COVENTRY Rugby claimed their third home win of the Championship season with a nail-biting 29-27 victory over London Scottish.
However, hosts Coventry had to withstand a heart-stopping finale, as sparked by a second-half Rob Stevenson hat-trick for the Exiles who reduced a 14-point deficit to two points before one final determined defensive set ended their hopes.
Tries from Tony Fenner, Pete White and Alex Woolford enabled Coventry to build a 19-3 interval advantage with a strong wind at their backs.
However, Mark Bright hit back for the visitors soon after the restart and despite further scores from Coventry’s Max Trimble and Scott Tolmie, Stevenson’s 24-minute three-timer meant the hosts were counting down the seconds to the final whistle.
Coventry’s director of rugby Rowland Winter said: “We got more than just a performance, we got a response from the boys and they put in a massive shift, exactly what we asked for.
“We worked incredibly hard and the conditions made it tough. Our good start just about got us our noses in front, then we managed to hold on.
“The boys have had a really tough week, losing three on the bounce is not good, it’s hit the morale a little bit and the confidence was low.
“So to get that good start really settled them and it settled the nerves a little bit.
“The crowd got behind them and we kicked on, then we just had to hold on until the end, dig in against the wind and hold out for that win.”
Coventry make the trip to Ealing Trailfinders on Saturday.
