COVENTRY RFC 20 -21 (1 Viewer)

oldfiver

Well-Known Member
EZfiqY2XgAAAM-x

supporting @NHSCharities
with this special shirt, which will be worn at a home match in 20/21 which will be designated 'NHS Charities and Key Workers Day'.

10% of RRP goes to NHS Charities

Limited initial run

https://eliteprosports.co.uk/shop/coventry-rugby
 

oldfiver

Well-Known Member
I get that its for charity but that kit is a shocker. I do like the OurClubOurCity tag line they use, not exactly subtle!

The intention is only for a one off match and the rainbow colours for the NHS
The season's kit is on the link
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
If anyone is interested in Cov MD Nick Johnston's take on how the club is managing the Covid and RFU funding issues, he was interviewed on Eakin's CWR prog yesterday afternoon (it's on 'catch up').
Worth a listen, optimistic, and only slightly spoiled by Richard Moon's constant refs to W*sps.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Cov have signed 22 year old prop Toby Trinder from Northampton.
Looked good last term on a season-long loan.
(Any chance of stickying this thread in place of the current sticky? Cheers).
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Another signing announced today, helping plug a gap caused by the losses of Junior Bulumakau and Max Trimble.
Rob Stevenson, a pretty sharp and rapid wing, has signed from London Scottish.
A couple of years ago, he and another current Cov player (Jennings) scored a total of 22 points of LS's total of 27 in their 29-27 defeat at the BPA.
Hopefully that form continues!

(And another request to sticky this thread instead of the dead 19-20 thread. Ta!).
 

oldfiver

Well-Known Member

Exclusive: Championship clubs plan massive shake-up following review by ex-Saracens CEO Ed Griffiths

Posted on 21st July 2020 by admin in Club Rugby, Latest News, The Greene King IPA Championship with 0 Comments


Ex-Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths

Revolutionary plans for a new Championship league are set to be discussed.


Clubs in Tier Two have spent lockdown formulating ways of reinvigorating their competition with former Saracens CEO Edward Griffiths leading the way.


Griffiths has conducted a root and branch review of the league and compiled a 76-page document that contains a range of ideas ahead of a projected launch in 2021/22.


The Rugby Paper understands that proposals are:


  • A new 16-team ‘Heartland’ Championship split into North and South conferences, with the top four in each moving forward to contest the title with play-offs and a grand final, while the bottom four in each fight to avoid relegation to National One.

  • A new Divisional Championship which will form the basis of an annual Heartland Championship XV to take on Tier Two touring nations.

  • A collective commercial and bargaining agreement which would see Heartland Championship sides pool resources to attract new broadcasting and sponsorship deals.

  • Minimum ground standards aimed at encouraging new fans and ensuring that clubs aspiring to join the Heartland Championship are properly equipped. Floodlights and adequate seating and covered accommodation will become mandatory.

Championship clubs are determined to push ahead with plans to breathe new life into their competition, regardless of anything Premiership Rugby may have planned regarding promotion and relegation.



Officials at many Tier Two sides believe the gap between them and the top-flight has become so big that it would be more productive to go it alone now and tap into the more traditional grassroots rugby culture.


A club source told TRP: “The Heartland Championship will be about getting back to the virtues that lots of people like about Rugby Union. It’ll be about making our clubs less about business and more about rugby and its people.


“You have similar scenarios in New Zealand, where they have a Heartland and Provincial Championships beneath Super Rugby, and the knock-ons of a similar Heartland Championship here would also see a reinvigoration of the county and divisional rugby.


“I love the idea of a Heartland Championship XV that can then play second tier nations and create an aspirational pathway for guys who are not elite level professionals. If the Championship clubs can get this right, it can be an absolute winner.”


A Championship XV is not new. In 2012 a combined side coached by Mike Rayer and Ian Davies lost 52-21 to the Maori All Blacks in front of 5,000 fans at Doncaster’s Castle Park, while two years later a Martin Haag-led side beat Canada 28-23 at Worcester.


Both events proved popular among supporters and players, from whose ranks Jacob Rowan, Mark Atkinson, Calum Green, Tim Streather, Josh Bassett, Nic Rouse, Tom Cruse, Marco Mama and Phil Burgess (England 7s) emerged to enjoy top careers.



Reasons for its subsequent demise were never made clear by the RFU.


Championship clubs will meet this week to discuss their next move.


NEALE HARVEY
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
This has been a very sore point with fans at level two for a week or so.
I for one am disgusted at the heavy-handed approach to this attempt at dismantling any kind of competition for the sacred Premiership (*spits*).
Hopefully no clubs with any kind of pride get sucked into this shite.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
The owner/Chairman has now clarified the actual stance (ie, not that of the awful 'Rugby Paper' (*spits again*))...

All,

If I may clarify, this proposal has not been unanimously voted through.

What has been agreed is to pursue the proposal's four underlying principles. Those principles are -
Nurture the finest English rugby talent (players, coaches, staff, etc.)
Connect and strengthen the rugby community
Set a new standard in player welfare
Ensure financial stability and move towards self-sustainability.
The whole proposal goes far beyond this and needs much more understanding and refinement.

Talks are now being held with key stakeholders (RFU, PRL, NAC, etc.) and Ed Griffiths will report back end August with revisions to current 76 page document after which a vote would be taken to adopt or not.

Jon Sharp

Executive Chairman
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
I agree. Regionalizing would be an absolute no-no to me, especially in such a small division that is heavily southern-biased, geographically. Besides, it's supposed to be a National league. What part of that don't they get?

(There are only two clubs north of Cov in the entire division BTW. Nottingham - hardly oop north - and Doncaster in South Yorks).
 
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wingy

Well-Known Member
I agree. Regionalizing would be an absolute no-no to me, especially in such a small division that is heavily southern-biased, geographically. Besides, it's supposed to be a National league. What part of that don't they get?

(There are only two clubs north of Cov in the entire division BTW. Nottingham - hardly oop north - and Doncaster in South Yorks).
Exactly my thoughts
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Really sad that George Oram has been released. Big ol' unit. Full of heart. Always made the hard yards, and put his body where it hurts unflinchingly.
Bugger to lift in the lineout though ;)
Currently down to Woolford and Dacres in the second row, both of whom are lineout operators, but Dacres the more impressive in the loose (IMO).
Hope they have some grunts lined up in the tight five or they might struggle!
Wallace - meh.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Admittedly, this seems to exclude the Championship for the present, but I figure it's just a matter of time before the RFU admit defeat.
Clubs below the Prem would be killed if forced to play matches with no fans in attendance.
Or maybe the cynics are correct, and that's the plan?
 

oldfiver

Well-Known Member


Coventry Rugby Club’s estimated losses across the season due to Covid-19 have topped £2 million – with executive chairman Jon Sharp issuing an impassioned plea to highlight the club’s fight for survival.


It has been 32 weeks since the Butts Park Arena hosted a Cov match following the cancellation of all rugby beneath the Premiership in March.



While the top flight reconvened in mid-August playing in front of empty stadiums, the second tier and all the levels below it have been left in limbo waiting for a start date to the 2020/21 season.


Sharp, who pumped money into the club to ensure its short-term future, has written to the city’s MPs and key civic leaders to support his bid to lobby government for an in-person meeting to safeguard the club’s future.


“We will lose, in terms of income, we have estimated just under £2m in this season,” said Sharp. “That’s a significant amount. We have cut our cloth. We’ve taken mitigating action, we have made people redundant and we have cut salaries. We’ve done that both in the rugby playing staff and in the commercial operation staff. We’ve had no option.”


He added: “My objective was to bring this into the view of everybody.


“It’s not just about the fact we play rugby on a Saturday afternoon, it’s all that community work that we do, that I’m so proud about, thousands and thousands of hours we do. We can only do that by funding it through being open.”


His letter has already received a positive response Taiwo Owatemi, MP for Coventry North West, writing to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, MP Oliver Dowden, in which she referred to Butts Park Arena as a ‘vital hub’ in her constituency that ‘unites’ Coventry citizens


The letter said: “Starved of gate revenue, most clubs have seen a black hole open in their finances. Most do not have lucrative television deals or the deep reserves that could allow them to weather the storm unaided.”


The timing of the global pandemic couldn’t have come at a more unfortunate time for Coventry Rugby. Under Sharp’s ownership and the guidance of director of rugby Rowland Winter, they’d established themselves as a top-four club attracting quality players in from Premiership clubs.


A positive and vibrant new era was fully underway with an artificial grass pitch installed that swiftly became a massive asset, not only to Coventry as a rugby club, but to the wider community.

Almost makes me cry

“Sometimes when I am sat upstairs in one of the lounges, I look over that beautiful pitch, sparkling away in the sunshine, and not a soul in sight, it almost makes me cry,” added Sharp.


“It’s such a bloody waste. Then we’ve got the Coventry United FC men and ladies, Coventry Bears, Coventry University, all these teams playing there, they’re struggling as well. For all the same reasons. It’s devastating.”


Sharp’s main business interests, aside from rugby, involve the aviation industry as well stakes in pubs and restaurants – which have all been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.


He provided the money to help get the artificial pitch completed ahead of the 2019/20 season in what was part of a long-term project for the club which is now ‘on hold’.


“I was on a five-year programme that had its fits and starts along the way, it wasn’t all plain sailing, but basically at the end of a five-year programme, to take me to a place where further development on the site would start with a third party, that’s been put on hold.


“Our gates were rising to be the best in the league, newly demoted Premiership teams aside, our hospitality is accepted as being the best in the city. Better than the Ricoh, better than anywhere. The whole momentum was building up to something pretty special. I am not talking about immediate promotion, but we were building that commercial base, it’s not out of the possibilities.


“I’ve put my hand in my pocket to guarantee the survival of the club for this year. It’s not just about me, it’s about survival. We have to survive. All this investment I’ve put in, both in time, effort and money. That’s not going to go to waste. My objective therefore is survival.”

'Some difficulties'

Coventry regularly attracted crowds in excess of 2,000 people to the Butts Park Arena and had their eyes set on a record attendance for their eagerly-anticipated clash with top-of-the-table Newcastle Falcons in March, before its unfortunate cancellation.


Sharp is confident that, due to the lay-out of the stadium, which has one main seated stand accompanied by three terraced sides, Coventry could host rugby matches and welcome supporters in while remaining compliant with social distancing rules.


“One size doesn’t fit all’,” he said. “It’s very different having a crowd of 20,000 flooding the transport systems, it’s very different when there’s a couple of thousand coming to the Butts Park.


“We can get a thousand people in the stand and another 500 people dotted around the ground, not a problem. All observing social distancing. Without these things, we’re in some difficulties.”


Some key decision points are looming for Sharp and the club. The squad that took Cov to the dizzy heights of fourth, just two seasons after promotion from National League One, will look very different when it finally reports back to duty. Players who were out of contract and could get deals elsewhere have understandably moved on.


Flanker Luke Wallace has featured prominently for Leicester Tigers since the restart and scrum-half Tom Kessell teamed up with Bristol Bears on a short-term deal. The likes of Gerard Ellis, Scott Tolmie, Darren Dawidiuk, Gareth Denman, James Voss, George Oram, Jack Ram and Max Trimble were also confirmed as summer departures back in July.


The remainder of the contracted squad has been furloughed since March with Sharp conceding players were ‘slowly going out of their minds’ with the club trying to find ways to occupy them during this challenging period.

Terrible decision

Since speaking to Sharp, there has been some light shone on Coventry Rugby after they were given the green light from Visit Britain to re-open for conferences, meetings and events, having met all the criteria for the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard for Covid-19 working practices. It allows conferences and meetings of up to 30 people along with wakes.


They have regularly enjoyed sold-out Sunday lunch bookings and have rugby camps coming too for youngsters during the October half-term holiday.


Being able to partially reopen the business is a boost, but until supporters are returning through the gates, what does the future hold for this famous rugby club founded way back in 1874?


Sharp’s assessment is a pragmatic one that underlines the difficulties being faced by sporting clubs.



“What I would rather do is mothball it for a year, keep our cash returns, hopefully there is some semblance of normality returning and a new season kicking off,” he said.


“The worst thing we can do is, to kick the can down the street ‘let’s give it another month’, see what happens, they might find a vaccine, Boris Johnson might get sensible. I don’t hold my hope out for either of those things.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Let's see if CCC are as quick to jump in & help Cov out as they are doing with Wasps.
Not a fucking chance.

The 'losses' btw, are an estimate of how much income has been missed, not a loss per se.
I hope to God they don't lose that much this year as that just can't be sustained.
Thankfully one or two income streams are now allowed again, and some very generous individuals and companies continue to support.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Cov finally announce the acquisition of Northampton Saints back Tom Emery.
No surprises here as he has been expected for a while.
Good business: young, quick, eye for the line on the wing, and can cover at inside-half.
Win-win.
 

wingy

Well-Known Member


Remember this old boy kneeza and others .
Still doing his stuff even after that appalling injury.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
Yep. Quicksilver winger, and very effective in the sevens game. Not too hot defensively, which was the main reason he was moved on. The gaps left were sometimes big enough to drive a Leyland bus through.
Slightly perversely though, I've seen him chase down oppo speedsters and overhaul them with try-saving tackles from a handicapped standing start!
I like him, whatever.
Let's get ready to Rundle ;)

(However, I unfollowed Jeff a long time ago due to his rabid 'leave' tendencies...).
 
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wingy

Well-Known Member
Yep. Quicksilver winger, and very effective in the sevens game. Not too hot defensively, which was the main reason he was moved on. The gaps left were sometimes big enough to drive a Leyland bus through.
Slightly perversely though, I've seen him chase down oppo speedsters and overhaul them with try-saving tackles from a handicapped standing start!
I like him, whatever.
Let's get ready to Rundle ;)

(However, I unfollowed Jeff a long time ago due to his rabid 'leave' tendencies...).
Oh I'm with you now.
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
It seems that the RFU, in its beatific wisdom, has decided to try to engineer a swift return to the top flight for Saracens. No surprises there then.
Season 20/21 is now slated to start in March (!) for Championship sides, with a very truncated campaign spread over two 'conferences', with Sarries in one, and the other heavily funded, yet under-supported side, Ealing, in the other.
Group winners play each other in a final (no semis).
Stinks of manipulation? You bet.
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
It seems that the RFU, in its beatific wisdom, has decided to try to engineer a swift return to the top flight for Saracens. No surprises there then.
Season 20/21 is now slated to start in March (!) for Championship sides, with a very truncated campaign spread over two 'conferences', with Sarries in one, and the other heavily funded, yet under-supported side, Ealing, in the other.
Group winners play each other in a final (no semis).
Stinks of manipulation? You bet.
Yep, hope we get them early while all those bans kick in.
 

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