Published: 04/12/2009 00:00 - Updated: 28/12/2009 19:56

Blues and Cov share the spoils at Ricoh

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

COVENTRY 15

BEDFORD BLUES 15 In the game that nearly never happened, the Blues will wish it hadn’t after a late surge saw Coventry earn a draw that could have easily been a win.

Bedford had looked on top for the opening hour and were putting on a superb defensive display until a couple of lapses in concentration and poor decision making opened the door for Coventry to run in three tries.

The Midland club nearly went out of existence earlier in the week, but they showed just as much fighting spirit on the pitch as off it, but in truth Bedford should have been out of sight.

“We had a crazy ten minutes,” said Blues scrum half and backs coach Nick Walshe.

“We were in complete control of that game but we managed to mess it up. The really annoying thing is that teams aren’t beating us, we are gifting them points.

“We only have ourselves to blame as we had the chances. Duncan Taylor was through in the first half, we had two-on-one situations and I should have done better in the second when I broke with Ian Vass.

“We were doing some really good things but then we made silly decisions and it has cost us.”

The Blues got off to a perfect start in the fifth minute when Gregor Gillanders and Myles Dorrian linked up well before Dan Richmond stepped into the breach at scrum half and played in Ian Vass who sent a perfectly weighted kick over the defensive line and Ollie Dodge was there to score the unconverted try.

Bedford’s lineout was working overtime in the early exchanges and how happy they must be to have Mike Howard back. The lock pinched two lineouts in the first ten minutes and disrupted another to truly put Cov off of their game plan.

As is now usual against Coventry there was a stern bout of fisticuffs with Paul Tupai and Cov prop James Hall having a real go at each other. Referee Darren Gamage sent both to the sin bin to cool down along with Bedford’s Alex Rae who the line judge spotted putting a couple of punches in during the melee.

Cov were awarded the penalty which went to touch and with the numerical advantage the drove towards the line but they knocked on at the last moment to deny them a try. They stayed close to the Bedford line for the next few minutes, but on a damp night a number of knock-ons from the hosts let Bedford off the hook.

Bedford’s defence was working overtime and when Cov were awarded a scrum after the ball hit the ref, they once again threw every thing forward towards the line only to meet the brick wall that is Richmond and Arthur Brenton was guilty of the knock on.

The Blues weathered the storm well and both teams were stored to 15 with no damage caused. Cov had the territory once again but a lame drop goal attempt from fly half Joseph Carlisle drifted harmlessly wide.

The game was being played very much in Bedford’s 22 and they were penalised for offside in the 34th minute and Cov opted to go to touch for a lineout but again they fluffed their lines when a good take was followed up by a poor drive and they held on too long giving Bedford the penalty and a chance to clear their line.

The Blues should have scored as the half came to an end as Dorrian played an inside pass to Duncan Taylor but the youngster, who has been so reliable this season, took his eye off the ball and knocked on.

But the Blues did end the half with a try and it was great work from the former Coventry man Dorrian which created it. The fly half received a long pass from Walshe and then he split the defence with a fine arching run before playing in Liam Roberts to score. Dorrian then added the extras to make it 12-0 at half time.



Bedford started the second half as the attacking force and after three minutes Dorrian made up for his earlier blunder by converting a penalty to make it 15-0 after Cov infringed at the ruck.

Coventry showed their fighting spirit form the restart and Simon Frewin made a good break along the left wing before ball was brought back into the centre, but once again Bedford’s forwards proved too strong with Phil Boulton and Sam Walsh doing well in their defensive duties.

Bedford matched their defensive superiority with a threatening attack that looked for points on every visit into Coventry’s 22. Tupai was the driving force of the pack and his neat work at a maul allowed Walshe and Vass to exchange passes but the return slipped through the scrum half’s fingers in the 55th minute.

Coventry had to score a try and when a penalty was awarded in front of the posts with 20 minutes to go they kicked it to touch in the hope of starting an attack and they got their reward when Hall went over the line from the back of a driving maul to make it 5-15.

Coventry had the bit between their teeth and minutes after the first try the comeback was on when a number of missed tackles allowed replacement Drew Locke to break through and set up Aaron Carpenter for the try but Carlisle missed the conversion.

With the stubborn Bedford defence now looking a little ropey every ball that came out on Coventry’s side was being put up in the air to test the Blues and they suddenly had a case of the jitters when catching.

Coventry again showed their intensions when a late penalty was put into touch just five metres out but two forwards ran into each other to give Bedford an accidental offside.

But there was still drama when Bedford failed to clear their line from the resulting scrum and a scrambled kick went backwards and the Blues had to touch down and give the hosts a five metre scrum of their own which they drove over the line with Carpenter claiming his second try but Carlisle shockingly missed the conversion which would have won the game and the Blues were fortunate to get the draw.

Teams. Coventry: Winter (Grove 57), Frewin (Hurrell 48), Mackenzie, Apikotoa (Locke 63), Plantey, Carlisle, Walls, Maddocks (Dugard 7), McMillan (Merrigan 41), Hall, Brenton (Herrington 53), McGowan, Carpenter, Bignell (Askew 73), Venter.

Bedford: Fielden, Taylor, Roberts, Vass, Dodge, Dorrian, Walshe (Chudley 63), Walsh, Richmond, Boulton (Seal 67), Howard, Rae, Gillanders, Goodman, Tupai. Not used: Locke,Harlock, Daynes, Davies, Davey.

Scorers. Coventry: Hall, Carpenter, Venter. Bedford: Try – Dodge, Roberts – Con; Dorrian – Pen; Dorrian.