Donated by Kimbo

By Dave Roach
January 20 2008

I concur; Brett Davey did have a very good game. As a supporter I have been banging on for some considerable time that this side is in urgent need of “street wise” professionals, it is imperative that they acquire the kind of personnel that possess the ability to evaluate, analyse and finally execute situations on the pitch.

And more importantly have the aptitude to verbally transfer that information to the players in a calm, controlled manner.  Unreservedly, Brett exercised that task yesterday.

You could clearly hear his Welsh accent on top of everything else, constantly bellowing out orders and encouragement throughout the duration of the game, it was most evident after 20 minutes, time and again we were losing territory in and around the contact area, Rotherham were dominant and it was starting to hurt us, as a result our discipline was affected, giving away silly and needless penalties in our own 22.  

At this stage Brett rallied and marshalled his troops, demanding and urging them to bond together, they responded superbly, hitting tackles as though their life depended upon it, arriving at the contact area early with speed, power and in numbers.  As a spectator and a Coventry supporter it was heart-warming to sense and almost feel the players respect for their coach, collectively they did as they were told and performed akin to a ‘team’, and I have not seen that for some considerable time. 

It is probably unfair to pick out a player or two for praise after such a fantastic team performance, but I have to mention the kicking out-of-hand by Myles in the second half, he had the Rotherham players mesmerised with long kicks that frequently found touch just outside their 5 metre line, when Rotherham’s defensive line came up as one he would cleverly dink a kick over the top or take the ball flat and move it down the line with pace and accuracy, causing panic in the home sides defence.  In my opinion Myles is learning an awful lot from Brett and his confidence yesterday was high. The backs were awesome in their tackling and quickly breaking out of defence, with Monty, Tofty and Kurt having fine games.   

My final praise must go to the pack.  Rotherham are notorious for having a tough, mobile pack and this was indisputably evident from their supporters whom frequently yanked up the decibel levels every time their pack ploughed into a scrummage or a maul, they unashamedly and fervently urged their front men to hammer into our forwards, like gladiators our guys stood their ground and responded magnificently with undiluted pride and passion, resiliently hitting back time after time until the final drone of the referees whistle. 

Saturday the 19^th January could go down as the date where this Coventry Rugby team became of age. I agree that Rotherham is not the team of old, but let us be fair and honest, it is very difficult to beat a Rotherham team on their own turf, do you remember the hammering we took last year, manfully our players stood up to the test, they deserved this victory.   

It is important that the players and coaching staff take this performance into next Saturday’s game against Bedford; it is imperative that they proceed with the same passion and pride that they displayed yesterday; they must demonstrate the same confidence and determination to drive forward… and become consistent. 

And to those who matter at the club, please take this on board.  The pitch was perfect for our type of rugby, I spoke to a few players at the end of the game, and they are in agreement that this type of pitch is ideal for them as players. So be professional and astute and prepare the pitch at Butts Park Arena to our advantage and not the oppositions.

Terrace Verdict from Rotherham

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 20/01/2008 12:25

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
20/01/2008 12:25

Terrace Verdict from Rotherham

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Kimbo
20/01/2008 18:18

Easy, Dave. Verging on the erudite, that

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tom snr
20/01/2008 22:16

this was the first time since 1996/7(ND2 days) that we have done double over Rotherham.
Thanks to JB for info.

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