Championship Pool C
Moseley v Coventry
Phil Maynard’s Coventry side travel to Billesley Common knowing that a win will secure their place in the Championship for next season with one game to go.
Moseley also need a win to secure their status in Level 2 but would have to make sure of a bonus point as well in order to escape the cloying grasp of bottom of the table Birmingham & Solihull.
After opening up their play-off campaign with a home victory against the Bees Moseley faltered losing narrowly at home to the Titans and away at Coventry. But a dramatic 33-29 success in the reverse fixture against Rotherham last Saturday gave them hope with their final two matches both at home.
Coventry sat bottom of Pool C after losing their opening two matches but a dogged 6-3 win over Moseley at the Butts Park Arena was followed by a high scoring 38-35 success at Sharmans Cross Road against the Bees last weekend.
If they fail to win at Moseley their last chance will come at home against Rotherham on May 1st. For Moseley that last chance could come in the form of a meeting with the Bees on the same day.
Moseley head coach Ian Smith hopes to include centre Andy Borgen (stomach bug) and prop Terry Sigley (rib) in his squad for Saturday but wing Justin Mensah-Coker (hamstring) is a doubt for the rest of the season.
Smith told the Birmingham Mail, “I think there is still a bit of work to do. The game is incredibly simple if you get certain things right, as we showed in the first 20 minutes when it was going swimmingly.”
“There was nice momentum, we were defending very well with turnover balls and easy tries but this young group have got to realise they created that by being very efficient. When you stop being efficient the game becomes very difficult, which is what we tend to do too often.”
“I am a little bit worried about where the side went for the period that allowed Rotherham to get back into it because it’s key personnel, it’s the same sort of personnel making the same errors which is a problem we try to manage but it’s difficult. We take these people aside but it’s not a team issue, it’s one or two crucial people in crucial positions.”
Meanwhile Phil Maynard has denied alleged suggestions from Birmingham & Solihull that Coventry deceived the RFU in re-registering Irish hooker Joe Merrigan earlier this month.
Maynard told the Coventry Telegraph, “We do need the front row replacements. Ross McMillan was in a hospital on Friday night having intravenous injections and a minor operation to relieve pressure in his knee.”
“He went on against Bees with a scar to prove it, it’s all well documented. We have got five front row players fit and they were all involved against Bees, registered within the required standards.
“We have met all the criteria with medical reports from professional people that have put their name to it. We have no dramas there.”
“If I was going to say whose admin needs looking at perhaps Russell Earnshaw should look at his own administration. He is the one that has been docked points for playing illegal players.”
The Bees were found guilty of breaching registration regulations in February over the selection of on-loan hooker George Thomas in the match against Doncaster Knights.
Maynard continued, “It has to be said it’s a highly motivating factor when somebody is accusing you of those sorts of things. You just pin it on the changing room wall; it’s not hard is it?” |
Championship Index 09/10
