Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Coventry Rugby lock in three more core players

Tom Ball - Photo credit - John Coles

Coventry Rugby head coach Alex Rae has confirmed the identity of three more of the players who will make up his squad for next season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Having spent two years building a culture and approach which has delivered successive top-three finishes Cov’s management team have sought to keep the core of their playing group together.

Top of this list is skipper Jordon Poole who signed a new deal to remain with the club he originally joined in 2020.

Poole has made 57 appearances since joining Cov from Exeter and this year finished as one of the Championship’s leading try-scorers with 11 touchdowns to his name.

When Cov went through a front-row injury crisis pre-Christmas he was one constant that remained, often playing 70-plus minutes during which he always led from the front.

The Yorkshire product then went on to produce a string of outstanding displays during Cov’s eight-match unbeaten run in the Spring.

Homegrown flanker Tom Ball is also part of Cov’s squad for the 2024/25 season.

Despite being only 22 the pacy back-rower has already passed the 50-appearance landmark for the Butts Park Arena club with an eye-catching 25 of these coming in an injury-free 2023/24 campaign.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ball has become a key part of Cov’s pack, often jumping at the front of the lineout in addition to being one of the most prominent figures around the field.

Pacy winger Ryan Hutler got his Coventry career away to a try-a-game start during an Autumn period when his new club impressed in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Coventry Rugby
Ryan Hutler – Photo credit – John Coles

Having worked with Rae previously at Bedford, Cov’s open running game has proved ideally suited to a player who is a natural try-scoring predator.

ADVERTISEMENT

Helped by a hat-trick against his former club Hutler has registered 17 tries in 23 competitive appearances for the blue-and-whites.

Rae is extremely pleased that all three players will continue to be part of the set-up.

“I’m delighted to have Jordon with us again next season,” he said. “Not only is he a fantastic player he’s also a brilliant person who cares deeply for the team and is very invested in what we’re trying to build here.

“Jordon leads by example every day and inspires others around him with his actions. The exciting thing is he’s only going to keep getting better so we feel very lucky to have him.

Coventry Rugby
Jordon Poole – Photo credit – John Coles

“Tom is terrific person who has really grown this season. His performances are getting better and better and he’s got a lot more room for growth – I don’t think we know what his ceiling is yet.

“It’s been fantastic to see Ryan with a smile on his face scoring tries this season. He’s a natural try scorer and is brilliant around the group as a person; I’ve no doubt there’s more to come from him too.”

More announcements will follow regarding the make-up of the 2024/25 squad.

Tickets for Coventry’s 150th anniversary game against England U20’s on Saturday May 25th are available from: https://www.coventryrugby.co.uk/tickets/matchday-tickets/ or on the gate on the day.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JWH 41 minutes ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

Interesting take, crazy to see the amount of delulu NZ fans here. I am an NZ fan, but this is atrocious.


I am fine with 75%+, in fact I think that is excellent, but the main point of anguish is not IF we win or lose, it is how. I think that Razor has finally got us playing to our identity again; flowing, simple, and brutally decisive & efficient.


There are certainly some issues that the stats reflect, like the scrum and lineout. However, at scrum time, there isn't really much variation, in terms of attack, you can put on that. So at the end of the day, not much to do differently apart from 'scrum better'.


However, the lineout is quite interesting. As Ryan said earlier this week, the ABs have added a lot of depth and combinations to their lineout, with FOUR lineout options (Barrett, Vaai, Savea, Sititi). While they did only retain 80% possession from lineouts (not great), the stat line is actually 12/15, which is pretty good, considering Aumua did all those lineout with limited experience and tiredness after playing 75 minutes at Twickenham.


There are also some really good stats to back up the ABs. They managed to stay out of their own 22 for a lot of the game, however they also didn't set up camp in the opp 22 often either. They are also passing the ball a lot, clocking in at 211 passes, double that of England. These stats show a return to attacking, flowing rugby, and not playing your own 22, which is the ABs style.


What I think Razor wants to do is make effective use of draw and pass, simple rugby. This can be pre or post contact, but you have to draw more than 1 player. For example, that Sititi offload to Telea, or BB to Jordan. Those were excellent, yet overall simple passages of rugby This can be risky at times (just watch DMac play), but it is a medium risk high reward gameplan.


What we Kiwis want is exciting rugby. We want hard defense, big hits, cool plays, and quick linebreaks. I cannot imagine being an SA fan between 2018-2021, which was one of the most boring rugby teams of all time (respectfully). I also cannot imagine being an England fan right now, so dull. But the ABs are making rugby exciting again, playing like Scotland and Fiji, but better.

42 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
Search