By Paul Smith 
Coventry make only one enforced change to the starting line-up that hosts London Scottish in the final game of the 2024/25 Championship season tomorrow (Butts Park Arena, 3pm kick off).
The injury that forced David Opoku from the field during the first half of Cov’s defeat at two-time league winners Ealing has not recovered in time for him to take his place on the right wing.
As a result Cov shift on-loan Glasgow full-back Logan Trotter across their back three to the right flank with the adaptable Liam Richman instead selected in their no.15 shirt.
The absence of Opoku and Ryan Hutler leaves the also-missing Jimmy Martin as favourite to top Cov’s seasonal try-scoring chart on the back of his 11 touchdowns this term.
However, skipper Jordon Poole, who has crossed the whitewash nine times, is named in the middle of the front row and with centre Tom Hitchcock also only two behind Martin the race is set to go to the final whistle.
Since missing Cov’s opening night win at London Scottish, Poole has been part of his club’s matchday 23 for all 27 of their subsequent league and cup outings – an appearance figure matched by flanker Tom Ball.
However both are likely to finish one shy of scrum-half Josh Barton who when he appears from the bench will complete a full set of 28 appearances for the season, 15 of which have been as part of the run-on team.
Hooker Will Biggs joins Cov’s replacements’ bench where Suva Ma’asi is named as cover for the back-row. Local product Theo Mannion is also named on the bench for his Coventry finale.
Head coach Alex Rae is positive about his team’s chances of finishing their campaign on a winning note.
“The game at London Scottish feels so long ago now that we’ve paid it no attention this week,” he said.
“By this point in the season we know how we want to play the game and we’ve got a pretty good idea of how Scottish will go about things so our preparation has been all about making sure we put in a performance and sign off in a positive manner.”
Cov bid farewell to 19 of their squad on the pitch at the end of the game and very much hope supporters will join them in thanking the leavers for their contribution during the season.
Coventry: Liam Richman; Logan Trotter, Oli Morris, Tom Hitchcock, Jake Henry; Tommy Mathews, Sam Maunder; Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole, Matt Johnson; Senitiki Nayalo, Rhys Anstey; Tom Ball, Matt Kvesic, Chester Owen
Replacements: Will Biggs, Jevaughn Warren, Eliot Salt, Dan Green, Suva Ma’asi, Josh Barton, Theo Mannion, Will Lane
Match tickets for Cov’s final home game of the season against London Scottish on Saturday May 31st can be purchased at https://www.coventryrugby.co.uk/tickets/matchday-tickets/
