By John Wilkinson A GREAT result, and there’s still more to come from the squad was how director of rugby, Rowland Winter assessed Coventry Rugby’s 63-14 win over Ampthill & District – a result which saw the National League One leaders extend the gap at the top of the table to 13 points.
Cov scored nine tries against the side with the best defence in the division bar their own in a dominant display leading up to next weekend’s visit to second-placed Darlington Mowden Park.
“To score nine tries is exceptional and it shows the work that the coaches are doing to get that detail there,” sad Winter. “I think with a little more accuracy and a touch more patience at the beginning and at the end of the game, we could have had more, but we’ll take that and it was a good day at the office.
“I don’t think Ampthill threatened us too much, they are quite a limited side, and we could have done a little bit better with their tries. Credit to Kevin Barratt for their first try, he reacted quicker than anybody else and just showed his quality, and I think normally we would have stopped their second try if the game had been a bit closer.
“Being really critical, I suppose the only other area to look at was the first 15, 20 minutes when we had a couple of opportunities in their 22 and didn’t capitalise on them.
“But that was pressure which was mounting, and as soon as we got through that and kept the pressure on, Ampthill began to crumble and that’s when the difference in the two sides showed.
“I think we’ve played better before and I think we’ve got another level we can go to. Gradually this team is starting to settle the more weeks we play, we’re only halfway through the season, and I’m sure things will get better and players will gel together more as the season goes on.
“There’s still a lot more to come from this side and that only bodes well.
“We’ve got a big week next week and a big, physical threat from Darlington who are solid on their patch, so we need to forget about today and concentrate on that.
“We’ve got to go and beat them next week and if we do that, then we really are in a good position looking towards the second half of the season.”
From a string of candidates for man-of-the-match, the award from match sponsors IDP went to centre Sam Tuitupou whose breaks set up two tries for Tom Kessell.
Said Winter: “A fresh Sam showed what he can do and he was a big difference between the sides for much of the game, but that’s what you expect from a player of his capabilities.”
