RUGBY UNION: NICK Walshe is head coach at Coventry Rugby Club.
In his first column for the Coventry Observer, Nick talks about the tough schedule ahead, a crucial win against Plymouth and the impact the Coventry fans have had on the team’s performance so far this season.
First of all a big welcome to Coventry Rugby Club’s first column which myself and Rowland Winter will be sharing throughout the rest of the season.
It’s an exciting time at the Butts Park Arena and our win against Plymouth was something we as a team were very pleased with, to pick up the five points was huge.
We have three more tough games coming up before the turn of the year, starting this Saturday at home against Ampthill before we travel to Darlington and then Birmingham Moseley.
We know the challenges that we’ll face against Ampthill, they’re a physical side and we’ll need to match it.
The fact the game is at home is important, our fans are crucial to us and the lads love playing in front of a strong crowd at the Butts.
It’ll be a challenge but it’s a huge game for us, and that ’16th man’ will be vital.
Playing at home
Sometimes teams fear coming to the Butts but others enjoy playing.
The stadium creates a good atmosphere which is great for the sport. We’ve had more than 2,000 people attending some games which is great.
We want a big crowd on Saturday so we can show everyone what we’re capable of.
Myself and others at the club will analyse the opposition and discuss the game.
We will have to tweak a couple of things as ever, but not too much as we only have a couple of nights to prepare.
Time at Coventry
I’ve enjoyed my time at Coventry.
I’ve got into more as time has gone by.
Jon Sharp is a fantastic chairman to have. He provides us with the tools we need to push on and Rowland (Winter) has done a great job also.
The biggest thing for me though is ambition. There’s huge potential and ambition.
That’s what attracted me to the club.
