their own food.
The club has done a terrific job supporting awareness of mental health; perhaps it's now time to look at physical well being too. There's little suitable food available for any young children either, and any parents (or grandparents for that matter!) introducing their children to live rugby know that bribing them with some fruit or a sandwich and a box of raisins is a sure fire winner.
Further, the club is encouraging supporters to stay on post-match to watch live entertainment in the form of a local band or to support one of the national teams in televised games, but for some that could mean several hours spent at the club with nothing available to eat other than burgers and chips or pie and peas or similar.
Granted other clubs offer the same fare, but supporters are able to bring in their own food if they don't fancy it, or simply can't eat the calorie heavy options available there.
Mercifully, there was a coffee van at the ground yesterday, but even then the only edibles available were cookies, brownies or flapjacks. Hardly conducive to a 'heart-healthy diet' (for those fans of 'Gone Fishing').
From now on, it just means that I'll pop over the road to the garage opposite (as I did yesterday) and purchase one of Greggs' healthier sandwiches and a cup of takeaway coffee, go and sit in the car and listen to radio 5 for a few minutes and enjoy my lunch knowing that at least I'll be all the healthier for it.
In the end, if this is the consensus rather than simply the musings of a grumpy old git, then the club will miss out.
Coventry Rugby has made a big play in the past of wanting to make the match day experience for supporters as good as it possibly can be.
Yesterday, I'm afraid it didn't.
Not for me, anyway.
The Purity Bar as was is now a repository for an assortment of building materials and doesn't look great adjacent to the picnic style tables where you can eat your 'heart unhealthy' burgers should you wish to eat sitting down and, from what I've heard, queuing for half time drinks in the clubhouse was in the region of 30 minutes, leaving a lot of disgruntled punters.
At least the home players have some new padded seats in the main stand, although by contrast mine was rather less comfortable and meant I had to sit very cautiously for the duration of the game and ensure I didn't leap up and down at any point during the second half when Cov were scoring for fun. Had I done so, the St John's Ambulance volunteers might have had a rather amusing anecdote to tell that evening.
Mine might have been less so.
I could, probably should, have moved from where I was, but with the centre blocks full for the most part it would have meant a move well away from where I've sat for the past 19 seasons.
I'm nothing if not a creature of habit.
A few gripes today I know, but that's the beauty of the blog. I do try to always be positive, or if not then suggest ways things might be improved. If supporters don't feedback their views, changes will be slow in the making.
On the plus side, an attendance of 2611 was better than I'd expected for a season opener against a side that hasn't yet done enough in this league to pull in the numbers one might expect against some of the more established clubs. There was a decent atmosphere, too, although with 30 minutes left before kick off it felt as if there were going to be far more empty seats than actually proved the case.
And it was good to see a number of Tom Ball lookalikes in the crowd - presumably lads who'd played alongside him at one of the local junior clubs. They walked around the ground trailing a banner and chanting his name, much to the amusement of those present at the time:
It certainly caused a chuckle or two amongst the supporters and players whilst they went through their warm up routines and even Matt Kvesic had a broad smile on his face when Alex Rae went over to him to point it out.
Cov's Instagram account this morning had the club's own take on it all (see image); a great response to what was a highly amusing stunt on the part of those involved.
As far as the game itself, it was very much a game of two halves.
In today's 'The Rugby Paper', there's an article on Caldy and how the club wants to become 'the best of the rest' so-to-speak, the top semi-professional club in the Championship. On yesterday's performance, that might be a step too far this season. It seems to be accepted that Ealing, Pirates, Doncaster and Coventry are all fully pro these days, but Bedford remain in the semi-professional camp and Caldy will be hard pressed to finish above them next April, a view reinforced by Bedford's highly commendable win down at the Mennaye.
Caldy are what I'd call a doughty side...resilient and committed, always working hard despite limited resources. They were very one dimensional yesterday, relying as they did on their big pack to drive the ball forward. Their two starting props were of the 'old school' variety, streetwise and disruptive and carrying a bit of timber. They caused us a few problems in the set piece in the first half and won their side a number of penalties in positions where Coventry might have expected more success.
After an early incursion into our 22 and a 10 man drive to the line, Caldy took an unexpected lead, but for much of the remainder of those first 40 minutes Cov were camped in the Caldy half and despite being pinged several times for offences in the scrum/ruck, they were able to force their way back into the red zone, only to be penalised again.
We must have had 6 or 7 lineouts at least within 15 metres of their line but we struggled to break down a Caldy defence that was very well organised - in the end though, they were lucky not to have a player binned purely on the basis of a culmination of infringements on their part.
We didn't help ourselves by committing a number of basic errors and although we tried to get the ball wide, the speed of passing proved too quick for the receiver at times and we just weren't clinical enough. A well worked Hutler try appeared as if it was going to be Cov's sole score in that first half until Kvesic took things into his own hands. After we were awarded a last minute penalty in front of the posts from 10m out, he looked up, saw the gap and was over with the Caldy defence powerless to stop him, something he had previously done against Nottingham in the Cup.
14-5 up at half time felt a whole lot better but even then Caldy were still very much in the game.
Rigg, Nicol and Pellegrini came on for the start of the second half and within 3 minutes Cov had extended their lead with the impressive George Smith driving over from close range. Smith looks to have filled out this season and we must have one of the biggest second row pairings in the league, with both Nkwocha and Anstey not lacking in height or weight themselves. I think we missed Tyas' nous in the first half but even without him we are still strong in an area of the game where we have been lacking at times in recent years.
Against his old club, Titherington didn't have the best of afternoons and Riggs' appearance at the start of the second half was a key factor in unlocking the Caldy defence for the third try. Rigg went off injured after 25 minutes - anything other than a minor strain would be a real blow for a Cov side that always seems a little stronger when he starts.
Nicol and Cordwell ensured we had totally supremacy in the scrum in that second half and if the rumours are true that there could be another signing on the way, then we could have some interesting options when Toby Trinder returns, along with Ollie Andrews, although by the sound of it he'll be out for some time yet.
It was a nice touch to start the game with Evan Mitchell, a clear indication of the faith the coaches have in him and an acknowledgement of the part he played in Coventry's successes last season even in the absence of Pat Pellegrini. But PP's entrance onto the stage meant a corresponding increase in the tempo at which Cov played. He pulled the strings that enabled the backs to find a little more room as Caldy tired and in the end, despite a 10 minute period in which the opposition did enjoy some more territorial advantage, Cov dominated the last 40 minutes.
Cov weren't at their best even then and there were still a number of unforced errors, but they simply had too much power and pace for a gutsy Caldy side who were well beaten in the end.
In TRP this week, the player ratings kind of sum up Cov's second half dominance with 4 players (Kvesic, Hutler, Smith and Pellegrini) achieving a 9. I've never seen a 10 awarded but Kvesic's performance yesterday was certainly worthy of a point more than anyone else on the pitch. He won turnover ball time and time again and with ball in hand repeatedly broke tackles to create havoc in the Caldy defences. it's not often that the MotM award is given with over 10 minutes of the game left.
Hutler and Smith were good but Kvesic was better. AR has got himself an absolute gem in Kvesic and the positive influence he has on the younger players could be the making of this young squad.
Previously, I'd always believed that we'd be hard pressed to better the signings of Tuitupou and Burrows in terms of their qualities/influence on the rest of the squad but I'm already beginning to reassess that after having watched Kvesic over the last few games. He's one heck of a player and a real talisman.
All in all then, a good win against an opposition that might not be the strongest we'll face this campaign but nevertheless one that proved to be resolute and difficult to break down. Ampthill, away, next week will be a step up before Doncaster at home and then Ealing away provide a genuine test of Coventry's credentials this season.
Whilst I might have had a little pop, deservedly so I believe, at a slight decline in the facilities/pre-game experience on offer yesterday, this was more than compensated for by the rugby played by Cov out on the pitch. This is a group of players, led by a very competent set of coaches, who are beginning to make waves in and around the Championship.
It is a privilege to be a Cov supporter these days...
...the future's so bright I gotta wear shades.
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