By Paul Smith 
Coventry head coach Alex Rae has called on his side to repeat their recent dominant display against Nottingham when London Scottish are the final Butts Park Arena visitors of the season on Saturday (3pm kick off).
With 19 players moving on following the game, this is the last occasion on which Cov’s 2024/5 squad take to the field and their boss hopes this motivation will inspire the group to one last big performance.
He said: “We want to finish the season really well in front of our home fans and also want to give the lads that are leaving a good send-off and one more positive memory of Coventry.
“We put in a really strong performance last time at home against Nottingham and we’re very much aiming to repeat that so everyone leaves with a smile on their face.
“Those players who are leaving have spent at least a year here. In addition to taking pride in their personal performances they will want to sign off on a positive note with those mates they’ve built relationships with during that time.
“It doesn’t really matter under what circumstances they’re leaving – they’ve all been part of Coventry’s history. They are all good lads who we’ve enjoyed having here with us, it’s sad to see good people move on but that’s the nature of the business and of course we wish them well.”
Rae also paid tribute to the club’s loyal supporters who have again both numerically and in support levels both home and away proved to be the Championship’s leading fan base.
“Without the fans we’re nothing,” he said. “Across the time I’ve been here the support has built really well and this season they’ve been especially great since there’s been a few dips when we’ve lost a few games on the bounce but they’ve stuck with us.
“The hard-core fans have never stopped giving support to the boys and providing them with confidence so we owe them a lot and hopefully can send everyone into the summer smiling with a big performance against Scottish.”
This Saturday also marks the end of a distinguished rugby broadcasting career for BBC CWR’s John Butler. Having reported on his hometown club since 1973 the time has arrived for the octogenarian to hang up his microphone and Cov’s head coach paid tribute to this colossal achievement.
“John’s 52-years commentating is unbelievable – in the modern world that sort of stint just doesn’t happen in any walk of life,” he said.
“I always enjoy going up to the radio desk and seeing him after the game and recently listening back to his commentary on David Opoku’s record-breaking five tries against Nottingham was fantastic.
“His knowledge about the club is unbelievable too so I’m really happy to be part of his last commentary on Saturday as it’s such a special achievement and also am delighted that he will still be around the club and at home games in the future.”
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/
