By Coventry Rugby 
by Alex Didlick
Coventry Rugby travelled down to Gloucestershire looking to make it back-to-back away victories after their commanding win at Richmond. Facing a Hartpury side sitting in seventh, the visitors started brightly with the game’s first score but were ultimately undone by a flurry of fist-half mistakes. Despite a courageous second-half resurgence, Alex Rae’s men fell narrowly short in a fiercely competitive encounter at the 4ED Hartpury Stadium.
It was a topsy-turvy opening ten minutes in Gloucestershire, but it was Coventry who drew first blood. True to form, their trademark rolling maul provided the platform, with Senitiki Nayalo powering over for the opener on nine minutes, a perfect start for the visitors.
However, Hartpury responded strongly. Sustained pressure deep in Coventry territory was eventually rewarded when Dale Lemon spun out of a tackle to level the scores. Moments later, a pinpoint 50:22 set the hosts up again, and they struck through a sweeping backs move, full-back Alex Morgan finishing expertly in the corner to give Hartpury the lead.
The home side had turned the momentum on its head and were in full control, with Coventry’s defensive frailties resurfaced. A charged-down clearance from Tommy Mathews gifted Hartpury field position, and scrum-half Lennon made the most of a wide overlap to cross on the right flank.
Just as Coventry looked to rebuild, their momentum was cruelly cut short. After a promising break from Jordan Poole, Morgan Strong’s ambitious pass from the breakdown was intercepted by the Hartpury full-back, who raced the length of the pitch for a bonus-point score. At 26–5, it was suddenly a long road back for the visitors.
A late penalty added to Coventry’s first half woes, and Hartpury headed into the interval 29–5 ahead- a harsh reflection of a half in which Coventry had enjoyed plenty of possession but struggled to convert it into points.
The second half began with renewed intent from Rae’s men. Tom Bacon’s smart offload released David Opoku-Fordjour into open space, and although the chance went begging, Coventry’s persistence was rewarded minutes later when Mathews dived over in the corner after a slick attacking move.
But as we saw at Richmond last week, a handling error from the restart immediately handed momentum back to Hartpury. The hosts worked the ball wide to winger Holiday, who finished neatly to restore breathing room. Coventry, to their credit, continued to rally. A quick tap penalty allowed Senitiki Nayalo to crash over for his second, before a fine interchange between Matt Johnson and Allan Ferrie saw the replacement lock gallop clear to score.
For the first time in the match, Coventry built back-to-back tries and genuine belief. The fightback gathered pace when Hartpury’s Naylor was sent to the bin for playing the ball on the floor, and the visitors instantly capitalised – Peter Sullivan forcing his way over to bring it back to 36–31.
Just as the comeback looked on, Coventry’s discipline faltered. Club captain Jordan Poole was yellow carded and later Matt Johnson joined him. Reduced numbers halted Cov’s momentum in the closing stages, and Hartpury held firm to see out a narrow win.
Despite the defeat, Coventry’s second half showing once again highlighted their attacking threat and character. However, defensive lapses and costly yellow cards at inopportune times continue to cost the outfit this season. With another challenging fixture at home on the horizon against Ampthill, Alex Rae will know that tightening up their discipline and early game focus is essential if they’re to convert strong phases in matches into wins on the board.
