Redruth 31 Coventry 43

Redruth took just twenty-four minutes to secure a four try bonus point but were blown away by five second half tries by a rampant Coventry.

Despite building up a commanding 26 – 7 lead a combination of power from the visiting pack and some poor decision making and defending by The Reds allowed Coventry back into the game and dominate the second half.

Both sides were keen to entertain in this try fest which provided a hat trick of hat tricks. Nick Jackson for Redruth was the first to notch up his trio followed by Tom Harris and Sam Herrington for Coventry.

The Reds were quickly off the mark when Luke Collins pounced on a charged down kick to make a good break from which Nathan Pedley crossed in the corner. A few minutes later Jackson touched town from a blistering solo run, Penberthy converting.

The Coventry pack made good progress, finding space around the fringes to give Ben Russell the opening he needed for a simple touch down, Lee Audis making it a seven point score.

The hosts came back strongly with Jackson finishing off a move started by Pedley for Penberthy to add the extras. A well worked lineout saw Richard Brown score under the posts to secure the bonus point and give Penberthy a simple conversion.

The game looked sewn up but Coventry had other ideas. Once again Redruth conceded a score in the final minute of the first half when, against the run of play, Tom Harris left the defence flat footed for a try converted by Audis.

The momentum swung in favour of the visitors and after the break, apart from Jackson completing his hat trick, it was Coventry who took control. Their strong mauling with the ball going wide once the defence was wrong footed led to two more tries for Harris followed up by three for Herrington. Russell added two conversions to secure a convincing win for the Midlanders.

For the neutral this twelve try thriller was a great afternoon’s entertainment but it was a bitter pill to swallow for the Redruth faithful, leaving them firmly fixed in the relegation zone. Reds’ coach Tony Cook expressed the disappointment of the whole squad in letting the game slip away.

It was poor to let in a try from nothing right before half time. We needed good game management but it didn’t happen. The boys are devastated.

The Reds now need to regroup quickly for the visit of Stourbridge next week when a win will be vital if they are to climb clear of the bottom three. The game takes place on St Piran’s Day, with entry free for all before 1pm: for a complete list of St Piran’s Day events in Redruth click here.

Attendance: 810
Referee: Andrew Jackson (RFU)