ALEX Rae insists the only way for Coventry Rugby to progress this season is to challenge for a top-two finish in the Championship.
Coventry finished third in each of the last two campaigns and begin the 2024/25 season with a trip to London Scottish tonight (Friday, September 20).
And after pre-season wins against Moseley and Chinnor, Rae is aiming to compete at the very top of the division once again.
Rae said: “Although we weren’t a million miles away last year we weren’t quite good enough.
“I don’t want to go backwards or stand still and the only way we can do that is to challenge the top two spots this time round, although we know the Championship is a very tough league.
“Ealing have done well in pre-season and they are defending champions while Doncaster seem to be throwing the kitchen sink at it this year and are following a totally different model to us with their signings.
“Then there’s the likes of Bedford and Cornish Pirates who are always really tricky opponents so we know it will be a tough challenge to finish higher than last year but that’s where we’re aiming.”
Opening weekend opponents London Scottish pushed Cov all the way at the Richmond Athletic Ground last season as Cov triumphed by a two-point margin after London missed a last kick conversion.
And Rae wants his side to avoid any setbacks this term and insists Cov must remain focused against all 11 league opponents.
Rae added: “Something we’ve talked about a lot and addressed as a squad is making sure we’re on top of our performance levels for those games that the form book says we’re expected to win.
“We saw last year games like Ealing at home and Saracens at home take care of themselves but we’re aware that we need to learn from last year and stay at that level against other clubs.
“We had a reasonable turnaround of players over the summer and as a result have almost a complete new backline but with the forward pack being pretty settled and having plenty of experience we hope to hit the ground running.
“You always feel like you have a bit more work to do and if you ask me the same question in 12 weeks’ time I’ll probably say the same thing, but overall we’re pretty happy with where we’re at and now just need to hit our stride.
“You can’t read too much into pre-season as everyone uses it for different purposes. It’s not until everyone gets playing in the thick of the league and there’s pressure and points at stake that you find out more about people.”
Coventry make the trip to London Scottish’s Richmond Athletic Ground on Friday, September 20 with kick-off at 7.45pm.
