Cinderford 11 Coventry RFC 15: Cliffie Hodgson's five-star..

show helps Cov to stand firm.

Five penalties from the ever-dependable boot of skipper Cliffie Hodgson were enough to give Coventry the spoils in a game which provided a real test of their character.

The points were certainly earned the hard way, and Cov had to dig deep to haul themselves over the finishing line as a combination of niggling knocks, both from before and during the game, and returning players short of match fitness took a toll.

But with the interchanges coming thick and fast in the closing stages of a game which stretched out for 11 minutes of added time – following seven at the end of the first half – Cov stood firm and, the bottom line, secured a second valuable away win of the season and only their second on a ground which, up until last year, had been something of a jinx.

A first-half deluge saw both sides struggle to hold on to the ball on a pitch which was already greasy after earlier showers, and although the sun came out during the break, the problems continued to leave a game of few scoring chances.

Cov’s backs had little opportunity to repeat the potency they had shown the previous week, and Cinderford scored the only try of the game from a line-out catch-and-drive.

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