Will Wand scores four as Coventry end Hartpury hoodoo
by Luke Jarmyn & Rhys Anderson, at the College Ground
WILL Wand equalled a Coventry club record four tries in a league match as the West Midlanders ran riot against a sub-par Hartpury to move up to second in the Championship standings.
Hartpury were caught out by their title chasing rivals, as Alex Rae’s side scored seven tries in a dominant display, and ended their 10-year winless hoodoo at Hartpury’s College Ground in style.
John Barnes’ men rallied in the second-half, and scored three tries – winger Matthew Ward grabbing a double, and outside centre Robbie Smith getting over the whitewash - as they chased an elusive bonus point.
Playing behind a very strong wind, the grey shirted visitors got off to their most impressive start of the season, scoring three tries in the opening 12 minutes.
Outside centre Wand opened the scoring when he scooped up fullback Tobi Wilson’s chip and raced over the try-line.
Wilson went from creator to scorer, side-stepping through the middle to in a solo effort before Nayalo got his first try of the season when he crashed over from a five-metre quickly-tap penalty at the end of a long spell of pressure.
Coventry utilised the very strong breeze behind them throughout the first 40 minutes, and this caused much trouble for Hartpury as their kicking tactic was no longer plausible.
The entire first half was played in the Hartpury half as without kicking, there was no escaping the solid grey wall that stood in their way.
On the half-hour mark, Coventry wing Jimmy Martin saw yellow for a deliberate knock on.
But that didn’t stop the away-side, wing Ryan Hutler raced from deep to score the bonus point try before inside centre Tom Hitchcock burst through Hartpury’s line to give Wand a simple finish just before half-time.
Hartpury struck first in the second-half, wing Matthew Ward dotting down after some quick inter-play from deep.
The West Midlanders re-asserted their dominance, with Wand getting his hat-trick from an Evan Mitchell long looping pass just after the hour mark.
Coventry replacement back-rower Jack Bartlett had only been on the pitch for six minutes when he unfortunately picked up a terrible-looking knee injury which caused a long delay midway through the second half not long after entering the pitch.
Hartpury’s try scorer Ward saw yellow for being off his feet at a ruck, then Coventry tighthead Vili Nairau’s line breaking carry set Wand up to canter over the try line for his fourth.
Robbie Smith found a gap in the grey-shirts line to get Hartpury’s second try on the 75th minute, and the home-side took advantage of Coventry conceding several infringements.
Matthew Ward dashed over for his second try after a quick tap penalty, but Hartpury ran out of time to get the elusive fourth try bonus point.
Hartpury head coach Mark Cornwell expressed his “disappointment” after the game.
He said: “We did not manage that really strong wind in that first half. It was such a strong wind you couldn’t kick into it and we attempted to. We got it wrong. Coventry are a good side and they punished us.
“We lost Adderly-Jones in the first five minutes, we had a couple of bumps and niggles, Harry Bazalgette was complaining of a tight quad all game. Then you end up chasing a game like that with so many points down against a quality side and Coventry played the conditions much better than us.”
Hartpury, who remain sixth, face off with London Scottish next time out where they will be hoping to bounce back from the heavy defeat today.
Looking ahead to the London Scottish game in two weeks, Cornwell added: “It doesn’t help that we have another week off. We’ve got to get in next week at training and we’ve got to work on the things that we’re poor today.”
Alex Rae, the Coventry head coach praised his outside centre Will Wand, “Wandy is a terrific player, week in, week out he’s mister consistent. He came from National 1 and is developing and developing and I’m sure there’s a few teams watching him.”
On what the win meant, the 38-year-old said: “This is a really tough place to come. Historically we haven’t won too many games here. To come in here and win in that matter, in some really tough conditions as well so I’m really really happy.”
He carried on, “That last try just before half time could have been really really important. We had the scrum advantage and went up half the pitch and scored a brilliant try. But with the conditions you never know, I thought we were really brave and aggressive in the second half.”
On Bartlett’s injury condition, he said: “He settled down in there (medical room) so hopefully it’s not as bad as first thought but until you get it all checked out you never know but hopefully it’s one of them where you panic a little bit but it’s not too bad, fingers crossed.”
Hartpury 17 Coventry 47
Hartpury:
Tries: Matthew Ward 57, 77, Robbie Smith 75
Conversions: Harry Bazalgette 77
Penalties:
Drop Goals:
Coventry:
Tries: Will Wand 5, 40, 62, 69, Tobi Wilson 8, Senitiki Nayalo 13, Ryan Hutler 34,
Conversions: Pat Pellegrini 6, 9,14, 35, 40, Evan Mitchell 69
Penalties:
Drop Goals:
Hartpury: Alex Forrester (Ollie Holiday 75), Louis Hillman-Cooper, Robbie Smith,
Morgan Adderly-Jones (Tommy Mathews 15), Matthew Ward, Harry Bazalgette, Mike Austin (Joe Williams 77); Aristot Benz-Soloman (James Gibbons 51), Will Crane (C) (Ethan Hunt 61), Jon Benz-Soloman (Joe Rees 61), Dale Lemon, Jack Davies (Cameron Cobbett 70), Josh Gray, Harry Short, Jarrard Hayler
Not used: Harry Bedall
Coventry: Tobi Wilson, Ryan Hutler, Will Wand, Tom Hitchcock (Ollie Betteridge 64) James Martin, Pat Pellegrini (Will Lane 56), Will Chudley (Evan Mitchell 56); Toby Trinder (Elliot Chilvers 60), Jordan Poole (C) (Suva Ma’asi 60), Adam Nicol (Vilikesa Nairau 60), James Tyas, Obinna Nkwocha (Chester Owen 65), Tom Ball, Matt Kvesic, Senitiki Nayalo (Jack Bartlett 60)
Not used: N/A
Referee: Dan Jones
Attendance: 1,202
Half-time: 00 - 35 (to Coventry)
Star players: Matthew Ward (Hartpury) / Will Wand (Coventry)
Stats:
Hartpury:
Penalties conceded: 10
Line-outs won: 6
Line-outs lost: 3
Scrums won: 2
Scrums lost: 1
Sin-bins/Reds: 1/0
Coventry:
Penalties conceded: 12
Line-outs won: 6
Line-outs lost: 2
Scrums won: 6
Scrums lost: 0
Sin-bins/Reds: 1/0
