Cov happy to help out old pal Clive

27th July

Coventry have helped out one of their former players by joining in with a training session for the club he now coaches.

Former hooker Clive Davies invited the club to Chinnor in Oxfordshire for a training and coaching session with the club's under-21 development side.

Davies, who played 10 first-team games in three seasons as understudy to England hooker Steve Brain in the 1980s, is now the coach of Chinnor Academy while remaining a season-ticket holder at Cov and taking in as many home games as possible.

Cov welcomed the opportunity to bring some variety to their own pre-season preparations and put some of their knowledge back into the rugby community.

"All the players and team management thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to help out at Chinnor," said head coach Murray Henderson. "It was good to meet an ex-Coventry player in Clive.

"I believe we are all very lucky to earn our living from and be involved in a sport we love. If I or any of the team can pass on some experience or knowledge to young players, we are only to happy to oblige. The club remains focused on developing all aspects of rugby.

"If any further clubs would like our help, time permitting we would love to get involved."

Portugal trip will give Cov 'mark in sand'

3rd August

Head coach Murray Henderson has a first chance to assess the capabilities of his reshaped Coventry squad when they take on Portugal in the first of their pre-season warm-up games in Vilamoura tomorrow.

Cov have been in full training for six weeks, and although Henderson admits that the game - against a side preparing for the World Cup - comes earlier than usual, he is looking forward to a chance to assess progress.

"It's about two weeks earlier than originally planned for the first run-out, but it is a great opportunity," said Henderson. "The players have been going through a big conditioning phase and we have only really had a handful of rugby-specific sessions.

"But I think that physically we are quite strong and really into our work and this exercise is about the players taking what we have been working on out onto the field.

"We will have a change of style to our rugby this year, more of a continuity game which requires us to keep the ball alive, and these are the skills we have started to work on going into this game.

"Above everything, I want to see a lot of enthusiasm out there, and the skills, tackling and patterns of play will all develop from that.

"Most of the squad will have 40 minutes of the game, and that will be good for them."

Both sides have nominated 28 players for the game, which kicks-off at 5.45pm and will be played as four 20-minute quarters in temperatures likely to be in the mid-30s.

Forwards Hendry Rheeders and Darren Clayton will not take any part as they continue their recovery from, respectively, shoulder and groin operations and - unless there is an injury - prop Ricky Whitehall will also sit out the game and have his chance when Cov travel to Caerphilly on August 21.

Portugal, who are housed alongside Cov at the impressive Browns Sports Training Centre, where the game will be played, went down 19-16 to London Welsh on Saturday and go off to Canada next week for a warm-up international.

"I know little more of them, other than that they are an international team getting ready for a World Cup," said Henderson.

"But if we think they may have any lack of skill and fitness I'm sure we will be surprised. We have to expect it all to be there, and they won't have an issue with playing in 35 degrees. We are the ones climbing up the hill.

"The result will be a mark in the sand for us, but at the end of the day what is important is for us to see an appetite for it, some of our skills, and to have a crack at these guys."

Cov are spending five days in Portugal and Henderson is impressed at the facilities in Villamoura, where Premiership club Gloucester will visit next week and where Australia will be based before the World Cup.

"It's outstanding as a conditioning camp," he said. "It's an ideal environment for teams; it is made easy for you, and the weather is perfect.

"Keeping the guys mentally attuned, fresh and wanting to go out each day to challenge is something that I and Brett Davey have got to be really focused on over a long season, and at this point in time we couldn't really ask for anything better than this."

Clubs join forces with Colts side

3rd August

Old Coventrians and Coventry Rugby Football Club have joined forces to field a Colts team next season that's full of potential for the future.

The two clubs have been working together during the summer under the guidance of Coventry's first team hooker Richard Protherough, plus Old Covent's talented coaching duo of Neil Chapman and Lau Langkilde to ensure the OC's Coventry Colts are well prepared for the coming campaign.

A trial match is being held on Thursday, August 9 at Tile Hill Lane with both senior and junior colts involved plus any new players interesting in joining.

Meanwhile, two representative teams are set to take part in the Rugby Lions 10s tournament on the following Sunday while a pre-season game against Rugby Lions Colts at the Butts Park Arena is set for Saturday, August 18 as part of Coventry RFC's rugby carnival.

On September 1 the Colts will tackle their Chinnor Colts at the same venue as a curtain-raiser to the first Coventry National League One home match against Doncaster RFC.

Team official Mike Owen said: "The team is based around strong senior and junior colts which have grown up through the very successful Old Coventrians mini and junior sections.

"This is being complimented by additional players joining the team through a desire to be trained and play at the highest level possible."

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