By Coventry Rugby 
By Alex Didlick
On a brisk December afternoon at the Butts Park Arena, Coventry Rugby delivered a statement performance in front of an energised home crowd. After last week’s heartbreak at Doncaster, all eyes were on how Alex Rae’s side would respond- and respond they did. From the first scrum to the final whistle, Coventry produced some of their most complete rugby of the season, blending dominance up front with electric handling in the backline. What followed was a display with precision, power, and imagination as Cov ran in ten tries and reaffirmed their ambitions heading into the winter block.
Coventry was into a strong headwind in the first half, and it was London Scottish who settled quickest, taking an early 3–0 lead from a straightforward penalty after Cov were punished for collapsing the scrum.
But the scrum issues were short-lived. On 10 minutes, Coventry blew the game open with a monster shove on the Scottish feed, pinching the ball on the 10-metre line. With the defence scrambling, Josh Thomas nudged a clever chip over the top, regathered, and the ball was worked beautifully through the hands for Jack Shine to finish. The perfect response.
Cov were beginning to purr. A scorching break through the middle from the forwards left London Scottish completely exposed, and a selfless offload from Senitiki Nayalo handed Morgan Strong the simplest of finishes under the posts. 14–3.
The first half turned into a highlight reel of offloads and support lines. The half-backs took control-Sam Maunder firing a perfectly timed pass to release Thomas into acres of space. Thomas linked back with Maunder, who slipped the ball to Dan Green for Cov’s third. Some of the handling on show in the opening 20 minutes would have made Fiji’s 7s squad nod in approval. 21–3.
With the breeze behind them, London Scottish looked to slow the game and control territory with the boot, and they succeeded in halting the scoring, but only temporarily. Just before the break, another dominant Coventry scrum on the 5-metre line created a clear overlap on the left. Maunder whipped the ball wide and Peter Sullivan strolled over for try number four. 28–3 at half-time.
Senitiki Nayalo ignited the second half in unexpected style, thundering onto a perfectly weighted kick from Maunder. The pressure ended in a scrum on the Scottish 5-metre line, and after multiple resets Coventry finally earned the penalty try, the visitors’ misery compounded by a yellow card to Vaughan Bentley as they struggled to contain the shove.
Sullivan rejoined the party. On 56 minutes, a sharp lineout move sent Cov sweeping across the field. Tom Bacon carved through the first layer before releasing Sullivan, who beat his opposite number with ease to notch his second of the day.
The offloads also kept flowing, with a gorgeous move involving Thomas and Aristot Benz-Salomon set up Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi, who charged over for another well-worked team score on 66 minutes.
London Scottish finally found a response, linking neatly through Fraser Honey and Noah Ferdinand for a consolation try, but Coventry hit back almost instantly. Morgan Adderly-Jones stretched out brilliantly to score, before the try of the afternoon arrived before the conclusion, Api Bavadra soaring onto a pinpoint cross-field kick from Thomas to before beating two defenders to score Coventry’s ninth try of the day.
It was the type of afternoon Coventry have been looking to produce all season- ruthless, controlled, and full of confidence. The set-piece dominated, the handling was sharp, and the finishing was clinical, with London Scottish unable to live with Cov’s tempo or physicality. With the visitors held to a late consolation, this performance belonged entirely to the home side, who combined flair with discipline in a way that will please Alex Rae enormously. With a trip to Caldy up next, Cov will travel with momentum and belief, knowing that if they replicate the precision and intensity shown today, they can turn one dominant win into a meaningful run through December.
Man of the match- Morgan Strong. A colossal afternoon from the No. 8. His influence on Cov’s dominant scrum set the tone, and in open play he delivered a series of seismic tackled that dove London Scottish behind the gain-line. Another game where his experience and physicality were at the heart of everything Cov did well.
Attendance: 2,856
Goal kicking
Josh Thomas- 8/9
Tom Wilstead- 1/1
Try Scorers:
Coventry Rugby- Jack Shine (10’), Morgan Strong (12’), Dan Green (14’), Peter Sullivan (38’, 55’), Penalty try (50’), Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi (64’) Morgan Adderly-Jones (73’), Api Bavandra (79’)
London Scottish- Noah Ferdinand (67’)
Line-ups:
Coventry Rugby- Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole ©, Eliot Salt, Jack Shine, Senitiki Nayalo,Dan Green, Tom Ball, Morgan Strong, Sam Maunder, Josh Thomas, Peter Sullivan, Morgan Adderly-Jones, Oli Morris, Api Bavadra, Tom Bacon
Finishers: Murray Davidson, Aristot Benz Salomon, Matt Johnson, Allan Ferrie, Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi, Josh Barton, Tommy Mathews, Ewan Baker
London Scottish- Vaughan Bentley, Jimmy Staples, Austin Hay, Matt Wilkinson, Theo Vukasinovic, Bailey Ransom (cc), Lewis Barrett, Tom Marshall, Jonny Law, Tom Wilstead, Noah Ferdinand, Will Simonds, Solodrau Radianirova, Murray Bellis, Dan Nutton (cc)
Finishers: Harry Clayton, Tam Lindsay, Ntinga Mpiko, Marijn Huis, Jake Spurway, Stephen Kerin, Fraser Honey, Robbie McCallum
