Sport Walshe praise for players after great start to campaign

COVENTRY head coach Nick Walshe was delighted with the Blue and White’s 20-15 win over Jersey Reds on Saturday which secured a winning return to life back in the second tier.

The 43-year-old admits the side did well to deal with an experienced Jersey Reds side and praised the team after an ‘unbelievable’ secondhalf performance.

He said: “It was unbelievable. Jersey came and did what they are really, really good at, they scrummaged well, mauled and we were twelve-nil down and I knew we hadn’t gotten into the game yet.

“I felt if we could get a bit of ball and some territory then we would be all right but yes, what a start to our Championship campaign.”

Coventry crossed the whitewash on four occasions during the match, two of those were disallowed, once for James Stokes dropping the ball over the line and the second for a forward pass that allowed Heath Stevens to score.

Walshe continued: “It was everything we knew they would bring and then obviously we scored and got back into the game at half-time.

“I think the crucial thing was just before half-time, when we were under the pump with 13 men and we held out.

“So that spirit is just absolutely everything we need.”

The side fought back heroically with a dominant second period and

I felt if we could get a bit of ball and some territory then we would be all right but what a start to our Championship campaign.

despite being down to 13 men for ten minutes, Walshe believes the side’s spirit and character were exactly what the coaching team expect.

He said: “Firstly, we had to scrum on our own line with six or seven men and had to defend our line with 13 men.

“It was a great turnover from Ben Adams and we went in at half-time only two points down and I think it was quite psychological.

“Then we had to come out and work for six minutes with 13 men but then I felt as we got parity back in numbers, I could see us growing.

“I really felt that we deserved one or two more tries from this game but that is encouraging because we have shown what we need to do in this league, the physicality and everything like that, the attitude and then I know on top of that we can hopefully score some trues. But to get that win was unbelievable.”

More than 2,000 fans attended the club’s return match to the Greene King IPA Championship on Saturday and Walshe praised Coventry’s fanbase for their overwhelming support.

He added: “Of course, our fans have been fantastic and what a game, I was on the edge of my seat and I think everybody else was. But I just think it’s credit to the lads and everyone here to put that performance out first up.

“You feel so proud as a head coach and it was brilliant.”