By Coventry Rugby 
by John Butler
The preseason warm up fixtures come to their conclusion this weekend with the visit of the Exeter Chiefs Select XV to the Butts Park Arena.
With this welcome compiled earlier in the week, for obvious reasons, we were not aware of the make up of the Chiefs squad, so with that in mind, difficult to make any predictions as to possible outcomes.
What we can do however is to welcome in true Coventry fashion the players & officials who have made the journey up from the South West. Welcome all !
Suffice at this stage to say that in common with the RGC & Caldy visits, match details, either club or individuals, do not count in any records. Important to stress this because in the past some players have been unaware of that. It has always however been the case pre season.
Looking at the wider picture between Cov Rugby & Exeter Chiefs, it is 16 seasons since an Exeter side visited the BPA. Brought about solely because of differing league status.
So, it was back in season 2009/10 when Exeter Chiefs were last here, on that occasion in the Championship. From a Coventry perspective, relegation to National League One followed at that end of that season.
Particularly for those who do like to delve back & be reminded, some other facts & figures now of involvement between our two clubs, post second world war.
There was at the time a rare one off fixture back in 1949/50, when Cov visited Devon & Exeter as part of a tour to the South West.
Fast forward 24 years to 1973/74 before we find the next meeting, which again was in Devon.
More gaps, but from season 1990/91, with league rugby now fully up & running, we met regularly each season up until that earlier date we mentioned, 2009/10.
From a Cov Rugby perspective, two wins here this September at the BPA as the build up to a challenging campaign in the newly named Champ finally takes off in two week’s time. There can be little doubt Alex Rae & his colleagues will have learnt quite a lot about the 2025/26 squad in the two matches played. There are inevitably in such situations bound to be hights & lows & deliberations, before they name the squad to take on Worcester Warriors at Six Ways on 4th October. Remember down there the kick off time is 2pm.
Patience is a virtue you might say, for from a home perspective, it is a further week, Saturday 11th October before we have the visit of Bedford Blues, kick off 3pm. Two very testing encounters for our squad to build towards in what will be a busy October. Your writer stands correction, but it is pretty safe to say one feels that the start of this season’s league programme is, by far, the latest start date which has ever occurred, both pre & post league rugby. One suggests not a particularly pretty statistic, but a fact of rugby life in 2025 !
Meanwhile, enjoy the Exeter visit this Saturday. C’mon you Cov dogs, as the saying goes ‘’ let’s get ready to roll’’ !
