Coventry in control with Chudley at the helm
COVENTRY continued their winning league streak over Bedford Blues with a six-try victory.
Cup contests have gone either way in recent years but with league points at stake, Coventry are starting to take hold with this a fifth successive victory.
A game billed as third versus fourth, there was just no stopping Alex Rae’s side who controlled the game from start to finish and ended their best ever Championship season on the highest of highs with an away victory at one of their oldest and most fierce rivals.
Former Bedford scrumhalf Will Chudley came back to haunt his former employers with a standout display on his return to Goldington Road, dictating the tempo and ensuring Coventry led from start to finish throughout the game.
Chudley’s intercept followed an early driving maul score from Suva Ma’asi, and from there, Coventry didn’t look back.
Bedford were guilty of trying to overcomplicate things and Coventry stayed patient, waited for their moment to pounce, and hit multiple sucker punches.
In response, Rich Lane led a one-man offensive on the occasion of his 100th Blues appearance and he reduced the arrears shortly before half-time. But Bedford couldn’t take the momentum with them into the break as Coventry hit back instantly through Adam Peters to lead 21-7.
It was much the same in the second half despite Lane getting a second and Dean Adamson scoring his 115th Bedford try, as Coventry delighted the many hundreds of travelling supporters.
Senitiki Nayalo is on a 13 Penalties conceded 11 3 Lineouts won 5 2 Lineouts lost 1 7 Scrums won 4 1 Scrums lost 2 1 Sin bin 1
Lane 7, French 6, Le Bourgeois 6, Maisey 6, Adamson 6, Grimoldby 6 (Tapley 56, 6), Day (c) 6 (Garside 56, 6); Conway 6 (Royston 60, 6), Fish 6 (Hughes 53, 6), Dimen 6 (Barrett 40, 6), Williams 6 (Atuanya 53, 6), Woolford 6 (Onojaife 40, 6), Frost 6, Sylvester 6 (Rylands 53, 6), Uru 6
Brown 8, Wilson 7 (James 57, 7), Rigg 7, Titherington 7 (Betteridge 63, 7), Martin 7, Mitchell 7, Chudley 8 (Lane 70, 7); Trinder (c) 7 (Kenny 57, 7), Ma’asi 7 (Biggs 63, 7), Andrews 7 (Bridges 54, 7), Tyas 7 (Smith 74, 7), Peters 7, Dodd 7, Bainbridge 7, Nayalo 7 (Ball 68, 7)
crusade against Bedford it seems and he scored his tenth try against the opponents, to get the scoreboard back ticking before James Martin and Tobi Wilson got in on the act too.
It represented Coventry’s biggest away victory at Bedford for some time and ensured a vintage end of season celebration for the West Midlands side.
Lane said: “The team has had an unreal season and to finish fourth is still a massive achievement and everyone should be proud of that. It’s important we don’t let the result tarnish that.
“Fair play to Coventry because they dominated us in the forwards, played some real good stuff out wide and took a lot of chances. We need to show that ruthless streak because that was the difference and they overpowered us.
“It’s disappointing not to send those boys leaving the club off with a win.”