England U20s subjected to first half thrashing by Coventry

Coventry taught England U20s a valuable lesson as the club marked their 150th anniversary in style at Butts Park Arena.

Led by a hat-trick from leading try-scorer Jimmy Martin, Coventry triumphed 53-38, scoring eight tries to England’s six in the process.

The hosts –  powered by the efforts of retirement-bound Will Chudley – had racked up a 35-0 halftime lead, effectively deciding the match in the first period.

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Martin opened Coventry’s account when he finished a flowing move, which Pat Pellegrini duly converted to bring his seasonal tally to over 200 points.

Coventry’s Tongan No.10 then set up the second try for skipper Jordon Poole with a neat step and offload. Chudley facilitated Martin’s second try, racing from inside his half after a strong pack performance pushed England’s scrum back five meters.

David Opoku added Coventry’s fourth try early in the second quarter.

No.8 Chester Owen delighted the home crowd with his first senior touchdown, which was set up by former England back row Matt Kvesic with a effective carry and offload.

Chudley’s final act as a professional was creating Coventry’s sixth try for newcomer Ryan Hutler, with Theo Mannion adding the conversion.

The second half saw a spirited response from England U20s.

Replacement Arthur Green was shunted over for a score, converted by Northampton fly-half George Makepeace-Cubitt. Angus Hall added a second try for England, followed by Owen’s second try for Coventry, sent over by Will Wand.

England’s Connor Byrne scored a brilliant solo try – beating five defenders over 60 meters – with Ben Coen converting.

Coen also went on to covert Malelili Satala’s try after another superb finish from the England U20s.

Coventry were then struck by disciplinary issues with Obi Nkwocha and Suva Ma’asi both being sin-binned, ultimately resulting in a penalty try for England.

Despite this Coventry hung on and Martin completed his hat-trick with a kick-and-chase try, again converted by Mannion.

England did have the final say however; with Hall scoring his second try off a Conor Byrne pass.

An excellent crowd of 4,109 stayed to help Coventry bid farewell to the season’s leavers. The final hurrah included a ceremony where Chudley received a framed shirt and the man-of-the-match award.

England U20s: 15. Ioan Jones; 14. Will Glister, 13. Oli Spencer, 12. Charlie Myall, 11. Alex Wills; 10. George Makepeace-Cubitt, 9. Ollie Allan; 1. Cameron Miell, 2. James Isaacs, 3. James Halliwell; 4. Harvey Cuckson, 5. Tom Burrow; 6. Reuben Logan, 7. George Timmins, 8. Zach Carr.

Replacements: 16. Jacob Oliver, 17. Ethan Clarke, 18. Billy Sela, 19. Harry Browne, 20. Arthur Green, 21. Archie McParland, 22. Ben Coen, 23. Angus Hall, 24. Malelili Satala, 25. Conor Byrne.

Coventry: 15. Tobi Wilson; 14. David Opoku, 13. Will Wand, 12. Tom Hitchcock, 11. Jimmy Martin; 10. Patrick Pellegrini, 9. Will Chudley; 1. Vilikesa Nairau, 2. Jordon Poole, 3. Eliot Salt; 4. Rhys Anstey, 5. Obinna Nkwocha; 6. Tom Ball, 7. Matt Kvesic, 8. Chester Owen.

Replacements: 16. Suva Ma’asi, 17. Jevaughn Warren, 18. Ollie Andrews, 19. Senitiki Nayalo, 20. Josh Stone, 21. Will Lane, 22. Theo Mannion, 23. Ryan Hutler, 24. Evan Mitchell, 25. Fin Ogden.