Started off well with a very strong defence.Cov had a lot of possession but we did well to contain them. We kicked far too much when we had the ball. In the 2nd. Quarter Cov started to move the ball around and scored some very good tries. Held them in the scrum but couldn't handle their rolling maul. Second half we seemed, at times, very disorganised and defence fell apart. We lack inventiveness in our backs which, for me, was the difference between the 2 sides. Disappointed but not down hearted.
They were better bigger less error ridden less infringement culprits better tackling faster . We led 0-3 to begin! This is where we are - Richard and crew have a task with (is it? ) 17 new players .....measurement of improvement may be 23rd December.... 2 home games and 10 points could make a difference....
It's a strange one. This didn't feel like the total drubbings at Ealing or Hartpury of recent seasons, but the scoreboard doesn't lie. Perhaps it is because we know how much cash Cov have thrown at the promotion race this year and that we are very much restructuring.
Positives:
1. Looks like we have an excellent place kicker, given the chance... 2. Scrum that can go toe to toe with (presumably) the best in the division 3. The guys battled to the end 4. No yellow cards (one fewer than Cov, lol) 5. Toughest fixture is out of the way 6. We're in for more enjoyable matches than Cov this year, who I fully expect to thrash most/all of their opponents, especially at home 7. I am sure we will see a different result on Friday night...
A most eagerly awaited tie between Coventry and Mose turned out to be one sided affair with visitor thrashed. Nearly half the Coventry side were ex-Moseley players who inflicted 4 tries in the first half with a bonus point secured. It was more misery in the second half for Mose as the tries kept on raining – four more to be precise. Moseley’s travelling fans saw half the tries came from former players. Consolation try for visitors came right at the end with Ryan Roach supported by Chris Brightwell. It was imperious display by Coventry –its long season but a side watch out for a promotion!
This didn't feel like the total drubbings at Ealing or Hartpury ...
Agreed.
Last season we played Hartpury pretty much halfway through the season; they had established themselves as runaway leaders, we were doing well, playing with some confidence, going there with the hope of closing the gap. With hindsight that was, perhaps, naive.
Playing Cov in the second fixture again (so that the return match falls at Christmas), we were away to a team playing their first home game (which probably worked in our favour last year), who are most people's pre-season favourites.
The positive start was probably due to keeping it simple. When we tried the long miss pass to the wing and failed, we put ourselves under pressure and the confidence shifted to them. If Buster can take a line-out behind his head with his finger tips, why try the fancy one which confuses everyone except the opposition ?
Do the basics right early in the coming games, and save the fancy stuff for when the lead is comfortable and we should be OK.
Cov looked a level above, which they probably are at moment. Moseley scored first & last points of game. Between we never threatened line. Scrum good throughout. Our line out just passable, we never contested theirs, where they were very strong.
Niles Dacres & new Tonga flanker headed some fine performances from opposition. All looked very quick& Mose didn't. But as said above early days. Cum on U Mose!
I went in dread of something of a drubbing given last week's so-so performance against Ampthill and Cov's impressive tally at Ionians. I was at the fantastic game at Christmas at BPA where Cov scrambled the late winner, but this game was a measure of what had happened since. Coventry looked a league ahead (and if they continue to play like they did yesterday, they soon will be) and Mose looked ordinary to put it mildly. As said above, they were bigger, fitter, stronger, more disciplined and very mobile.
In one of the previews, I saw the dreaded "we have trained well this week"; well, I'm afraid that can only be said after the result on the pitch and if Mose did train well, it was the wrong sort of training.
The omens were bad early on. A penalty to Mose just inside their own half and James Dixon slotted over beautifully for a 0-3 lead? What it betrayed, however, was Moseley's lack of confidence/ambition. If Cov had continued to infringe that might have been alright, but what it did do was pass up the chance to put pressure on the Cov line with a kick deep into the 22. Yes, the line-out might have gone wrong and Mose come away with nothing, but this was about three minutes in. When Cov were awarded a penalty a couple of minutes later just outside the Mose 22, it went into the corner and try number one was on the way.
In my 20 years of watching Mose, the most successful period was under the much maligned Smith & Caskie coaching partnership. I believe the reason for that was their insistence on the team's ability to defend. It certainly wasn't always pretty, but then it was rarely as ugly as it was yesterday. Interested in the thoughts of others on this.
I don't know Cov's financial state (the programme said they had sold 400 season tickets - not sure how that compares to Mose) and it is possible that at some point all the money spent on recruitment won't leave enough for wages, but they appear to have invested extremely well by the looks of things. I sincerely hope Cov have it all under control because they have a nice set-up at the BPA.
It's always nice to see how other clubs do things and what, if anything, Mose can learn. A couple of things stand out. 1) The best seats in the stand were reserved for season ticket holders 2) The sponsor of a player was named when the line-up was read out and when they scored (sadly, all too often yesterday); this might be a bit annoying, but is probably good business sense. 3) The overall cost was probably a bit cheaper than a Mose home game with a seat in the stand, car parking and programme taken into account (happy to be corrected on this).
I'm sorry to say that I missed the Mose try as I had to get back to Brum and left as point number 50 went on the board.
Hopefully that was the worst performance of the season out of the way.
I believe a lot of the Smith/Caskie success was that they started out with a Mose that had only just survived in the 3rd tier, which was considerably weaker then than it is now, and one in which local talent and desire to play for the club was enough. It was also helped considerably by the Gloucester link - May, Sharples, Trinder, Norton, even Adams (when he was good...) to name but a few. Once the Championship formed and was trimmed to 12 clubs it very quickly became a problem to compete with those with financial backers or very tight prem club links.
Re the comments concerning Cov: Season ticket holders are given a sticker to find their preferred seat at the start of the season. A good beer was £3, don't know about food. BUT parking at Mose and Programmes now free. Besides we are Mose, why go elsewhere ;-)
Well folks. That looks like one away fixture Pam and I were glad to miss because the score doesn't make for a good read - no matter how much gloss one puts on it. We, well certainly I would have come away even more gutted than reading the score on BBC Rugby - I couldn't pick the ongoing score on Moseley twitter for love nor money so I won't waste time with that again.4
It is too early to say the bubble of expectation has burst but it has certainly developed a leak and on reflection I feel it sprang a leak with 20 minutes to go in the Ampthill fixture. Did anyone notice that until around 20 minutes to go the Moseley pack bossed the Ampthill pack - shoving then off their ball in the tight, driving them back in the mauls, winning the turn-over and generally creating mayhem. But with 20 to go Moseley stopped driving in the tight and struggled to hold it, they didn't / couldn't challenge the ruck, they had problems containing the ampthill pick and drive. I would be inclined to say they were unable to drive any more - because they were spent, particularly in the front row. Where had the fitness levels of the Worcester "friendly" disappeared to? Did that factor kick in yesterday I have to ask myself?
However, the main concern that bothers me is the similarity between Coventry aspirations and the team they put out yesterday - which appears to have contained a goodly number of ex Moseley players - and Worcester of yesteryear when they too had aspirations and played with a goodly number ex Moseley to players. When Worcester got into the big time, rather precariously, as it has turned out, they ditched their ex Moseley players then? Do Coventry have the same intent? Time will tell but I rather expect they do. More to the point will they be able to afford it, or might we witness the makings of another Rotherham or even London Welsh.
See you all on Friday night Moseley. Might there be a win, even a poor win will do but a good win will be even better.
Come on Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose
Just popped by to see thoughts from the other side. From a Cov point of view I don't think any of us expected there to be more than a couple of points in it let alone the size of the points difference. Just to reassure you that we'll be around for a while yet as there's been surprisingly little cash thrown around. Lots of our signings are either older guys starting 'proper' jobs so need to go semi pro or moving into coaching ( Nielsen and Tuitupo the former and Narraway most noticeably the latter) I also think that our coaching set up will appeal ( praying we can keep up with Roland Winter's rise) but with Deacon, Burke, Walshe, Narraway and the best medical set up outside of the prem there's more to pull players than just green paper. One of the things for us Cov fans that's very welcome is the reinstatement of our academy. Jon Sharp our chairman has been clear that we've learnt our lessons and that through non Rugby Union uses of the ground we're making the most of our assets ( Cov Utd, Cov bears RLFC both playing next sat, selling tix for ccfc etc) plus as mentioned the number of season tickets sold this year gives us a base. Personally I don't mind sugar daddy Rugby but Cov are building with the right intent. Plymouth and Blackheath will show if Cov are the real deal this year but I understand that promotion isn't the be all this season. All the best, see you in December!
My concern is now injuries. Greg King was not involved on Saturday and looked very groggy when he came off against Ampthill. Ciaran is still not 100% with what I understand to be a hamstring problem. Mark Harrison is out injured - not sure why. Ben Howard also injured against Ampthill and was clearly carrying an injury against Cov and eventually had to come off. Aaron was in the crowd - not sure if he is injured.
Re the comments concerning Cov: Season ticket holders are given a sticker to find their preferred seat at the start of the season.
Who told you that? You pick your seat number from any that are available anywhere in the stand, and the club mark it as 'reserved'. I've had the same one for a couple of seasons now, but have probably used it twice! I'd rather stand, personally.
Re the comments concerning Cov: Season ticket holders are given a sticker to find their preferred seat at the start of the season.
Who told you that? You pick your seat number from any that are available anywhere in the stand, and the club mark it as 'reserved'. I've had the same one for a couple of seasons now, but have probably used it twice! I'd rather stand, personally.
My secretary actually, a season ticket holder for a very long time - don't know if she has special privileges or if she's telling porkies...she is from Cov so not to be trusted too much ;-)
Just to reassure you that we'll be around for a while yet as there's been surprisingly little cash thrown around.
Hmm, do you mind if I take a cellarful of salt with that? Informed sources suggest that your playing budget could be up to three times as large as ours. If so, I think we may get better VFM from our spending.
