By Coventry Rugby 
A fascinating pre-season clash at Butts Park Arena saw Coventry run in nine tries to overcome Champ Rugby rivals Caldy, 61-26. After a close opening half, Coventry found their rhythm after the break, producing some excellent attacking rugby.
Coventry began the first half brightly, spending a large portion of the first 10 minutes in the Caldy half. However, were frustrated by a lack of clear-cut breakthroughs in the Caldy defence.
The early dominance was finally converted in the 11th minute after a brilliant move created the first try of the afternoon for Tom Ball. Fly-half Josh Thomas put a clever dink over the top which was gladly received by Ewan Baker who quickly shipped the ball off to Ball who had a clear line under the posts.
Caldy responded immediately with a precise grubber putting them right on the Cov 5 metre line. After several close-range phases, tighthead prop Joe Spronston powered through from short distance to level the contest.
The game swung in the visitor’s favour during the 15th minute after a phase of kick tennis led to a break down on the right-hand wing. Coventry full back, Ewan Baker, was put into an unfavourable position culminating in an off the ball tackle and a yellow card for the new signing. The ref awarded a penalty try to Caldy, leaving Coventry a man down and chasing the scoreboard against the run of play.
Yet the hosts showed resilience. In the 22nd minute, crisp handling and sharp support play stretched the defence and with numbers wide, Morgan Strong, finished neatly in the corner to bring Cov back into the game.
As half-time approached, Coventry pressed again. Following a lightening break from Tom Ball, a deliberate knock-on from the visitors returned a yellow card of their own, offering Coventry a chance to capitalise. But it was Caldy who took the mantal, executing a powerful maul deep in Coventry territory. When the drive was halted short, Tom Sanders forced his way over from the next phase, giving the Ravers a narrow edge at the 35th minute.
Gladly received by the Coventry faithful, was a spirited end to the half by the hosts. Culminating in a last-minute try by Oli Morris. This left Coventry just 2 points behind at the break with momentum firmly back on their side. 21-19 the half time score.
Coventry flew out of the blocks after the restart and quickly reclaimed the lead, confirming the momentum switch observed at the end of the first half. Replacement Suva Ma’asi powered over in the 43rd minute to ignite the home support. Just two minutes later, Senitiki Nayalo provided a brilliant offload in contact on the Caldy 22 metre-line, sending Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi on a surging run to the line, stretching Cov’s advantage.
To their credit, Caldy refused to roll over and their trademark maul again proved dangerous. On 59 minutes, replacement hooker Monty Weatherby drove over to narrow the deficit and remind the Butts Park crowd that the visitors still had bite.
But the final quarter belonged emphatically to Coventry, specifically Mackenzie Graham. The replacement forward produced a moment of magic in the 67th minute, stepping like a winger and bursting through tackles to score from distance. Fly-half Thomas nailed the extras from the railing. Minutes later, Graham sent the crowd into raptures with a second, catching a kick return from halfway and storming through Caldy’s defence for a quick-fire double. An all-round brilliant cameo from the Bath signing.
Caldy’s discipline was again under the microscope as Sam Olyott was shown a yellow card for tripping, handing Cov further momentum. From there, it was all one-way traffic. Ma’asi claimed his second try of the half with another powerful close-range finish, again converted by Mathews.
The final word came from the Senior Academy, as Taio Varndell pounced on a loose Caldy pass and raced 60 metres to score under the posts in the 77th minute. It was the perfect exclamation point to a rampant second half that saw Coventry storm to a 61–26 victory.
A brilliant afternoon at the Butts Park Arena that will see the Coventry faithful brimming with confidence heading into the premiership clash with Exeter Chiefs Select XV next weekend.
By Alex Didlick
Attendance: 1233
Try scorers:
Coventry RFC: Tom Ball (11’), Morgan Strong (22’), Oli Morris (40’), Suva Ma’asi (43’), Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi (45’), Mackenzie Graham (67’), Mackenzie Graham (69’), Suva Ma’asi (73’), Taio Varndell (77’)
Caldy RFC: Joe Sproston (13’), penalty try (17’), Tom Sanders (35’), Monty Weatherby (59’)
Conversions:
Josh Thomas- 4/5
Tommy Mathews- 4/4
Line-ups:
Coventry- Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole (c), Matt Johnson, Jack Shine, Senitiki Nayalo, Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi, Tom Ball, Morgan Strong, Sam Maunder, Josh Thomas, David Opoku-Fordjour, Dafydd Rhys-Tiueti, Oli Morris, Peter Sullivan, Ewan Baker
Finishers: Keston Lines, Aristot Benz-Salomon, Suva Ma’asi, Eliot Salt, Dan Green, Will Smith, Mackenzie Graham, Josh Barton, Tom Miles, Tommy Mathews, Morgan Adderly-Jones, Api Bavadra, Taio Varndell, Sam Gibson, Sam Harding, Harry Ingram, Joe Johnston
Caldy: Nathan Rushton, Matt Gallagher, Joe Sproston, Adam McNamee, Tom Saunders, Sam Olyott, Jordan Jones, J J Dickson (C), Ollie Wynn, Kieran Wilkinson, Dylan Carroll, Michael Barlow, Connor Wilkinson, Rhys Tudor, Matt Kilcourse
Finishers: Ryan Higginson, Monty Weatherby, Ollie Hearn, Max Loboda, Dan Owen, Jack Wilson, Tom Akehurst, Lewis Barker, Jacob Mitchell, Joe Bedlow, Michael McDonald
