THE Tigers aim to get their National League One campaign off to a winning start when they entertain Coventry at Park Lane on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.

It was almost 12 months ago Sedgley visited the Butts Park Arena to open their 2005-5 National Divisional One campaign against Coventry, hoping for a bit of luck and maybe a point or two. 

However, an injury time try from Jon Skurr gave the Tigers an unexpected 26-27 win. In the return at Park Lane, an Ian Voortman try and the boot of Phil Jones ensured their dominance continued with a 22-19 victory to claim a memorable double over the midlanders.

But things changed. While the ‘Blue and Whites’ finished eighth with 53 points, the Tigers had to rely upon the RFU’s decision to extend the size of the division from 14 to 16 by promoting the top two from Division Two and suspending relegation from Division One for one season only, thus preserving Park’s National Division One status.

That is a position the club never wants to find itself in again, and if Tim Fourie’s thoughts are anything to go by, they will be doing all they can to ensure survival is turned into consolidation.

There can be no better place to begin that process than Park Lane on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and no better team to begin it against than Coventry.

“We have been looking forward to the new season since the end of the last one because we have a lot to prove, and the fact we face Coventry adds even more spice to this opening game,” said Fourie, the club’s Director of Rugby.

“We started well against them last season and we will be looking to do the same again, but we know they will be gunning for us after we completed the double over them. They have signed a number of good players, particularly Will Johnson and they will no doubt come out all guns blazing.

“It will be a huge leap in standard from the Fylde game but we have had a good pre-season and we are raring to go. We need to stick to our game plan, cut out the mistakes and stop giving away penalties. Selection-wise we have a number of options and we may well spring a surprise or two when it comes to our starting line-up.

“We were lucky to escape relegation last season but that is history now; we have a new team, a new season and a new beginning. Coventry stand between us and a perfect start, so we must brush them aside, it’s as simple as that.”

Coventry have indeed recruited well, but behind the scenes the power struggle for control of the club, its arena and adjoining land has only just been concluded.

It was only recently that Reading-based businessman Andrew Green became the club’s new owner and chairman. He bought the controlling company, Butts Park Ventures (Coventry) Ltd from Keith Fairbrother for an unconfirmed sum.

 In addition to a rugby club with a venerable history, he has also inherited land with a great deal of potential, with preparatory work on the development of the north end of the ground – which has planning permission for offices, retail outlets and restaurants, along with terracing inside the ground – already begun.

However, it is events on the pitch that head coach Mike Umaga is concerned with. One of his shrewdest moves of the summer was to bring in Will Johnson, brother of England’s World Cup winning captain Martin, from Guinness Premiership side, Leicester.

In comparison to the Tigers’ pre-season, which has featured two games against National Division Three North sides and one against Sale’s development squad, Coventry hosted French club Toulon followed by Guinness Premiership outfits Bristol and Northampton.

The fact they lost two (22-54 to Bristol and 12-21 to Toulon) is immaterial; the fact they have a fulltime squad and have already been up against such a high level of opposition is far more pertinent.
If there is to be another opening day upset, the Tigers are going to have to be on song, otherwise last season’s double will become nothing more than a distant memory.

SEDGLEY from: De Jager, Naulivou, Roko, Craig, Briers, Voortman, Knowles, Jones, T. Albinson, J. Albinson, Wilkinson , Leck, Evans, Roddam, Thomas, Swart, Norris, Newton, Ponton, Jope, Roberts, Keys, Gazzola, Skurr, Du Plessis, Livesey, Bennett, Hall, M. Jones


COVENTRY

RETAINED: Apoua Stewart (fullback/centre); Niall Treston (prop); Kieran Geraghty (centre); Tom Johnson (backrow); Donovan Sanders (centre); Hendry Rheeders (lock/backrow); Kurt Johnson (wing); Richard Protherough (hooker); Dave Campton (lock); Rudi Brits (front row); Peter Bucknall (prop); Michael Walls (scrum-half); Jon O’Connor (flanker); Henno Venter (backrow); Ben Toft (wing/fullback).

IN: Ben Russell, (stand-off) – Saracens; Louie Tonkin, (lock) – Gloucester; Darren Clayton, (flanker) – Harlequins; Alun Wyn Davies, (front row) – Neath RFC; Iain Nimmo, (lock) – Leicester Tigers (loan); Carl Rimmer, (prop) – Nuneaton; Aaron Takarangi, (wing) – Pertemps Bees; Stuart Friswell, (hooker) – Plymouth Albion; Ben Russell, (stand-off) – Saracens; Will Johnson, (lock/backrow) – Leicester Tigers; George Dixon, (centre/wing) – Exeter Chiefs; Sam Montague (wing) – Rugby Lions; Dorrian Myles (stand-off/fullback) – Eastern Suburbs, Sydney; Duncan James (scrum-half) – Harlequins Academy; Richard Siviter (prop).

OUT: Ben Gulliver (lock) – Plymouth Albion; James Moore (back) – Cornish Pirates; James Thomas (prop) – Moseley; Jon Higgins (stand-off) – Pertemps Bees