CAPTAIN Jordon Poole scored two tries to inspire Coventry Rugby to a thrilling 34-32 win against league leaders Ealing Trailfinders.
Ealing raced into a 10-point lead only for two tries from Poole and an Ollie Betteridge touchdown to turn the game on its head inside the opening 20 minutes at Butts Park Arena.
The lead changed hands four times in the second period as Billy Twelvetrees missed a late conversion attempt to draw the visitors level.
And the result means Coventry sit third in the Championship table, level on points with second-place Cornish Pirates.
Ealing scored two tries in the opening five minutes as Jonah Homes and James Cordy-Redden both crossed for the visitors although both conversions were missed.
Cov reduced the deficit to three points on 12 minutes when Betteridge went under the posts from Will Wand’s offload and Pellegrini added the extras.
And the home side completed a stunning turnaround five minutes later as Poole pounced on an overthrow at a defensive lineout to score with Pellegrini again converting.
However, Ealing scored another quickfire double as both Nathan Earle and Craig Hampson dotted down in the space of five first-half minutes.
Cov responded before half time when Poole scored his second try of the game, as the skipper finished off a flowing move following good work from Will Chudley and Matt Kvesic.
A Pellegrini penalty early in the second half put Cov back into the lead only for the home side to lose Tom Ball to the sin bin soon after for killing the ball close to his own line.
And Ealing took advantage of the extra man to score their fifth try from a driving maul as Matt Cornish powered over from close range.
However, Cov scored their bonus point try on 64 minutes when a well-timed pass sent Jimmy Martin under the posts with Pellegrini adding the extras.
And Tobi Wilson then kicked a crucial penalty with six minutes left to play to stretch Coventry’s lead to seven points only for Earle to squeeze over for Ealing’s sixth try in the corner with two minutes left to play.
However, Twelvetrees’s attempted conversion drifted wide of the posts as Cov held firm to inflict just a second league defeat on the leaders this season.
Coventry are next in action away at Hartpury University on Saturday, March 23 with kick-off at 2.30pm at Alpas Arena.
