Coventry taught England U20s a valuable lesson as they celebrated the club’s 150th anniversary in style at Butts Park Arena.
Aided by a hat-trick from leading scorer Jimmy Martin, Coventry won 53-38, scoring eight to England’s six attempts in the process.
Aided by the efforts of Will Chudley, who is about to retire, the hosts took a 35-0 lead at halftime and effectively decided the game in the first period.
Martin opened Coventry’s account when he completed a flowing move and Pat Pellegrini duly converted to take his season tally above 200 points.
Coventry’s Tongan No.10 set up skipper Jordon Poole’s second try with a neat step and offload. Chudley facilitated Martin’s second try after a strong pack performance pushed England’s scrum back five metres.
David Opoku added Coventry’s fourth try early in the second quarter.
Credit: Nick B Images
Number 8 Chester Owen delighted the home crowd with his first senior touchdown, set up by former England back row Matt Kvesic through an effective carry and offload.
Chudley’s final act as a pundit was to create Coventry’s sixth try for rookie Ryan Hutler, with Theo Mannion adding the conversion.
There was a lively response from England U20 in the second half.
Substitute Arthur Green was sorted out to score and converted by Northampton flyhalf George Makepeace-Cubitt. Angus Hall added a second try for England, followed by Owen’s second try for Coventry sent in by Will Wand.
England’s Connor Byrne scored a brilliant solo try, beating five defenders over 60 meters before Ben Coen converted.
Coen also snuck home Malelii Satala’s try after another fine finish for England U20s.
Coventry suffered from disciplinary problems with Obi Nkwocha and Suva Ma’asi both sin-binned, ultimately leading to a penalty try against England.
Nonetheless, Coventry held on and Martin completed his hat-trick with a kick-and-chase attempt, again converted by Mannion.
However, the final decision rested with Britain. Hall scored his second try from a Conor Byrne pass.
A great crowd of 4,109 stayed to help Coventry say goodbye to players leaving for the season. The final hurrah included a ceremony where Chudley received a framed shirt and a Most Valuable Player award.
England U20: 15. Ian Jones; 14. Will Glister, 13. Ollie Spencer, 12. Charlie Myall, 11. Alex Wills; 10. George Makepeace-Cubit, 9. Ollie Allen; 1. Cameron Miehl, 2. James Isaacs, 3. James Halliwell; 4. Harvey Cookson, 5. Tom Burrows; 6. Reuben Logan, 7. George Timmins, 8. Jack Carr.
substitute: 16. Jacob Oliver, 17. Ethan Clarke, 18. Billy Sella, 19. Harry Brown, 20. Arthur Green, 21. Archie McFarland, 22. Ben Coen, 23. Angus Hall, 24. Marleli Satala, 25. Connor. th.
Coventry: 15. Toby Wilson; 14. David Opoku, 13. Will Wand, 12. Tom Hitchcock, 11. Jimmy Martin; 10. Patrick Pellegrini, 9. Will Chudley; 1. Bilikesa Nairau, 2. Jordan Poole, 3. Elliot Salt; 4. Rhys Anstey, 5. Obinna Nkwocha; 6. Tom Ball, 7. Matt Kvesic, 8. Chester Owen.
substitute: 16. Suba Maasi, 17. Jevon Warren, 18. Ollie Andrews, 19. Senitiki Nyallo, 20. Josh Stone, 21. Will Lane, 22. Theo Manion, 23. Ryan Hertler, 24. Evan Mitchell, 25. Finn Ogden.
