Coventry Rugby Football Club is a professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club based in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The club enjoyed great success during the 1960s and 70s, with many players representing their countries. Coventry's home ground is the

Butts Park Arena Butts Park Arena is a multi-use sports stadium in Spon End, Coventry, England. Its main use is as a Rugby football, rugby stadium (both rugby union, union and rugby league, league). It is the home ground for Coventry R.F.C. (since its opening) an ...

, which opened in 2004. Between 1921 and 2004, the club played at Coundon Road. The club plays in the

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

(the second tier of the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

) following their promotion from the

2017–18 National League 1 The 2017–18 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1 is the ninth season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introduc ...

History

In 1874 a group, including members of Stoke Cricket Club, took part in what could be described as the first organised game of rugby football played in Coventry. Played against Allesley Park College in Allesley, it took the form of one half conducted according to rugby rules and the other according to association rules. The first headquarters were established at Old Bull Fields and in the formative years Coventry remained pretty well unbeaten. When the ground became enclosed, it became known as the Butts with the first match played there against

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...

in 1880. By the late 1890s, involvement began in the Midland Counties Cup which was won a total of five times. The first club captain was Harry Ratliff, who later emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. By now players were winning representative honours, William Judkins becoming the club's first British Lion in 1899 during the tour to Australia – overall, ten Coventry players have over the years worn the famous red jersey. Ben Tuke & H G Wells were the club's first internationals, both representing

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1894. W L Oldham became the first of the club's great forwards of the 20th century to represent

. Early in the century the Butts was lost when the professional Northern Union

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

took brief hold in the city. By the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Butts had been taken over by a local firm and a temporary home was found at the Coventry & North Warwickshire Cricket Ground at Binley Road before Coundon Road was purchased in 1921 and developed as the club's headquarters which was to last for over 80 years. What was considered to be the first golden era of Coventry rugby came in the mid-1920s when losses were infrequent. That brilliance continued and carried over with Coventry producing six England internationals as well as playing a full part in the early

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

successes in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

. Regular representative matches by now were being staged at Coundon Road, at the same time playing successes for the club were continuing built upon local talent including many schools internationals. The years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

brought more disruption, but from a playing point of view despite the inevitable difficulties, it became one of the most remarkable periods in the club's history. Many players remained locally for essential war work because of the importance of the city as a key engineering centre, and consequently a record 72 games were won in succession, with a number of players becoming

Victory International The term Victory International or Victory Internationals refers to two series of international football matches played by the national football teams of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales at the end of both the First and Second World Wars. The ...

s. All that ensured that when hostilities finished the club was immediately into its stride again as success continued. The early 1950s saw something of a dip in fortune, but it was not to last too long as the club continued to produce many international players, not only for England but also

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. In 1958 the Midlands won their first-ever match against a touring side, some two-thirds of the team which defeated

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

coming from the Coventry club. This was also the time when again Coventry players totally dominated the County side, which saw Warwickshire win the title seven times in eight seasons. The early 1960s saw the club's players continue to win international honours, indeed by the early 1970s at one time thirteen players from the club were representing England. The RFU Club Knock Competition, later to be known as the John Player Cup, was won in consecutive seasons 1972–73 and 1973–74, the second of which coincided with the centenary celebrations. Merit tables were then beginning to come on the scene, the early years seeing the club at the top end of both the England & Wales versions. The 1980s, however, saw a dip in playing fortune and when league rugby was first introduced in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

the club spent just one season in what is now known as the Premiership. The next ten years or so became something of a struggle before the 1996–97 season which would be Coventry's most successful of the modern era, coming within touching distance of the Premiership. Along the way they beat a

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

side featuring fifteen internationals by 19 – 18 at Coundon Road. They would eventually finish third to the well-funded Newcastle and champions

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

but lost a promotion play-off to

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

despite taking a narrow first leg advantage to Sunbury. Remarkably considering their second-tier status, both

Danny Grewcock Daniel Jonathan Grewcock MBE (born 7 November 1972) is an English former rugby union player who played as a lock. He played for Coventry, Saracens and Bath. He won 69 caps for England and five for the British & Irish Lions. Early life Grewcock ...

and

Rob Hardwick Robin John Kieren Hardwick (born ) is a former England international rugby union footballer who also captained and played 149 matches for Coventry and played 167 games for London Irish as a prop. Biography A prop, Hardwick started his senior ...

were capped by England in this era. It was however to be at severe cost for in a little over twelve months serious financial difficulties hit the club before a rescue package was put together in time for the 1999–2000 season. By now, however, Coundon Road was in need of considerable investment and after some eighty-four years the decision was made to move away and back full circle to the club's beginnings. The

saw its first game in September 2004, but again financial difficulties were to bite and it took the considerable efforts of members, supporters, former players and local companies to rescue the situation during the summer of 2008. In December 2009 the club was placed into administration and later in January 2010 brought back out thanks to Jon Bowles. Coventry Rugby Ltd was created at this time and the first Board Of Directors was formed. A 15 point league deduction penalty was applied due to administration and relegation predictably followed from the Championship, with the club regrouping in

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

for the 2010–11 season with the club going part-time again. Steady progress followed under the guidance of the Board, with the desired aim being to climb back up the leagues but not at any cost financially.

Rivalries

The traditional local rivals are

Moseley Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...

, with whom Cov enjoyed a regular and popular

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

fixture. It was long considered one of English rugby's premier derbies. After decades in the top echelons of the game, both sides competed in the inaugural season of top- tier league rugby when it was instituted in 1987, but have since spent time bouncing between the first, second and third tiers (primarily the latter two). Recently a pre- season friendly has been arranged when the teams are not in the same division.

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...

were regular visitors to Coundon Road, promoting strong rivalries, with

David Duckham David John Duckham MBE (28 June 1946 – 9 January 2023) was an English rugby union player. He played 36 games for England (scoring 10 tries), in three tests on the 1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand and for Barbarians F.C. in their 1973 ...

scoring the most impressive try of his career against London Welsh in a match in 1973.

Summary of league positions

Prior to League Rugby, clubs were ranked in Merit Tables, the most prominent for English clubs being the Sunday Telegraph Merit Tables. Coventry were crowned 'winners' 3 times between 1964 and 1987 (70, 73 and 83), making them the joint 2nd most successful English team of the period, alongside Bristol and

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

and behind

. In 1987 the

RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

implemented a National League system. Below is a list summarising Coventry's final league positions: * 1987–88: Courage National Division 1 ''(level 1)'' – 11th (relegated) * 1988–89: Courage National Division 2 ''(level 2)'' – 5th * 1989–90: Courage National Division 2 – 4th * 1990–91 Courage National Division 2 – 4th * 1991–92: Courage National Division 2 – 6th * 1992–93: Courage National Division 2 – 11th (relegated) * 1993–94: Courage National Division 3 ''(level 3)'' – 1st (promoted / champions) * 1994–95: Courage National Division 2 – 10th (relegated) * 1995–96: Courage National Division 3 – 1st (promoted / champions) * 1996–97: Courage National Division 2 – 3rd (lost promotion play-off) * 1997–98: Allied Dunbar Premiership 2 ''(level 2)'' – 7th * 1998–99: Allied Dunbar Premiership 2 – 7th * 1999-00: Allied Dunbar Premiership 2 – 6th * 2000–01: Jewson National Division 1 ''(level 2)'' – 5th * 2001–02: Jewson National Division 1 – 4th * 2002–03: Jewson National Division 1 – 6th * 2003–04: National Division 1 – 12th * 2004–05: National Division 1 – 6th * 2005–06: National Division 1 – 10th * 2006–07: National Division 1 – 10th * 2007–08: National Division 1 – 9th * 2008–09: National Division 1 – 9th * 2009–10: RFU Championship ''(level 2)'' – 11th (relegated) * 2010–11: National League 1 ''(level 3)'' – 8th * 2011–12: National League 1 – 13th * 2012–13: National League 1 – 9th * 2013–14: SSE National League 1 – 4th * 2014–15: SSE National League 1 – 3rd * 2015–16: SSE National League 1 – 9th * 2016–17: SSE National League 1 – 4th * 2017–18: SSE National League 1 – champions (promoted) * 2018–19: RFU Championship 8th

Current standings

Current coaches

* Head Coach - Alex Rae * Attack & Backs Coach – Ed Robinson * Forwards Coach – Alex Rae * Defence Coach – James Scaysbrook * Team Manager – Matthew Cannon

Current squad

The Coventry squad for the 2022–23 season.

Development squad

The Coventry Development squad is:

Academy

In conjunction with Moulton College, the club jointly runs the Coventry Rugby Academy. It "...provides an educational and player pathway for talented rugby players to progress to the Coventry Rugby Club 1st team and development team squads".

Honours

Anglo-Welsh Cup The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...

Winners (2): 1972-1973, 1973-1974 *

champions (3): 1993–94, 1995–96, 2017–18 * Midland Counties Cup Winner (9): 1890-91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1895–96, 1906–07, 1910–11, 1919–20, 1922–23 * Midland Counties Cup Runners Up (7): 1883-84, 1887–88, 1894–95, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1923–24 * Sunday Telegraph National Merit Table Winners (3): 1969-70, 1972–73, 1982–83

Abridged recent history

1998–2006 seasons

In 1998, Keith Fairbrother, a former player for the club, became chairman. Fairbrother took over the club after it had gone into receivership that year (a role he would hold for eight years). In April 2004, Coventry played its final game at Coundon Road, its home for eighty-three years.

2006–2010 : Under the ownership of Andrew Green

On 23 August 2006, Andrew Green became the new owner and chairman of the club when he bought the controlling company (Butts Park Ventures (Coventry) Ltd) from Keith Fairbrother. Green was a former player and chief executive of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. Apoua Stewart, the Samoan international full back, was suspended for two years on 1 November 2006 after testing positive for the banned stimulant

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

. In doing so, he became the first Coventry player to fail a drug test. Stewart gave a positive sample after the game against Earth Titans at the

on 9 September 2006. He admitted the offence when he appeared before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel at the Filton Holiday Inn Hotel in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. On 15 November 2006, the coach

Mike Umaga Mike Umaga (born 19 February 1966) is a former Samoa international rugby union and rugby league footballer. Background He was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the brother of New Zealand former rugby union Captain Tana Umaga. He played again ...

, older brother of

Tana Umaga Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (; ; born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. Since 2016 he has been coach of the Blues in the Super Rugby competition. He play ...

, was also suspended following unspecified allegations. He resigned a fortnight later on 27 November 2006. Murray Henderson was appointed. The following season, after a series of poor results, Coventry announced that

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

would be moved within the club from 17 December 2007. Phil Maynard took over coaching responsibilities. On 1 December 2009, it was reported that club owner Andrew Green had put the club into voluntary liquidation. It was later reported that this attempt had failed and that the club would instead go into administration. On 8 January 2010 it was announced that the club had come out of administration with the formation of a new company Coventry Rugby Ltd with investment from businessman Jon Bowles.

2010–2016: National League One Rugby

The 2010–11 season saw the return of Phil Maynard, and although the club were relegated to National League 1, the management saw him as the man to start the new era at Coventry Rugby Club. A whole new squad was formed, alongside new coaching staff for the 2010–2011 with the aim of avoiding consecutive relegation's. Although it was announced that the 2011–12 budget would be lower than that of the previous season, the starting squad for 2011–12 appeared to contain more players vying for first XV team football. Mid- Season,

Peter Rossborough Peter Rossborough (born 30 June 1948) is a former a rugby union international who represented England from 1971 to 1975. He played club rugby for Coventry R.F.C. during the 1970s. Personal life A native of Coventry, Rossborough attended King ...

stepped aside for Jon Sharpe to become Club Chairman The 2012–13 season ended with Coventry in 9th place in National League 1. Following this, for the start of the 2013–14 season, ex Welsh International 2nd row Scott Morgan become Head Coach, while retaining a playing role. The following season, on 29 March 2014, Cliffie Hodgson broke the club's all time point scoring record, beating Steve Gough's record which had stood since the 1998–99 season. A 4th-placed finish was Coventry's most competitive season since being relegated into National League One. Inconsistent away form prevented them from truly challenging for promotion. During the 2014–2015 season, on 24 January 2015, Coventry beat their previous wartime record for consecutive victories with a 32 – 22 home win over Cinderford. The winning run of sixteen games ended with a 28 – 28 draw away at Richmond on 31 January 2015. The unbeaten run continued for another fortnight eventually reaching 18 games. It put the team in a position to challenge the league's only full-time professional side

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

, who they'd beaten on the run, for the top spot before results tailed off. Coventry finished 3rd. Following the improvement of the previous campaign and an ambitious recruitment policy over the summer, there was optimism for a serious promotion push in 2015–2016. A crushing 50-point pre-season victory against famous old foes

and bonus point wins in the opening two league fixtures reinforced ambitions. However, a series of disappointing and unexpected results, poor form and injuries saw Cov drop into the bottom half of the table where they remained. In early 2016 it was announced Rowland Winter would become the club's full- time Director of Rugby for the 2016–17 season. In February 2016 Cliffie Hodgson became the first Coventry player to exceed 1,000 points in league rugby.

2016– : The Rowland Winter Era

New Director of Rugby Rowland Winter made wholesale changes to the club's culture, playing and backroom staff prior to the 2016–2017 season. A starting XV of entirely new players turned out in the opening league fixture, a 54 – 14 win versus

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...

. Narrow defeats and poor away form hampered progress before steady improvement in the second half of the season, the highlight of an 8-game winning streak to finish the season being a 26- 23 home derby win over

in front 2,712 supporters. Coventry finished Winter's first season in 4th place. Ahead of his second campaign Winter retained the core of the squad adding quality and experience including the

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

centre

Sam Tuitupou Sam Tuitupou (born 1 February 1982) is a New Zealand international rugby union player who plays in England. His position is Inside Centre. Tuitupou won world titles as captain for New Zealand at under-19 and under-21 level, during his junior ca ...

from

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

, Phil Nilsen from

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

International

Luke Narraway Luke Narraway (born 7 September 1983 in Worcester) is a rugby union coach and former player, he played for London Irish until the end of the 2016–2017 season before joining Coventry as a player—coach for the 2017–2018 season. He is curren ...

from

, Tonga's Latu Makaafi from

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, Jack Preece,

Scotland's Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Alex Grove, Dave Brazier and George Oram (all from local rivals

) and Nile Dacres from fellow promotion chasers

Plymouth Albion Plymouth Albion Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club who play in Plymouth, England. The present club was founded in 1920 from a merger between Plymouth RFC (founded 1876) and Devonport Albion RFC (founded 1876). Since 2003 they have pl ...

. In September it was announced club legend (record league points scorer and player to record most league wins as captain) Cliffie Hodgson was being released to join Broadstreet as a Player Coach. On 21 October, Coventry beat

to record 8 consecutive wins at the start of the new season. In doing so, they equalled the 16-game run of the 2014–15 season. A week later the run was extended to 17 with a win against

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

that saw Cov come within 2 minutes of keeping a 3rd consecutive clean sheet. A win away at Moseley on 23 December completed a perfect first half of the season, 15 victories in 15 matches. On 17 March 2018, Coventry beat

Caldy Caldy is a small, affluent village on the Wirral Peninsula, England, south-east of West Kirby. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West. At the ...

55–12 to clinch the league title and win promotion to The Championship, all with 5 games still left to play.

The Championship

Marquee pre- season friendly victories over local rivals, old and new, preceded Cov's return to The Championship. Traditional rivals, Moseley were beaten 62- 14 whilst a Wasps XV were despatched 55- 14. A winning return to the second tier was achieved a week later with a 20- 15 victory over

Jersey Reds Jersey Reds is a rugby club based in Jersey, Channel Islands that currently competes at the RFU Championship, which is the second tier of English professional rugby. Until season 2022/23, the professional arm of Jersey Reds was part of Jers ...

at The Butts Park Arena, a monumental effort considering 2 yellow cards saw Coventry reduced to 13 at one stage. That opening day win was followed up by another win next time out at home against Bedford Blues, and then giving eventual title-winners London Irish a massive scare in front of a fervent Butts Park Arena crowd. The home form was key to Coventry establishing themselves back in the Championship at the first time of asking, and while there were agonising late defeats to Nottingham and Bedford - a thriller that saw the teams share over 100 points between them - the season finished on a high with away wins against Doncaster and Jersey and an eight-place finish. Sam Tuitupou and Phil Nilsen both retired at the end of the season, but the squad has been bolstered with the addition of a number of experienced players, namely Joe Buckle (hooker, Yorkshire Carnegie), Ryan Burrows (back row, Newcastle), Gareth Denman (prop, Gloucester), Andy Forsyth (centre, Yorkshire Carnegie), Rory Jennings (fly half, London Scottish), Senitiki Nayolo (back row, Edinburgh) and Stan South (second row, Harlequins), with former England centre Anthony Allen joining from Leicester Tigers as defence coach.

Notable former players

Coventry was one of the premier rugby clubs in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s and many of its players were capped during that time for England. Some notable ex-Coventry players are: *

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early d ...

* George Cole * Bill Gittings *

* John Barton * Barry Ninnes * Keith Fairbrother * Geoff Evans *

Peter Preece Peter Preece is a former rugby union international who represented England from 1972 to 1976. Educated at King Henry viii School, Coventry Early life Peter Preece was born on 15 November 1949 in Meriden. His father, Ivor Preece, was also a ...

* Alan Cowman * Graham Robbins *

Fran Cotton Francis Edward Cotton (born 3 January 1947) is a former rugby union prop forward who played for England and the British Lions. His clubs included Coventry R.F.C. and Sale. After retiring, he remained in rugby administration and founded a cl ...

* John Gray * Brian Holt * Steve Thomas * David Addleton *

Adam Balding Adam Balding (born 7 December 1979, in Coventry) is a retired English rugby union footballer, his most recent team he played for was London Welsh. He played as a number eight. Balding came through Leicester Tigers academy and went on to make 6 ...

Zinzan Brooke Zinzan Valentine Brooke (born Murray Zinzan Brooke on 14 February 1965) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at number eight. Brooke played 58 tests for New Zealand, and 42 non-international matches for the All Blacks. He ...

Richard Cockerill Richard Cockerill (born 16 December 1970) is an English rugby union coach and former player, he was the national team's interim head coach between Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick. He played as a hooker, spending the majority of his career at ...

* Andy Goode * Matt Goode *

* James Grindal * Tom Johnson *

Barrie-Jon Mather Barrie-Jon Mather (born 15 January 1973) is an English former rugby league and rugby union player. A dual-code international player, he was the first Great Britain rugby league player to be capped by England at rugby union. He was the NSWRL's ...

Shaun Perry Shaun Perry (born 4 May 1978) is a former English rugby union footballer, who last played for Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership. His usual position was at scrum half. Perry began playing rugby in the Youth Section oDudley Kingswinf ...

* Kurt Johnson * Peter Robbins *

Alan Rotherham Alan Rotherham (31 July 1862 – 30 August 1898) was a rugby union international who represented England from 1882 to 1887. He also captained his country. Rotherham is best known for his part in revolutionising half-back play in rugby union, b ...

(

IRB Hall of Fame The World Rugby Hall of Fame (formerly the IRB Hall of Fame) recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The World Rugby Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other ...

inductee) *

Clem Thomas Richard Clement Charles "Clem" Thomas (28 January 1929 – 5 September 1996) was a international rugby union player. A flanker, he represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1949 and played for Brynamman, Swansea, Lo ...

Ian Swan Ian Swan (14 July 1930 – 18 September 2004) was a Scottish international rugby union player. He played as a Wing. Rugby union career Amateur career He played rugby at Madras College, his school. Moving to University, he played rugby for S ...

Previous coaches

* 2016–2022 Rowland Winter (DOR) * 2013–2016 Scott Morgan * 2008–2013 Phil Maynard (DOR) * 2008 David Addleton (acting) * 2008 Brett Davey * 2007 Murray Henderson * 2006 David Addleton (acting) * 2005–2006

* 2004–2005 Steve Williams * 2004 John White * 2003 Mark Donato * 2002–2003 Mark Ellis * 2000–2002 Peter Rossborough * 2000 Harry Roberts * 1999 Keith Richardson * 1997–1999 Derek Eves

Players gaining international honours

The following players have played for their country while playing for Coventry. Unless otherwise noted, all played for

. * 1894 ** (

) Benjamin Tuke ** (

) HG Wells * 1895 ** (

) BB Tuke * 1899 ** (British Isles XV)

H.G.S. Gray Hugh Grainger Stewart Gray (10 August 1875 – 1955) was a Scottish player on the 1899 British Isles tour to Australia (often referred to as the England team). He was never capped for , but had appeared in the Scottish Trials. In 1899, Gray wa ...

* 1908 ** WL Oldham * 1909 ** WL Oldham * 1927 ** T Coulson * 1928 ** T Coulson * 1932 ** AJ Rowley ** RS Roberts * 1935 ** AJ Clarke ** JL Giles * 1936 ** AJ Clarke ** HF Wheatley * 1937 ** JL Giles ** HF Wheatley ** A Wheatley * 1938 ** HF Wheatley ** A Wheatley ** JL Giles * 1939 ** HF Wheatley * 1946 ''Victory Internationals'' ** HF Greasley (C) ** H Pateman ** NJ Stock ** HF Wheatley * 1947 ** H Walker * 1948 ** H Walker * 1948 ** I Preece * 1949 ** I Preece (C) * 1950 ** I Preece (C) ** SJ Adkins * 1951 ** I Preece ** EN Hewitt * 1953 ** SJ Adkins ** RCC Thomas * 1954 ** E Robinson * 1956 ** DF Allison ** PB Jackson ** PGD Robbins ** JS Swann * 1957 ** DF Allison ** PB Jackson ** PGD Robbins ** JS Swann * 1958 ** DF Allison ** PB Jackson ** PGD Robbins * 1959 ** HO Godwin ** PB Jackson * 1961 ** J Price ** E Robinson ** PB Jackson * 1962 ** PE Judd ** TA Pargetter ** PGD Robbins * 1963 ** HO Godwin ** PB Jackson ** PE Judd ** JE Owen ** TA Pargetter ** BJ Wightman * 1964 ** HO Godwin ** PE Judd ** JE Owen * 1965 ** PE Judd ** JE Owen * 1966 ** JE Owen ** PE Judd * 1967 ** PE Judd (C) ** J Barton ** RE Webb ** RE Jones * 1968 ** PE Judd (C) ** JE Owen ** HO Godwin ** WJ Gittings ** RE Webb ** RE Jones * 1969 ** DJ Duckham ** KE Fairbrother ** RE Webb ** TJ Dalton * 1970 ** DJ Duckham ** KE Fairbrother * 1970/71 ** J Broderick JP ** J Gray * 1971 ** DJ Duckham ** KE Fairbrother ** PA Rossborough ** BF Ninnes ** RN Creed * 1972 ** DJ Duckham ** RE Webb ** J Barton ** GW Evans ** PS Preece * 1973 ** DJ Duckham ** PS Preece ** AR Cowman ** GW Evans ** FE Cotton ** PA Rossborough * 1974 ** GW Evans ** PA Rossborough ** FE Cotton ** DJ Duckham * 1975 ** PA Rossborough ** PS Preece ** FE Cotton (C) ** DJ Duckham * 1976 ** DJ Duckham ** PS Preece ** BJ Corless * 1981 ** GH Davies ** WMH Rose * 1982 ** GH Davies ** WMH Rose * 1984 ** SE Brain * 1985 ** SE Brain * 1986 ** GL Robbins * 1988 ** R Guilfoyle () * 1996 ** CN Quick * 1994 ** RJK Hardwick * 1997 ** DJ Grewcock * 1999 ** M Mika * 2001 ** E Vunipola ** K Johnson * 2003 ** Zinzan Brooke ** Cristobal Berti ** J Barker ** Ian Nimmo * 2004 ** J Cannon ** Ian Nimmo * 2005 ** J Cannon ** N Witkowski ** K Johnson ** D Farani ** K Pulu * 2006 ** K Johnson ** A Stewart * 2011 ** J le Roux * 2012 ** J le Roux This information was originally taken from display boards inside the clubhouse on 15 October 2006.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Coventry R.F.C. squad 1874 establishments in England English rugby union teams Premiership Rugby teams Rugby clubs established in 1874 Sport in Coventry