COVENTRY Rugby head coach Nick Walshe was delighted with the Blue and Whites’ 20-15 win over Jersey Reds on Saturday which secured a winning return to life back in the RFU Championship.
The 43-year-old believed the side did well to deal with an experienced Jersey Reds outfit and praised Coventry after an ‘unbelievable’ second half performance.
“Jersey came and did what they are really, really good at, they scrummed well, mauled and we were 12-0 down and I knew we hadn’t gotten into the game yet,” he said.
“I felt if we could get a bit of ball and some territory then we would be alright. What a start to our championship campaign!”
Coventry crossed the whitewash on four occasions during the match, but two of those were disallowed, once for James Stokes dropping the ball over the line and the second, Heath Stevens going over after a forward pass.
The side fought back heroically with a dominant second period and, despite being down to 13 men for ten minutes, Walshe believes the side’s spirit and character were exactly what the coaching team expect.
“I think the crucial thing was just before half-time, when we were under the pump with 13 men. We held out so that spirit is just absolutely everything we need.”
Coventry host Birmingham Moseley on Saturday.
