Coventry 43 Esher 0 by John Wilkinson.

This was almost the complete performance from Coventry as they produced the most positive of responses to their capitulation at Tynedale a week earlier.

If you hadn’t known it, you wouldn’t have guessed that it was third in the table playing fifth, such was Cov’s domination from the opening whistle.

Esher had to play the second half a man down after hooker James Campbell was sent off, an earlier yellow card for a technical offence followed by a second for a dangerous shoulder tackle on Matt Jones.

But the visitors were already trailing 23-0 at this stage, and although they lifted their game after the break and enjoyed long spells of possession, Cov didn’t miss a single tackle – the back row of Brett Daynes, George Oliver and Jacques Le Roux outstanding in this area – as they comfortably contained any threat until cutting loose to add three late tries in a final flourish.

There were stand-out performances all over the field, but the result was the end product of a strong, disciplined team effort which underlined what head coach Scott Morgan has been saying for weeks – if Cov stick to task for 80 minutes and do what they do best, they are more than a handful for anyone.

Cliffie Hodgson opened the scoring after just three minutes with a penalty, and after Esher’s Tom Whelan had missed two kicks in as many minutes at the other end, Mark Kohler – whose prowess under the high ball continues to astound – went over for Cov’s opening try with Esher stretched wide on both flanks.

Hodgson converted before kicking a second penalty when Campbell was yellow carded with Esher defending deep in their 22, and the full-back then finished off a move started by Kohler on his own 22 before adding the conversion.

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