Biggest Butts Park Arena crowd for five years watches...

...Coventry RFC extend winning run

Coventry extended their winning run into double figures with an exhilarating performance which underlined both the confidence running through the side and the giant strides they have made in the last few weeks.

The biggest crowd in five seasons of National League One rugby at the Butts Park Arena – 1,737 – was treated to a game rich in entertainment value, not least in a breathless first half which saw Cov lead five times as the two sides exchanged converted tries at an extraordinary rate.

It was as if a pressure valve had been released in the Cov players after the previous week’s test of strength and character against Ealing , and the first-half action was more akin to a game of basketball as play went from end to end with each attack leading to a try.

Something had to give, but Cov are on a roll and in their current mood and form they were never going to come out second best – anything you can do, we can do better.

And after matching Cov point for point for the first half hour, it was Fylde who cracked on the run to half-time when yellow cards for centre Scott Rawlings and lock Joe Robinson in the space of as many minutes reduced them to 13 men.

Cov took full advantage, scoring tries on either side of the break to open up a 40-28 lead, and they went on to ‘win’ the second half 27-3 in a way which made a nonsense of their second-half failings from earlier in the season and confirmed their position as serious contenders for honours.

The sloppiness which contributed to some of Fylde’s first-half tries was quickly forgotten.

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