By Brian Dick, Coventry Telegraph
September 15 2010

COVENTRY stalwart Ben Russell has hailed the 'freshness' brought to the Butts Park club by the influx of local talent. Russell, who has been at Cov since 2006, was part of the side that won its first National One game of the season on Saturday with a thrilling 45-32 victory over Stourbridge. The home side, hastily reconstructed after a player exodus in the wake of relegation, contained a

nucleus of players hailing from the Coventry area.

And having once been the youngest captain in club history, 26-year-old Russell is now revelling in his status as elder statesman.

“We have got a lot of young guys who are from the city or have grown up in the area and it’s clear some of them are pretty excited to be playing for their local club,” he said.

“Some of them have been aspiring to play for Coventry for a long time and no matter how committed you are, it is going to be very difficult for it to mean as much if you are not from the area.

“You could feel there was a lot of excitement in the changing room before the match, if any of the boys were nervous they were hiding it well. There is a real freshness about the club.”

That freshness was apparent on Saturday as Phil Maynard’s side romped their way to seven tries and took their total to nine in just two matches.

And although Russell admits his side need to tighten up in defence, he was delighted with his team’s performance. “It was fantastic,” he said.

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Ben Russell hails fresh Coventry after opening National One

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 15/09/2010 17:48

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
15/09/2010 17:48

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covkid53
16/09/2010 19:41

Great to hear there is such a positive "vibe" in the dressing room.

It is no suprise to me these local lads are hungry to succeed, it was always the case years ago when the team had a strong local presence and went on to have so many "glory days" for the Blue and Whites....

It's pride in the shirt and a feeling they have done something a bit special.

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