Somebody pinch me, splash a pint of ale in my face, do whatever you have to do—because I am still floating somewhere above the NNS!
Talk about putting opening-day grumbles in the rear-view mirror. What we witnessed at the weekend wasn’t just a rugby match; it was an all-out, champagne-fuelled festival of running rugby. Coventry 73, Cornish Pirates 40. Read that scoreline again. Say it out loud. Let it roll around your tongue like fine wine. Seventy-three points! Eleven tries! In one afternoon! My vocal chords are completely shot and my hands are still bruised from clapping, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Now, fair play to the Pirates, they rocked up and drew first blood after six minutes. Did the Coventry faithful panic? Not a chance. Because once Alex Rae’s magnificent Blue-and-White army clicked into gear, they unleashed sheer, unadulterated fireworks.
Within four minutes of their try, Bacon went over to open our account, and that was just the spark. From then on, it was an absolute try-fest:
- Jordan Poole went crashing over like an unstoppable battering ram (twice on the day, what a legend!),
- McNab turned on the afterburners,
- Bavadra sliced them apart,
- and Strong bullied his way through.
We were dropping tries like they were going out of fashion! Five tries before half-time, and we hadn’t even peaked yet!
The second half rolled around and Cov just completely took the shackles off. Jordan Poole grabbed his second, Jack Reeves danced over for a brilliant brace, and then Barton, Green, and Opoku-Fordjour all got in on the carnival. It was relentless. Every single time we spread the ball wide, you could feel the entire stand rise to its feet.
And can we please talk about Bruce Houston off the tee?! Nine out of eleven conversions nailed—slotting them over from all angles as if kicking from the touchline in front of a roaring crowd is as easy as walking the dog. The lad’s got ice in his veins!
Yes, alright, the rugby purists and the defensive coaches might groan about leaking 40 points to the Pirates. Alex Rae will probably make them drill tackles until Tuesday night, and fair enough. But frankly, from where I was standing with, who on earth cares?! We didn’t just win; we blew the roof off the place and put on the most entertaining 80 minutes of rugby you’ll see anywhere on the planet this season.
Eleven tries. Seventy-three points. Pirates walked the plank and Cov are cruising.
Up the Cov! 🔵⚪🔥