Preview: RGC Head to Coventry
RGC head to the Midlands this Saturday for their final pre-season fixture—taking on Coventry Rugby Football Club at Butts Park Arena. 3pm kick off.
Coventry vs RGC
RGC head to the Midlands this Saturday for their final pre-season fixture—taking on Coventry Rugby Football Club at Butts Park Arena. 3pm kick off.
Finishing 5th in the newly rebranded Champ last year, this will be another step up for RGC after they beat Chester last weekend at Stadiwm CSM, running in 50 points to 19, against the National Two side.
The last Champ side RGC faced was Caldy last year, in which the English side came out with a 2 point victory at Wrexham (24-26)
Head Coach
Alex Rae has been with the club since 2021 and was appointed as Head Coach in 2022. As a player, he can list Northampton, Saracens and Wasps as clubs played for.
Players
Coventry have made some new signings, including No. 8 Morgan Strong, who has played for Doncaster and Ospreys previously. He will link up with former Edinburgh and London Irish back row Santiki Nayolo to make one of the most formidable pairings in the league.
27-year-old Winger Peter Sullivan joined from Jersey Reds, previously playing in the URC with Connaught, adding experience to the back-line.
Speedster Avi Bavadra has been playing for GB 7s and representing England in the Commonwealth Games.
Fly-half Thomas Matthews was the 6th top scorer in the league, with 126 points last season..Having previously played for Wales U18S, he switched and then represented England U20S.
Last seasons top try scorer was Jimmy Martin, running in 11 tries, which alsp impressed Northampton Saints, who signed him in the summer.
Matches
Coventry face RGC in their opening pre-season fixture, then face fellow Champ side Caldy before taking on Prem team Exeter Chiefs in their final friendly game.
Recent History
In 2004, Coventry moved back to their spiritual home, Butts Park Arena, after more than 80 years at Coundon Road.
Promoted in the 2017–18 National League 1 campaign, achieving promotion with 27 wins—24 consecutive wins—and over 1,200 points scored.
Highest Champ League finish: 3rd both in 2022/23 and 2023/24
RGC’s Sam Williams knows his side needs to build on last week's winning performance against Chester.
“It was great to get some minutes under our belt against Chester at the weekend, and pleasing to see how we put some good stuff together - especially after the pre-season work on the training pitch."
"With a new season soon to be upon us, it’s good to start with a positive performance. At this point, it's exciting to see some of the new signings and younger academy lads get their first minutes in an RGC jersey”
“Saturday is another challenge, and we look forward to heading to Coventry, who will offer us a tough 80 minutes. It is exactly the test we need as a group as we head into our SRC season on September 13th against Cardiff (Stadiwm CSM, 2.30pm)
RGC Season Tickets are now available
11 League and Cup games, plus loyalty card with 10% discount off drinks and merchandise on a gameday