Cov keep clean sheet for second match running

COVENTRY made it eight from eight to consolidate their lead at the top of the table with a relatively routine win over a game, but outgunned, Loughborough Students side.

The visitors had their moments in a game played in testing conditions, but Cov’s defence was water- tight for the second successive week and their margin of victory could have been wider with a little more accuracy in their finishing.

Playing into the strong wind, Coventry hit the ground running and camped inside the Students 22 until Brett Daynes forced his way over for an unconverted try.

A second try quickly followed when a break by Nathanael Titchard-Jones set up a close-range score for Latu Makaafi and Cov continued to pile on the pressure to make it 15-0 after 13 minutes, with a try out on the right for Will Maisey who failed with all three conversion attempts into the gale.

Cov lacked patience at key moments as they pressed for their bonus point and Students exerted some pressure in the ten minutes before half-time, but were kept out by some resilient home defence.

Makaafi claimed his second try from a training ground move off a line-out four minutes after the restart to finally secure the bonus point, Maisey converting before adding the extras when replacement Olly Povoas crossed by the posts from his first touch of

the ball. Students were still seeing their share of the ball but found no way through.

And Cov had the final say nine minutes from time when Scott Tolmie went over for their sixth try, Maisey again converting.

“We put in a big shift against the wind in the first half to get in a good position and we camped in their half for most of the second half, so I’m pretty pleased overall,” said Rowland Winter, director of rugby at Coventry, who have a near-perfect record.

“It needed some good game management in the conditions and 99 per cent of the time I think we got it right.

“The important thing was to get the five points and then move on to next week.”