Coventry 69-12 Caldy: Jack Reeves on a rampage as Cov put on the burners

By Paul Smith

Coventry ……………………… 69pts

Tries: Bavadra 7, Bacon 21, Barton 30, Reeves 38, Ball 41, Opoku 48, 61, 71; penalty 75, Graham 76, Maunder 80

Conversions: Mathews 7, 30, 71, 80; Barton 41, 48

Play-off hopefuls Coventry extended their unbeaten run to six games with a Jack Reeves-inspired 11-try home win over Caldy.

His fellow winger David Opoku also grabbed a second-half hat-trick for a Cov side who ran rampant against tired opponents.

But it was former Gloucester flyer Reeves who earned the plaudits with a scintillating display of pace and power, which threatened every time he received the ball in space.

Coventry head coach Alex Rae was delighted with the 25-year-old’s decisive impact.

Excellent

“Jack had a brilliant game,” he said. “He’s deceptively strong and he moves really well.

“Our intent was excellent from minute one. The starters set a really good tempo, then the boys who came off the bench took it to another level.

“We often train to that sort of level, but it doesn’t often come off in a match, and with our attacking mindset, we have the ability to score from anywhere, which is really exciting.”

Star player: Coventry winger Jack Reeves on the attack

PICTURES: John Coles

Match action

Playing with the support of a strong wind, Coventry were quickly into their stride when Fijian ace Api Bavadra broke two tackles to power over.

But thereafter, some determined defence kept Caldy’s line intact until early in the second quarter when a missed touch allowed Mackenzie Graham to send Tom Bacon racing 50 metres to the corner.

The outstanding Reeves then made two decisive interventions which sent the Blue-and-Whites into the break with a bonus point already secure.

The first of these saw a loose kick returned deep into Caldy territory, and with several defenders sprawled on the floor, scrum-half Josh Barton was left with the simplest of run-ins.

And Reeves then scorched 65 metres to the corner to claim an amazing individual score after Caldy turned possession over following a scrum inside the home 22.

The loss of Tommy Mathews to a yellow card shortly before the break gave the visitors a glimmer of hope despite their 24-point interval deficit.

Coventry hat-trick hero David Opoku

Second half

But this was dashed within seconds of the restart when Cov recovered the kick off and Tom Ball went over for the simplest of scores.

Although winger Kieran Robinson and replacement prop Ryan Higginson’s third-quarter touchdowns got Caldy on the board, local product Opoku’s 24-minute hat-trick kept the home crowd happy.

A deliberate knock-down then saw visiting full-back Charlie Hyde yellow-carded and a penalty try added to the home tally.

And enough time remained for Graham to power to the corner before replacement scrum-half Sam Maunder won the race to a kick ahead to claim the hosts’ 11th try.