Coventry 36 Macclesfield 25 by John Wilkinson.


By John Wilkinson, Coventry Telegraph.
October 24 2011

MATURING Coventry took another huge step forward with this victory over the side that started the day in second place in the National League One table and one that did the double over them last season.

Frustratingly, while defeat saw Macclesfield slip down to sixth, Cov stood still as all the other teams around them also claimed maximum points.

But with six sides covered by just three points in the pursuit of leaders Ealing, it was an important win which not only keeps Cov in the hunt but also confirmed that they really do not have to fear anyone in the division.

A purple patch which brought Cov three tries in the space of nine minutes before half-time proved the decisive period of an entertaining game, giving them a 22-5 lead, but they had to dig deep and show all their qualities as Macclesfield refused to lie down and came back strongly in the second period.

The forwards had another good afternoon, adding a near-perfect line-out display to a strong scrum, while the back row of Brett Daynes, Alex Nash and Matt Tibbatts worked tirelessly throughout the whole 80 minutes,

And after a nervy start, Mark O’Connor recovered to score a debut try and make one for the excellent Heath Stevens as the backs played their full part in an overall performance which can only have lifted confidence higher.

Cov, who had first use of the wind, made a decidedly shaky start and went behind after six minutes when Macclesfield went blind at a scrum inside the home 22 and full-back Fergus Mulchrone raced through a gap to score an unconverted try out on the left.

Cov had to defend stoutly on the opposite side before gaining a foothold in the game when Luke Myring fired over a 48-metre penalty which proved the catalyst for Cov’s best 25 minutes of the season as the pack took a firm grip on the game.

Tibbatts and Lewis Barker combined off the back of a scrum to force Macclesfield back into their 22, the No.8 eventually finishing off as the forwards worked their way to the try-line and Myring converting.



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Coventry 36 Macclesfield 25 by John Wilkinson.
Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 24/10/2011 16:52
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