COVENTRY Rugby secured a memorable 33-19 victory against Leicester Tigers to claim a first win at Welford Road since 1992.
A scintillating first-half performance set Alex Rae’s side on their way to victory as Aaron Hinkley, Jordon Poole, Tom Hitchcock and David Opoku all crossed for tries in a nine-minute blitz.
And Lance Bombardier Tiki Nayalo, of the 7th Parachute Regiment, completed the scoring after laying a Remembrance Day wreath in the pre-match ceremony.
Backed a vociferous contingent of travelling supporters, Rae’s men produced a stunning performance to secure a seventh straight win in all competitions this season.
Former Cov man Will Wand scored the game’s first try after just five minutes when he exchanged passes with Jack Kinder as the Premiership side took an early lead.
However, the visitors turned the game on its head in a remarkable nine-minute spell which saw Cov cross four times to leave the home side stunned.
Hinkley was first to touch down for Cov on 13 minutes after he gathered a loose ball following a contest in the air.
And Cov captain Poole crossed four minutes later as he applied the finishing touch to a lineout drive.
The visitors struck again on 20 minutes when Hitchcock beat his man and finished in the corner after a fine break from Ryan Hutler.
And replacement winger Opoku collected Tommy Mathews’ kick two minutes later before dotting down in the corner as the latter kicked three conversions to send Cov into the break with a 21-point lead.
Leicester responded after the interval as replacement centre Solomone Kata finished under the posts and Tom Threlfall converted.
The Tigers closed the gap to seven points with a quarter of an hour left to play when replacement prop Archie van der Flier scored from close range
However, Nayalo ripped the ball from a maul and sprinted 25-metres to the line three minutes later to seal the win as Matthews added the extras.
Leicester piled on the pressure in the closing stages but Cov held firm to spark huge celebrations between players and supporters after the final whistle.
