Nottingham 27-15 Coventry (RFU Championship) 11.02.22
Head Coach Craig Hammond got a perfect birthday present as his Nottingham side beat Coventry to close the gap on them in the table to just six points.
The Archers went behind on seven minutes with a converted try by Josh Bainbridge before David Williams chased down his own kick and beat the Coventry defence to dive over the line on eleven.
With Morgan Bunting missing the extras, Fenner kicked a penalty on 18 to take the score to 5-10 in the away teams favour but therafter Nottingham dominated, Bunting this time kicking a long penalty through the posts before Jack Stapley went over on 28, Harry Graham doing the damage to break through before laying off to Stapley to finish and place under the posts.
With Bunting’s kick good, Nottingham had a five point lead and that became ten, when Williams went over again, three minutes before half time, the winger chasing down a bouncing ball and touching over the line.
Nottingham’s 20-10 half time lead was soon reduced just two minutes into the second period when Burrows went over but a huge try by Michael Stronge just five minutes later took the match back to two scores and hugely in the home sides favour.
Stronge finishing a breaking attack with the extras kicked over by Bunting.
The next ten-fifteen minutes saw Nottingham dominate with a couple of near misses, Stapley almost getting another after breaking through but being caught five metres short, as Coventry looked to find a way late on they pushed themselves but couldn’t breakthrough, Nottingham’s stern defence impressive with everything that was thrown at them.
A win that takes Nottingham to 24 points from 15 games played, the side still second-bottom in the Championship table well adrift of bottom club London Scottish (who they play next) but with now ninth placed Richmond and eighth spot Coventry in their sights, the two teams directly above just six points away from being caught.
*Main image @CoventryRugby action from the Bay during Nottingham’s win.
