No life we're living when there's no time for giving
No reassuring can end what I'm enduring.
I'm looking hard for the slightest sign
Hear your words echoing around my mind.
I'm starting to believe what the papers say
Yet one more blow and I'm reeling but can't run away.
How can I get out? There's no way I can get out! How can I get out? There's no way I can get out!
Forgotten Town - The Christians
I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Birmingham Moseley. Love them when they're not playing Cov, not quite so keen on them when they are.
I've certainly got a soft spot for our local rivals and watching them last Friday, I couldn't help but feel empathy for the position they are now in. Over at Billesley for the second of Cov's two friendlies, it looked and felt something akin to being at the BPA in the late 00's/early 10s.
Back then, Cov was very much treading water in National One, indeed, fighting for its very survival in rugby's third tier in 2011/12. The club lacked a squad or a management structure capable of moving the club forward, had no finances in place to bring in the type of players needed to make a sustained challenge on the top three or four clubs in the league and forced to take more notice of what was happening at the bottom end of Nat 1 than the top.
The gulf between the two sides is, in truth, as big as it's been for many a long year and there appears little chance of it narrowing any time soon. Sadly, Birmingham Moseley appear to be the epitome of the 'forgotten town' in rugby terms and no amount of 'reassurance' can bring to a 'quick end' what their spectators are currently having to endure.
Coventry's 'annus mirabilis' last year was the result of careful, and most importantly prudent, investment on the part of its board together with a talented influx of players and coaches alike. Without something similar, it's hard to see Moseley achieving anything above a low midtable finish this season, especially when you consider just how well new boys Leicester Lions acquitted themselves 6 days earlier. Whilst the Lions look like they might spring a few surprises in National One this season, sadly Moseley appear to be struggling by comparison.
I hope I'm wrong - it certainly wouldn't be the first time.
I wish them every success in the coming season...
I arrived at the ground with a little under an hour until kick off, so many of the players were already starting their pre-match routines before the squad warm up began.
The sight of Pat Pellegrini out on the pitch, kicking a few balls around and very much a part of the build up was a welcome one. He took no part in the actual Captain's Run itself, but the fact that he appeared to have no obvious niggles resulting from his involvement in Tonga's pre-World Cup programme suggests that he'll be available for the Saracens game in just 12 days time, barring anything unforeseen.
And that is good news indeed.
As for the contest itself - well, it had more of a 'real game' feel to it than the Lions game did the weekend before. Yes, Cov named a squad of 31 players for the friendly, but Alex Rae only made a couple of changes at half-time, although once James Martin scored the second of his two tries early on in the third quarter, wholesale changes were indeed made.
Coventry's tempo was high from the very first whistle and they looked a different side to the one what had struggled to find any consistency in that opening 40 against Leicester. What is evident to anyone who watches Cov with any regularity is that Coventry with Chudley playing is a far more cohesive side than without him. He was very much the playmaker on Friday, either urging his pack forward in the maul, or firing out short passes to get them driving forward or throwing torpedoes to Mitchell at 10 to give him the time to get the backs purring in a way they hadn't in that first game.
Will Lane and Fin Ogden looked far more confident when they came on, but that was in part because by then Coventry were completely dominant. Both the reserve 9s will only continue to benefit from Chudley's experience and although the former Worcester scrum half's input is bound to lessen over the coming season(s) as they coaches try to protect him from overuse in both the Cup and Championship, in Lane and Ogden we have two very useful replacements.
Cov's performance looked to have improved in all areas of its game from the week before; the rustiness that we'd seen then was gone and there was a sharpness and inventiveness that at times was reminiscent of the very best Cov performances of last season. Some of the handling was exceptional and at times it was almost impossible to follow the ball, with passes/offloads being made at speeds and angles that Moseley just couldn't live with.
Although Cov was guilty of not throwing the ball in straight to the lineout on rather too many occasions (the ref seemed particularly pernickety about this), the set pieces looked altogether better, with Anstey and Tyas forming a solid combination in the second row. Tyas was again a powerhouse in the loose and whilst he might not have always been a specialist second row, his presence in the pack adds a stability and nous that might otherwise be lacking. Recent addition Obinna Nkwocha looks a really good prospect too and with George Smith also amongst the replacements, Cov has real strength in depth in this area for the first time in a while.
After what was something of an underwhelming debut against Leicester Lions, I thought Matt Kvesic showed signs of just why Alex Rae has brought him to Cov. He was a real force out there on Friday, doing the hard work with little or no fuss and winning good ball at the break down, as well as one or two turnovers/penalties. He also worked tirelessly on following up on Chudley's box kicks and on a couple of occasions creating enough uncertainty in the minds of the Moseley receivers to cause them to fumble the high ball. Hardly surprising that really. I think if I saw Matt Kvesic out of the corner of my eye bearing down on me as I looked to catch a Chudley Exocet, I'd find concentrating on the ball and not the player that much harder to do.
Kvesic was quick to get amongst the players during a break in play too, especially after we'd scored - a quick word or a pat on the shoulder, just what you'd expect from a senior pro and a natural leader. He looked every inch a top player and he looks set to have a big impact on the club's fortunes over the next couple of seasons.
After the break Cov's strength in depth really shone through - the bench, packed with players all of whom could themselves be part of the starting XV in most Championship sides, continued to dominate although Moseley were able to take advantage of a Coventry yellow (David Opuku for a high tackle) and score a brace of tries themselves midway through the second half.
After what looked like a dangerously high tackle (and a little late?) on Will Lane as he touched down for Cov's 7th (of 10) try, Alex Rae quickly shouted down to the assistant referee that he wanted to keep it 15 v 15 - I'm guessing as much to ensure a more meaningful contest than purely as an altruistic acknowledgement of the spirit of the game.
Ironically, within a minute of the incident, Coventry were down to 14 players following Opoku's yellow - although I don't think Rae will have minded too much as there will be a few occasions this season where Cov will find themselves a player down, so to have the opportunity to practice for such a scenario was no bad thing.
In fairness to Moseley, they did pile on the pressure in a 10-15 minute period that coincided with Opoku's exit from the game. At one point, Freddie Painter, ex-Coventry College, found himself in acres of space out on the left wing and it looked for all the world that he was going to score - that was until a Cov defender appeared from nowhere to either cause him to drop the ball over the line or step out of play. It was a phenomenal effort. I've no idea who the player was but he eared plenty of slaps on the back from his team mates. In the context of the game it meant very little, but if Cov take that never-say-die attitude into their more competitive fixtures, then it's worth a point or two over the course of the season.
A quick word on Jordan Poole. In the last post, I'd mentioned that the choice of hooker might be a difficult one when it came to a starting XV after a series of strong performances from Suva Ma'asi . However, Poole made it a little easier for Alex Rae after a barnstorming 40 minute cameo that left supporters in no doubt as to what he is capable of. He seems back to his very best and on that form looks certain to get the nod.
The final score of Moseley 24 - Coventry 68 certainly didn't flatter the away side and is just the sort of boost the coaches will have wanted in the build up to the Saracens' game. The 0-73 loss to the Premiership champions a couple of season back still lives large in the memory, although over the years I seen Cov play worse and win on many an occasion.
In the absence of Saracens' World Cup stars, Coventry should be able to give an even better account of themselves and with the improvements we've seen since Rae took over, I'd expect to see Cov make life rather more difficult this time round for any Saracens side the Premiership outfit decides to unleash on the BPA.
It has all the makings of an intriguing cup tie, a David and Goliath confrontation that might just be an upset in the making.
As a Cov supporter, it has to be the dream, surely?
Used this fairly recently, but it just seemed to fit in with where Moseley find themselves right now...and besides, it's a great song too.
Pleased to hear they improved from last weeks disjointed effort.
I have a debate with myself most matches as to what Poole brings, over Masi. Indeed the line out tends to function better with Masi, they are both excellent with ball in hand and I'd say Masi is better in defence.
Looking forward to Saracens.