Coventry

Last Sunday saw the first of 9 games in 27 days and it was job done. Not pretty, some would say lucky but it was a win, 8 more games to go. The lack of game time seemed apparent, hopefully Wednesday will see more cohesion, keeping the ball in hand and better placekicking as the Knights have some game time under their belt.

The original fixture at Butts Park Arena was called off; now the Knights need to eat away at their games in hand (2 over 5 teams inc. Coventry and 3 over 6 teams). Last Saturday’s win put the Knights 9th with 7 wins and 10 losses, Coventry are 11th with 5 wins, 13 losses and 1 draw.

Coventry will be on a high after last Saturday’s victory over the new and improved Bees where they reduced the Bees to only scoring 7 points (the Bees have averaged scoring over double that). Plus they’ll want to prove a point that even after their recent 15 point deduction, they are still a force to be reckoned with and will be prominent in the relegation play-offs.

Head to head, the results have been fairly even, the Knights just possess the upper hand, having won 5 games against Coventry’s 4 but the scores have been relatively close.
It’ll be an interesting game for Will Hurrell if he gets to play against his ex-team-mates. The Knights new signing is fresh from England U20’s win over Wales U20 last Friday, Hurrell was Coventry’s 3rd top try scorer after the openside flanker’s Jamie Miller and Aaron Carpenter. If both openside flankers’ tries had been scored by 1 player, he would be the Championship’s joint 5th top try scorer and the 2nd top forward try scorer.

Ben Russell (fly half) followed by Joe Carlisle (fly half) are their top points scorers. 61% of Coventry’s tries have been scored at home and 64% in the second half. Obviously with their openside flankers, Miller and Carpenter being their top try scorers, the Blue’s back row have scored most of their tries. In fact only Exeter Chief’s back row have scored more tries in the Championship. Even Coventry’s front row have scored as many tries as the centres, with the wingers just 1 try ahead.
This points to a strong set of forwards with many tries being scored by flankers wheeling off scrums/rucks/mauls or the front row powering over the try line.

In terms of tries leaked, only about 40% of them have been in Coventry. Backs have scored over 75% of the tries scored against the Blues; only the Bee’s have leaked more tries scored by backs , this again indicates a stronger vset of forwards than backs. Similarly only the Bees have had more penalty tries awarded against them.

The Knights need a 5-point victory to get out if the relegation play-off zone (still with 2 games in hand after Wednesday). Win or lose Coventry Blues will stay 11th so they can focus on tactics, strategies, assessing potential competitors and general improvement ready for the relegation play-offs. More importantly they have nothing to lose.