Rotherham’s bid to climb out of the bottom four is still not certain to succeed and with performances like this, Cov are playing a dangerous game if they are relying on reproducing earlier results against some of the sides around them and finding their home form to see them through.

Cov’s players need to go into the six-game mini-league with confidence – in their own ability and in those around them – and with the momentum of a winning side.

But they are running out of opportunities as they face difficult British & Irish Cup trips to Nottingham and Neath before a return to Nottingham for their final league game.

The difference in the two sides was apparent from the start. Rotherham were fired up for the task from the opening whistle, causing havoc at the first scrum and hammering home the point to go 7-0 up in four minutes through a pushover try for No.8 Ryan Burrows and Jonny West’s conversion.

They never relaxed their grip – forcing three turnovers in the first 15 minutes as Cov tried to find a foothold.

Cov did score a superb try on 24 minutes, a long pass from Tommy Hayes to Ben Russell in midfield freeing Romain Plantey for a 30-metre run down the left flank with James Lewis on his inside to finish off the move and bring the score back to 14-8.

But it was a rare bright spot in a disappointing afternoon summed up when, even with Rotherham locks Gregor Hayter and Tom Denton in the sin bin at the same time, Cov still looked second best and couldn’t score from a dozen minutes of solid pressure near the home line.

Russell kicked Cov into the game with a penalty from their first attacking phase, but another five-metre scrum led to Rotherham’s second try for full-back Brad Hunt which was also converted by West who then stretched the lead to 17-8 with a penalty after Lewis’s riposte.

The impressive Burrows was the best player on the pitch in an outstanding Rotherham back row, and open side Adam Kleeberger crossed from close range in stoppage time to leave the hosts clear at the break.

Russell’s second penalty soon after the restart was followed by a second converted try for Burrows as Cov defended stoutly near their line for several minutes only to concede while skipper Arthur Brenton was receiving treatment for a knock.

Ten minutes later, the Rotherham pack drove over from a line-out for winger Jon Feeley to peel off the back and score and after a long but fruitless period of Cov pressure, the home side broke sharply for Burrows to run in and complete his hat-trick in the seventh minute of added time, West converting on the whistle.

Rotherham: tries Burrows 3 (4, 48, 80), Hunt (22), Kleeberger (40), Feeley (58); conversions West 4 (4, 22, 48, 80); penalty West (33). Coventry: try J Lewis (24); penalties Russell 2 (10, 42).

Rotherham: Hunt (Henderson 61); Feeley, Maggs, Gidlow, Swatkins; Allen (Chivers 59), West; Voisey (Kilbane 68), Batty (Conroy 49), Prescott, Challinor (Hayter 61), Denton, Swindall (Barnes 65), Kleeberger, Burrows.

Coventry: Russell; J Lewis, Mackenzie, C Lewis, Plantey (Frewin 80); Hayes, Frost (Walls 49); Dugard, McMillan (Dwyer 49, McMillan 63), Hall (Maddocks 68), Brenton (McGowan 49), Herrington, Pons (Venter 33, Dechartres 57), Bignell, Shaw.

Referee: P Knowles (RFU).

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