Effectively which on opportunities alone should have been all but won by half time, this was a match ultimately lost after a very disappointing second half.

Matches of this nature are invariably very difficult to judge over a full 80 minutes with there being a lot of changes being made and one cannot escape the feeling that in part it explained to some extent the disappointments of the second half.

7-0 at half time, brave Cardiff defence and several opportunities going a begging right at the death, but in reality the margin should and deserved to be more against a Cardiff side who up to that point looked very ordinary in an attacking sense.

Early on Myles Dorrian scythed through, a Ronnie McLean burst saw Sam Herrington held close in whilst in took the Welshmen 15 minutes to reach Cov’s half. A further excellent move saw Darren Clayton surge in support of an Ollie Winter break before Tom Slater knocked on, surely a try had to come and it duly arrived on 23 minutes. From a scrum ‘’22’’, Nathan Jones broke wide from Laurie McGlone’s flipped pass to ark round the Cardiff winger for a superb individual try, McLean converting. Home pressure continued it taking fully 40 minutes for Cardiff to reach the home ‘’22’’.

Surely Coventry would be able to build on the first half ? Unfortunately it never happened, although to their credit Cardiff did look a better side after the break. Generally the half was pretty poor quality with changes affecting both sides, each having opportunities before on 61 minutes Cardiff’s captain Veater was given red and Cov’s Jamie Miller yellow after a collective altercation in from of Cardiff’s posts, although somehow referee Sharp deemed a penalty to the visitors despite the red card.

From thereon in however it was all Cardiff in attack, Hill’s try converted by Halfpenny levelling matters   on 69 minutes before 5 minutes later, Lee Parry and Kurt Johnson got themselves in a tangle under a high kick allowing Chapman to claim the winning try converted by Halfpenny.

Plusses and minuses will be taken from the game, unfortunately including a number of worrying knocks, but its down to the serious business from now on beginning with Plymouth.

Coventry. Ben Russell, Lee Parry, Ronnie McLean, Ollie Winter, Tom Slater, Myles Dorrian, Nathan Jones, Ricky Whitehall, Rob Dugard, Sam Herrington, Carl Burgess, Henno Venter (Capt), Darren Clayton, Laurie McGlone

Replacements; Stewart Pearl, Dai Maddocks, Robert Bell, Jamie Miller, Sam Montague, Mike Walls, Tommy Hayes, Will Lawson, Ben Ponds, Kurt Johnson.