Oh the feeling
When you're reeling
You step lightly thinking you're number one
Down to zero with a word leaving
For another one
Now you won't put you're feet back on the ground
Down to the ground
Brand new dandy
First class scene stealer
Walks through the crowd and takes your man
Sends you rushing to the mirror
Brush your eyebrows and say
"There's more beauty in you than anyone
Down To Zero - Joan Armatrading
Rooted firmly to the bottom of the Championship, London Scottish are in every sense 'down to zero right now'.
Any long suffering Coventry supporter will know that feeling; that sense of inevitability, the belief that relegation is the only outcome.
And Scottish really are reeling at the moment, with just 10 points from 15 games.
It can't be much fun being a Scottish fan right now.
Except things aren't quite as desperate as they might perhaps seem at first sight. Word on the street, and I have to say it sounds pretty plausible, is that there will be no relegation this season, there will be 14 teams competing in the Championship come September and for the 2024/25 season, the the top twenty sides from the Premiership and Championship combined will be split into two leagues of 10.
All of which, if correct, is of course good news for Scottish.
And for Cov, well it's imperative they finish in the top 8 in the Champ next season to ensure a place in that elite group of 20 if and when the shake-up eventually happens.
Rumours at the moment, yes, but they have been consistent for a while now and with that the momentum grows. Something has to change for sure and if this is the route English rugby is to take, well I'm all for it.
And whilst I'm indulging in a bit of rumour mongering...Louis Brown to Newcastle and Josh Bainbridge to...somewhere.
2745 attended the game yesterday, the highest of the weekend. It never felt a 2700 plus crowd, with big gaps at either end of the main stand, although the standing area at the railway end was pretty chocka which isn't always the case.
That said, the food outlets, at least Koffman's and the coffee van, seemed to do a roaring trade from early doors onwards. And so they should; the burgers are excellent and not overly priced and the coffee is a godsend for those who aren't drinkers or are driving.
And whilst Cov crowds can be fairly vociferous on occasions, yesterday wasn't one of them. Perhaps it was the opposition, or just the fact there's little to play for these days, but it was definitely quieter than usual.
Except, that is, for the PA.
And here's a moan. (I'm allowing myself one a post, I don't feel that's overly excessive). The announcer, good as he is, had really pumped up the volume to the extent that it was virtually impossible to have a conversation in the stands pre-kickoff. Maybe it's just the case that the sound system has had an overhaul and is that much more efficient, but whatever the reason, it was painfully loud yesterday. Even my 15 years old grandson was unimpressed and usually he's singing away with the music.
As for the game itself, in the end, it was a rather underwhelming performance, despite Coventry looking to be in cruise control at the break, leading comfortably 26-3 and having already earned themselves a bonus point. Most supporters were looking forward to an avalanche of tries in the second 40 but in the end Cov could only manage one more as Scots took control of the game and made life very uncomfortable for the home side. Indeed, the 'exiles' won the second half 10-5 and deservedly so.
Alex Rae summed up the game pretty succinctly in his post-match interview (From 'The Rugby Paper'):
For whatever reason we just didn't get the intensity today that we've managed to find through most of the season, but to be disappointed after we still got a five point win at home shows how far we've come...
At half time they were hanging on for dear life. We knew we could really blow the game out but we never did - they hung in there and kept on scrapping and we never put them away.
That said, Rae must have been delighted with the start his side made, thanks in the main to a fired up Will Chudley (my MofM) who sniped and harried the opposition, pinning them back with a series of breaks and ensuring the tempo was set by the home side. It took just 3 minutes for Cov to open the scoring and for the majority of the first half, Coventry looked what the are, a top three side, full of confidence and very much on the heels of the best two sides in the league, Jersey and Ealing.
Even in the first half, though, Scottish had their moments and it took a wonderfully executed last ditch tackle from full back Talbot-Davies to prevent a well worked try down the left wing. The Cov full-back looks a decent replacement for the exciting Louis Brown should he be on the move and with Tobi Wilson waiting in the wings, Brown's departure wouldn't leave quite the hole it might have done 6 months ago.
Four tries in the first half was a good return for Coventry's superiority, but as mentioned previously, it was Scottish who held the upper hand after the break. The half time talk in the Scottish changing room must have made for interesting listening as they looked far more competitive and they started to win plenty of ball.
Both teams opted to kick out of hand and at times the crowd grew understandably frustrated as it felt increasingly like we were on centre court at Wimbledon rather than at the BPA. Both sides were looking for the mistake that would concede ground and give them the impetus. Neither succumbed and in the end the kicking petered out somewhat, much to the relief of those watching.
I'm not sure whether this is accurate or not, but several supporters mentioned Scottish were fielding 11 Quins players in yesterday's squad, so it's difficult to assess whether their resurgence in the second half was down to them beginning to gel as a team or just Coventry taking their foot off the gas. A bit of both, I guess.
Scottish had several strong runners and they hit the tackle hard, but Coventry's defence held true for much of the game.
In previous seasons and under different coaches, the final score might have been even closer. Cov are organised across the backline these days and they work as a unit, up quickly with few first tackles missed. Evan Mitchell, in particular, is growing into the role of fly half and must be enjoying a decent run in the first team, something he probably wasn't expecting when Pellegrini was scoring points for fun before his injuries.
Titherington and Rigg have made the case now for being the first choice pairing at 12 and 13 and both had their moments yesterday, often breaking the first tackle and making the ball available for those in support.
In the end Cov were worthy winners, but as Rae suggested, to only have scored 5 points in the second half was a disappointment given Coventry's first half dominance and the manner in which they have finished off better sides than London Scottish previously this season.
Coventry lie third in the table with a game in hand over Bedford who are one place and 4 points behind them. Their main focus must be to finish in the top 3 when the season ends; not so straightforward given they still have to play Bedford, Donny annd Cornish Pirates away in the remaining weeks.
Should they do so, Cov will have finished higher than at any time since they were relegated from the then first division back in 1988, its inaugural season.
Being critical of a 5 point win might be harsh, but this is side looking to better itself with each and every game. However pleased the coaches are with the performances this season, I imagine there will be some difficult conversations as they review the game with the players on Monday morning.
At least there should be.
The plight of Scottish is one that all clubs in the Championship will be all too wary of. There's always going to be a 'Brand new dandy, First class scene stealer (that) Walks through the crowd and takes your (place)...'.
Caldy has shown just how effective promoted National One clubs can be in this league and, with a top 8 finish looking essential next season if Cov are to attract the finances/sponsorship to redevelop the BPA in future years, Cov has got to be more ruthless at times. They let Scottish back into the game when they had them for the taking. And that is an area they need to work on if they are going to challenge for the Premiership at some point over the next few seasons.
Yesterday was a lesson hopefully learned.
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