Is That it Then?

Is that it then?

The season, I mean.

Well, the Home bit of it.

Wasn't much to it, was there?

Once again (thanks Covid) we Coventry supporters were subjected to a hugely disappointing and ridiculously shortened, stop-start series of games during which we learned, well, not much at all.  We knew at the start that the squad was going to be rather weakened, but few of us could have foreseen the 'churn' of incoming and outgoing loans and dual-registered Academy players.

Indeed, even at the final home game of the season I was having problems identifying several of those wearing Cov shirts - a far cry from a couple of terms ago when the side was building into something to be very proud of, and we were all engaged, and the crowds were building almost week on week.

OK, the crowd of 2341 was commendable under the circumstances. Third bottom. Nothing to play for apart from pride. Six Nations on the box. The side further depleted with the withdrawal of some of the better loans, plus the non-availability of Stevenson, Fenner, Trinder. Sky Blues playing reasonably locally. So, yes, commendable - but where would it have been had there been no pandemic? If the terrific squad that had been assembled a short time ago been retained, built upon? Frustrating for fans, frustrating for those that have had to keep the club running over the last two years against a tidal wave of issues.

Would Coventry RFC have been this season's challengers for that single ticket to the top table, playing in front of a packed-to-the-rafters Butts Park Arena? Rather than the likes of Doncaster and Pirates, both with a chance of usurping Ealing and taking the next step up the ladder, yet unable to match lowly Cov's attendance figures.

No, you're quite right. We'll never know, and it's plain daft to speculate under the circumstances.

So I'll just dwell on it in my head a wee while longer...

Saturday dawned bright, crisp, and breezy. Almost perfect for running rugby on the BPA carpet, and so it transpired. I don't think I can recall a game when both sides almost scored tries at will. Sixteen in all. Some excellent, some with a large helping of luck plastered all over them. In some ways it was fun to watch - in others it was - that word again - frustrating. I've seen various comments from many quarters since the game. 'Defence optional?'. 'Do these teams have defence coaches?' 'Basketball?' being the theme, but I'll settle for 'fast, loose', and 'who are you? Oh, you're another prop? I don't think we've met'.

Cov started brightly enough, and stayed well in touch, led in fact, for a decent chunk of the first half, ultimately succumbing to a raft of Jersey tries around the break.

However, six tries is some small consolation and is not something we have been treated too many times of late. It's just a shame that Ryan Burrows couldn't cross in his last meaningful game at the BPA. It wasn't for the want of trying though, and for me, Buzz may just have had his best game ever in a Cov shirt. The man is going to be almost impossible to replace, on the field as well as in the hearts of the Cov faithful.

Go well Ryan, wherever life takes you.