Cov Rugby 2024 - 2025 (1 Viewer)

oldfiver

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Covkid1968#

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Come on Cov…, looks like an opportunity here for a club like ours.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Rumour, but strong one.
Tonga stand-off Pat Pellegrini off to Auckland-based Moana Pasifika.
That'll not help the cause this coming season if true.
 

andy86

Active Member
Rumour, but strong one.
Tonga stand-off Pat Pellegrini off to Auckland-based Moana Pasifika.
That'll not help the cause this coming season if true.
Cov signing a new fly half this morning could be a bad sign..
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Cov signing a new fly half this morning could be a bad sign..
Came here to post this. With Richman also already in place as a 10, it feels almost inevitable.
Mathews is a very promising stand-off though, and with the nurturing environment at the club, and the highly rated coaching team, could well turn out to be a gem.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
A bit of a disaster if Pellegrini leaves, in the games I saw last season he was outstanding. Maybe the best fly half Cov have had since Huw Davies in the 1980's
True. We've had some pretty decent ones in the interim though - Luis Criscuolo and 'Elisi Vunipola for two.
Cov never try to hold their personnel back though, and that won't change until they reach the Prem.
 

andy86

Active Member
Is there any definite news on Pellegrini? I see his portrait is still on the club website
Nothing yet.

He hasn't appeared in any of the pre season training photos/ videos at Cov.

Wasn't included in the recent Tonga squad though either.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
There is some chatter that he's on an extended holiday back home, but will return pre-season.
I don't buy into that though.
 

andy86

Active Member
There is some chatter that he's on an extended holiday back home, but will return pre-season.
I don't buy into that though.

Perhaps he's been on trial at Moana, and if he doesn't get offered a contract then he will return to Cov?

Moana have made a splash this week, signing Ardie Savea!
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Perhaps he's been on trial at Moana, and if he doesn't get offered a contract then he will return to Cov?

Moana have made a splash this week, signing Ardie Savea!
I guess that's a possibility.
Fingers crossed, as he could be the difference between top and second (heart possibly leading head there...).
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Pellegrini confirmed as signed by Gordon Highlanders/Moana in Oz.
Ah well, it was good while it lasted - now to see the next gem polished.

 
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Kneeza

Well-Known Member
This hasn't been released yet. Don't know why, as the clubs have known for three weeks.
The Prem Cup has been drawn on a regional basis. Cov have Nottingham, Leicester, and Northampton, and games will be played on a home and away basis - so a vast improvement on last season's debacle/nonsense.
I'm actually looking forward to it for once.
Hopefully the clubs will announce it soon, but who knows?
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Finally they've announced the Prem Cup fixtures - and Cov's first game is away on a Friday night ffs. The whole point is to fill Saturdays during the international breaks.
Fckn Nottingham with their 'can't play on a Saturday due to Forest and County'. Grrr.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
61-21
Nine tries (six in the second half).
Cov's first game, but Mose's third I think, so took a little while to find their feet.
Big gulf in class though, unsurprisingly.
I would think if we'd used our strongest combinations throughout the eighty, the scoreline would have been rather more emphatic.
Glad you enjoyed it Wingy. It's a neat little ground these days.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Second and last PSF. Cov 45-17 Chinnor.
Seven tries (five in the first half before changing virtually the whole line-up for the second when the visitors came into it scoring three of their own).
Biggest takeaways: Forwards solid, and scoring most of the tries. Backs shaky, not looking like they'd actually met each other for long periods. Fly-half is an issue now with Pellegrini gone and two injured. The kid (Mannion) who stepped in is promising, but raw. Good kicking game though.
Not overly confident for the trip to London Scottish, but hopefully lessons have been learned and I'll be proved wrong.
 

andy86

Active Member
Second and last PSF. Cov 45-17 Chinnor.
Seven tries (five in the first half before changing virtually the whole line-up for the second when the visitors came into it scoring three of their own).
Biggest takeaways: Forwards solid, and scoring most of the tries. Backs shaky, not looking like they'd actually met each other for long periods. Fly-half is an issue now with Pellegrini gone and two injured. The kid (Mannion) who stepped in is promising, but raw. Good kicking game though.
Not overly confident for the trip to London Scottish, but hopefully lessons have been learned and I'll be proved wrong.
Positive result, and looking forward to the season ahead.

My only concerns are 1) will we be a little undercooked? Two pre season games seems a bit light, and 2) like you said, fly half. Could be worth seeing if there are any short term options out there.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Reading between the lines, maybe one of the two crocked out-halves will be fit for Friday.
I wouldn't bet on it though - it was just a whisper.
As for being undercooked; yes, possibly. However I'd have liked to have seen more continuity over the two halves as I reckon the backs would have made hay as the dominant forward pack wore the oppo down.
However, we have to appreciate that the coaches wanted to run the rule over the entire available squad so no issues with how it was managed.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Cov's opening game of the season ended in a 45-19 win, with four tries coming from the forwards and two from the backs - all converted by outside half Liam Richman (another Aussie diamond?) who was fit, as hoped for.
He added a pen to give himself a nice total of 15 points.
Home side London Scottish chipped in with three late tries to give their side of the scoreline a bit more gloss than it perhaps warranted. Perhaps too many Cov personnel changes in the second half again?
Good result though, and somewhat better than I anticipated.
 

andy86

Active Member
Solid start for Cov, at not our happiest of hunting grounds in the past.

Like you I didn’t expect quite such a comprehensive scoreline, but will happily take it 👍

Hopefully the late tries against will be cut out once fitness improves.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Solid start for Cov, at not our happiest of hunting grounds in the past.

Like you I didn’t expect quite such a comprehensive scoreline, but will happily take it 👍

Hopefully the late tries against will be cut out once fitness improves.
Haven't lost there for over three seasons now. Three wins out of last four.

I think they're fit enough tbh. They are just losing shape when the replacements get thrown on. I'd be happy with smaller (matchday) squads/fewer non-injury changes but the ruling body decrees different.
C'est la vie.
 
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andy86

Active Member
Fantastic performance from Cov, dominated the game from start to finish. Expected more from Bedford, but very encouraging from a Cov perspective.

Decent enough crowd of 3000+ too, although I think the club were hoping for a few more.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Decent enough crowd of 3000+ too, although I think the club were hoping for a few more.
They were, but to be fair, crowds are often quite low early doors, and build as the season goes on. Keep up this level of performance, keeping Ealing honest, and who knows how high the average will go.
 

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