The dam, the ram and some high hopes...

Once there was a silly old ram

Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam

No one could make that ram scram;

He kept buttin' that dam

'Cause he had high hopes

He had high hopes

He had high apple pie in the sky hopes

So any time you're feelin' bad

'Stead of feelin' sad

Just remember that ram

High Hopes - Frank Sinatra

Following multiple seasons of uncertainty, it seems that the Championship has finally obtained sufficient concessions from the RFU during the summer to establish a structure that ensures a pathway for ambitious clubs aiming to compete in the Premiership.

The system established by the RFU to guarantee promotion may be heavily weighted against the team that wins this season's Championship, but it does at least offer a chance for one of the 12 clubs to earn its place among top teams such as Leicester, Saracens, and Exeter, albeit a slim one.

This season is a particularly interesting and exciting one for Coventry Rugby fans, especially considering the strong belief among many Cov supporters who have witnessed the club's advancements under Alex Rae that the gap between Ealing and Coventry continues to narrow.

In short, it's game on.

And with the professional game board (PGB) at the RFU now prepared to relax the regulations regarding the minimum ground capacity, teams will be eligible for promotion with a ground capacity of just 5000 (tick) and a four-year plan to increase this to 7500 and then 10000 (tick?).

This is significant because it means that were Cov, for instance, to be promoted in 2025, the Board could hold back on any build for at least 12 months. With promoted sides more than likely to go straight back down again at the end of that first season (given the derisory funding available to the promoted side against that allocated to the rest of the Premierships clubs), any spending on further developing the ground's capacity could be deferred until there's more certainty surrounding the club's future in the top tier.

There are still lots of unknowns, not least of which is the makeup of the Championship in 2025/26. 14/16 teams? Relegation? An additional franchise team to be added?

These are all questions that will need to be resolved well before Christmas if clubs are to be able to plan effectively for the following season and there's likely to be plenty of heated debate, likely acrimonious at times too, before it's all sorted.

That said, we can all afford to hold high hopes.

The dam has been partly breached. Sinatra's ram has punched a hole big enough to allow just a trickle of water through but it will still be enough to reenergise a league that has been denied that most treasured of goals in recent seasons, access to the Premiership and all the potential benefits that go with it.

So, there's all to play for and on the back of two very strong campaigns, most Cov supporters must surely be hoping Cov can continue to push Ealing for the top spot?

Although the team performed well, finishing third last season behind Pirates and Ealing, they could have achieved even greater success if they had not faltered against Hartpury at home and Ampthill and Caldy away. This is not to diminish the capabilities of these three clubs, as they have all demonstrated their strength on various occasions. While unexpected, results like these are always a possibility, finishing just 9 points behind Ealing highlights the significance of those three losses.

With many of the 2023/24 squad remaining for this campaign, the experience of last season will hopefully ensure Cov isn't quite so profligate against teams that we know we have the beating of if we play to our best, however well they play.

Although we have lost some outstanding players such as Chudley, Pellegrini, Wand, Wilson, and Nicol, it seems that we have made good recruitment decisions. Based on what we see on paper, I would cautiously say that our squad seems to be just as strong, if not stronger, than last season's. While we will miss Chudley, Pellegrini, and Wand (my apologies!), there is a lot of promising young talent joining the team to fill their positions in the backline.

The area where we struggled a little last season appeared to be up front, with injuries and a lack of depth meaning the front row was down to the bare bones at times and we were reliant on loans to plug the gaps. Whilst injuries are always likely, we do appear to have some depth. Warren looks a beast and Matt Johnson has been a thorn in Cov's side for a couple of seasons now, so Nicol's loss won't be felt quite as strongly. Trinder is Cov through and through and always gives his all and Nairau was starting to look a really strong acquisition towards the end of the season and is destined for bigger and better things, either with or without us...

The backrow, despite the loss of Paddy Ryan, looks to be even stronger with Okeke and Hinkley providing plenty of options.

Perhaps a 'signing' that has gone under the radar a little, but one nevertheless that could be really significant, is that of Steve Boden as forwards' coach - Rae describing him as being 'potentially world class' in this area. He might not be with us full-time, but he is another piece, and an important one at that, in the jigsaw and his presence will further develop a set of forwards that at their best were a match for any in the Championship last season. Together with Gordon Ross and James Scaysbrook, the coaching set up is now one that would appear to be of Premiership quality in the making and this only adds to the feeling that Coventry is moving inexorably towards a genuine tilt at the top tier whether it be this season or beyond.

If Rae can keep everyone together, there is much to be hopeful about.

High hopes at that.

Whilemany other clubs have made some good signings, none of them seem to have significantly strengthened their squads enough to improve their chances of finishing in the top three, apart from the usual contenders. Ealing appears to have taken a different approach this season by recruiting fewer and less experienced players, with more players leaving at the end of the previous season than those brought in for this one. There haven't been any big-name signings either. Ealing are rightly going to be most people's favourites for the title, but victory is not guaranteed. If Coventry can start well, there might be enough experience in the squad this season to make the competition intense until the end.

Doncaster have signed a couple of big names (well, long anyway) in Semesa Rokoduguni and Logovi'i Mulipola, but both are in their late 30s and whilst their experience will be invaluable, maybe their impact won't be quite the threat it might have been were they 5 years younger.

It's hard to tell how Pirates will do this season, they've lost a fair few players and with their current financial worries they'll probably rely quite heavily on Exeter to prop up their squad.

And then there's the as-yet unnamed cup competition to look forward to. I'm a big fan of this, although I appreciate there are those for whom it offers little interest. As someone who travels to most away games, the opportunity to visit Welford Road and Franklins Gardens is one that is not to be missed and if Cov can be as competitive in the cup this season as it was last, then it will make for an extremely enjoyable break from the Championship proper.

Attendances suggest that it's not particularly well received (see below - source Wikipedia), but with games more locally based, perhaps we can expect to see a slight increase this year?

It's a chance for clubs to network in a way they might not have done otherwise and there's the potential for better understanding and cooperation on both sides of the dividing line, although perhaps I'm being rather naive there.

I was very disappointed to read that neither Cambridge or Chinnor were included in the competition, the RFU deeming that 20 clubs would be preferrable to 22. I trust that they will be recompensed in some way and that the Championship did its utmost to support their cause. Losing a couple of potentially lucrative home gates won't have done their cause much good so it should be incumbent on the RFU to help both clubs procure alternative fixtures/opportunities should they be requested.

This week sees the first of just two pre-season friendlies and whilst that is perhaps one or two less than in previous seasons, at least both are at home. We already know that the Moseley game will be a chance for the whole squad to get a run out of sorts, so it's likely to be a rather disjointed affair with perhaps two separate and distinct teams in each half. However, it does give us the opportunity to put faces to names (it always takes me an inordinately long time, much to the amusement of my son/grandson) whilst also allowing the coaches to experiment with different combinations of players.

The second game, against Chinnor, is an unusual one for me as we'll be playing them in the Championship, at home, just 4 weeks later. Clearly neither club is fazed by that but it's certainly an unusual situation...it will be interesting to see how the two Cov squads marry up. You'd expect Rae to choose close to his first choice 22 for the last game before the season commences, but equally I imagine he won't want to lay all his cards on the table.

Playing the Premiership sides later on in the season is probably a good move for Cov. Players should be match fit by then and against opposition who are bigger and more physical, I'm hoping that potential injuries aren't quite such a concern.

This is, I think, my 63rd or 64th season at Cov and its certainly one of the most anticipated since 1987, when Cov was relegated from what was back then the first season of the national leagues. The club was in the top flight, its first and last season appearance there. It was called the Gallagher Premiership and I think the club lost all of its games in what was a really tough season for Cov fans.

And there were a good few more to follow!

But these are altogether happier times.

Despite the RFU's reluctance to support the Championship adequately, the current Board and management of the club have established a much stronger foundation. The club is making every effort to secure its own survival, even though the RFU has attempted to separate the Premiership from the rest of the sport. It has taken an existential threat for Championship clubs to unite and confront the inflexibility of figures like Bill Sweeney. The old adage 'united we stand, divided we fall' is one that is all too applicable right now and with Coventry's Nick Johnston one of the clubs' representatives it would seem that Simon Halliday's successes (and legacy) over the past two seasons will be further championed.

That we now have at least a pathway into the Premiership is a victory for the Championship and for rugby as a whole in this country. However, unless the clubs hold out for the rest of their demands, especially the refusal to allow any team into the league other than by promotion, then it could yet prove to be a Phyricc one.

The Championship must not give in to the bullies and there-by turn its back on all those ambitious clubs in the leagues below for whom making their way up the rugby pyramid is not a dream but an aspiration.

Be you a goat or an ant, always have high hopes.

Next time you're found

With your chin on the ground

There's a lot to be learned

So look around

Just what makes that little old ant

Think he'll move that rubber tree plant

Anyone knows an ant can't

Move a rubber tree plant

But he's got high hopes

He's got high hopes

---