Coventry
Coach Scott Morgan happy that Plan B did the trick.
Photo by Nick Meredith
By John Butler, Coventry Telegraph.
November 10 2014
Coventry head coach Scott Morgan was delighted with the way his side defied trying conditions and dug in to earn a 23-21 decision on their first-ever visit to Hartpury College.
Morgan, who again played the full 80 minutes, said: “It was a great win in the end and I’m really pleased for the boys. These are the types of game away from home we haven’t won in the past.
“Even when we were 21-3 down we actually didn’t feel under real pressure – two of their tries came from breakaways, in reality against the run of play.
"It was frustrating, but we tightened up and didn’t then try to play into the wide channels as we had done earlier, which with the weather as it was meant a change to Plan B and we came away with it in the end.
“In conditions like that, you really have to adapt and in certain key positions we now have the players with the experience to do that.
“We had to dig in and grind the opposition down and that is what happened in the last 20 minutes.’’
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Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 10/11/2014 12:20
10/11/2014 12:20
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Fair pay to Scott, we can't accuse him of not being a man of cliches!!
After the game I commented that we would hear about plan b, c or maybe even d! And the fact that we would hear the line about us 'not winning those types of games in the past'
The truth was it was another poor 'overall' away performance, against an average/mid table group of college students which we managed to win because of Hartpury's inexperience in not keeping the ball in hand when we entered the last minute of the game. If they hadnt of just kicked it down field into midfield we wouldn't have got ourselves into a position to get the penalty to win the game.
Of course it's the win the matters, but why oh why can't we manage to put in a full 80 minutes of effective rugby away from home?
After the game I commented that we would hear about plan b, c or maybe even d! And the fact that we would hear the line about us 'not winning those types of games in the past'
The truth was it was another poor 'overall' away performance, against an average/mid table group of college students which we managed to win because of Hartpury's inexperience in not keeping the ball in hand when we entered the last minute of the game. If they hadnt of just kicked it down field into midfield we wouldn't have got ourselves into a position to get the penalty to win the game.
Of course it's the win the matters, but why oh why can't we manage to put in a full 80 minutes of effective rugby away from home?
Nigel,
Like Loughborough Students, Hartpury College is no more a college team than Coventry. Dome if their players are students, so are some if ours. Our captain is currently in the middle of four weeks of exams.
Obviously they have significantly lower crowds, and hence gate receipts than Coventry - but did you go through to the gents and see the sports hall below and behind the grandstand? Or the large gym back there? They have a lot of facilities Coventry can't get near affording.
In other words don't underestimate them. They were only flu def after Cov started their decline and have worked and spent their way up to Coventry's current level with a lot of professional attitude and backing.
Like Loughborough Students, Hartpury College is no more a college team than Coventry. Dome if their players are students, so are some if ours. Our captain is currently in the middle of four weeks of exams.
Obviously they have significantly lower crowds, and hence gate receipts than Coventry - but did you go through to the gents and see the sports hall below and behind the grandstand? Or the large gym back there? They have a lot of facilities Coventry can't get near affording.
In other words don't underestimate them. They were only flu def after Cov started their decline and have worked and spent their way up to Coventry's current level with a lot of professional attitude and backing.
Your probably right about thčm not being students, however they did look like a very young side. However I am over 40 these days so that could have a bearing on my judgement! ;-)
Its not that i was underestimating them. More that they only have only a50% win ratio, are newly promoted, and lack the experience we have in this league. So î think in a season where there has been aspirational talk of a top 3 finish and for chasing promotion, that we should set our bar higher than just beating a side of this nature on the last kick of the game.
What we need to do is not aim on being just a bit better than the poor performances of last year, but aim at the score lines that Ealing generally have put in against the opposition this year. :-)
Its not that i was underestimating them. More that they only have only a50% win ratio, are newly promoted, and lack the experience we have in this league. So î think in a season where there has been aspirational talk of a top 3 finish and for chasing promotion, that we should set our bar higher than just beating a side of this nature on the last kick of the game.
What we need to do is not aim on being just a bit better than the poor performances of last year, but aim at the score lines that Ealing generally have put in against the opposition this year. :-)
That's a fair point zin. However with a big but! .. But if budget was everything we would be beating the likes of mac, hartpury, St Albans etc etc a lot more convincingly. As if you say it works one way, conversely those clubs with smaller budgets and incomes should also be beaten by us by larger margins.
Could you list the playing budgets of all the clubs in Nat 1 please Nige?
Just so we all know.
Just so we all know.
Have you looked at the top clss players that have been on there books over the last few seasons also there present coaching staff are top level. Just remember they are also Gloucesters feeder club,who knows how many future premership players were on the park on saturday only time will tell.We have to stop expecting the lads to blow teams away just because they are below us in the league a win is a win I will take that anytime,
.
.
Any team who can beat Darlington MP away is not a pushover!
It was a win I was hoping for but not expecting, so I was made up to come away with 4 points.
Also let's not forget the weather conditions this week, only one team managed to get a try bonus point.
It was a win I was hoping for but not expecting, so I was made up to come away with 4 points.
Also let's not forget the weather conditions this week, only one team managed to get a try bonus point.
Kimbo, your right im making an assumption..
Eg that Ealing have a higher playing budget than us, and we have a higher playing budget than Mac, and Hartpury, etc. I dont know this for a fact, but i think its a safe guess dont you?
What do you think?
Eg that Ealing have a higher playing budget than us, and we have a higher playing budget than Mac, and Hartpury, etc. I dont know this for a fact, but i think its a safe guess dont you?
What do you think?
Like i said, im not knocking the "win".
But we really do need to put in better performances away from home if we have aspirations to get promoted. If we win all our games and another team wins all their games, it may come down to BP's, and then winning by bigger margins with more trys (eg better perfomances) would count and decide if we go up or not.
And apart from that is no good for anyones hearts!! ;-)
But we really do need to put in better performances away from home if we have aspirations to get promoted. If we win all our games and another team wins all their games, it may come down to BP's, and then winning by bigger margins with more trys (eg better perfomances) would count and decide if we go up or not.
And apart from that is no good for anyones hearts!! ;-)
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