Championship Matches: A Christmas cracker awaits Cov players and fans

A Christmas cracker awaits the staff, players and supporters of Coventry Rugby with the news that Championship winners Ealing will visit Butts Park Arena on Saturday 21 December^st.

The Trailfinders lost just four games on their way to the title, one of which came on a memorable day at the BPA when captain Jordon Poole scored two tries to lead Coventry to a 34-32 victory.

Cov’s celebratory home game in 2023 saw over 5,000 supporters cheer the team to victory against Nottingham, breaking the attendance record at the club’s current home ground in the process. A year on from the arrival of the reigning champions, it seems likely that similar numbers will turn out for a tasty occasion.

Alex Rae’s team host Cornish Pirates before travelling to Doncaster, where both teams are likely to battle it out for the top three in the final month of a competition that runs until the end of May.

With Cov’s return leg against Ealing scheduled two weeks after the trip to Castle Park, as part of the penultimate weekend of the competition, this season’s title could be in question right down to the last minute.

The blue and whites begin their quest to improve on their second third-place finish on Friday night with an awkward trip to London Scottish, where last season’s outcome was decided by the final kick of the game.

This competition opener in mid-September follows pre-season home games against Birmingham Moseley and recently promoted Chinnor, for which tickets are already available.

Season memberships to the BPA cover these two fixtures, while home fans get their first taste of the competition when old rivals Bedford Blues come to town in the second round on Saturday 28 September^e.

This season’s Championship calendar will resemble the usual Premiership format, with the autumn internationals and Six Nations periods being skipped in favour of the Premiership Rugby Cup, the dates of which are yet to be confirmed.

Last season, multiple title winners Saracens visited the BPA and there was a great atmosphere as Cov won in front of a large crowd. The success of the match, which was eventually won by Gloucester, guarantees that this will happen again.

With the Championship now down to 12 clubs following the promotion of National One champions Chinnor to fill the void left by the demise of Jersey Reds last September, a tough 22-game test awaits.

Pre-season friendlies at Butts Park Arena:

August 24 (kick-off 3pm) Coventry Rugby v Birmingham Moseley

the 13th of September^e (kick-off 7.30pm) Coventry Rugby v Chinnor

Tickets for Coventry’s pre-season friendlies are available via this link: https://www.coventryrugby.co.uk/tickets/

Season memberships are available via this link: https://www.coventryrugby.co.uk/membership/