Coventry got off Scott-Free after Tolmie's Winning try in final seconds.

Coventry 36-30 London Scottish

January 18, 2020

Butts Park Arena

A try in the final play of the game was the deciding factor in Coventry’s 36-30 win over London Scottish. Man of the Match Scott Tolmie drove through the Scottish defensive line from close range, as he won the contest for the home side.

London Scottish scored four tries, with Bobby Beattie continuing his run of form to score the Exiles’ first. Dan Barnes, Lewis Wynne and Mark Bright also got on the scoresheet.

Tries for Coventry came from winger Max Trimble, second rower James Voss, replacement scrum half Peter White, and two on the day for match winner Tolmie.

Scott Tolmie was a big impact off the bench, scoring two tries for Coventry.

Despite the result, the Scot’s showed many positive signs throughout the game, with three first half tries showing explosiveness in the early stages. Coventry fought back valiantly with great determination in the second half to secure the home win.

The first 10 minutes were hotly contested with both sides firing into tackles. Kicking accuracy from London Scottish's Harry Sheppard and Coventry’s Rory Jennings kept the match level.

Robert Stevenson was forced off after a head injury, he made way for Ollie Allsopp who made his London Scottish first team debut.

The first try of the afternoon was scored by Coventry’s Max Trimble. He found space along the left wing after a well-timed run and broke through the defence. He then sprinted over the line to score. Jennings’ conversion made the score 10-3 to the home side.

Max Trimble used his lightning pace to open up the scoring for Coventry.

There was more injury concern for Scottish, as winger Jonas Mikalcius is forced off, and made way for Will Magie mid-way through the first half.

A loose pass by Coventry was quickly capitalised upon by Magie, seconds after coming off the bench. Magie showcased his football skills and kicked the ball over the try line, Bobby Beattie outpaced the Coventry defenders and dived on the ball to score. Sheppard’s conversion hit the post, and the score remained 10-8.

Stevenson returned from his injury evaluation and replaced Allsopp; it was promising to see what the 21-year-old brought into the backs line up, on his first appearance.

Scottish took the lead on the twenty-seven minute mark, as Dan Barnes couldn’t be contained. A powerful carry from a well worked lineout saw Scottish go in front. Sheppard’s accuracy off the tee extended the lead to 10-15.

Dan Barnes was a standout player for London Scottish on the day.

Coventry remained on the backfoot for the rest of the first half. Line-outs on the five metre line kept the West Midlands side pinned back on the defensive. A rolling maul was grounded by Scot’s captain Lewis Wynne. Sheppard’s conversion extended the lead to 10-22 as the teams exited for half-time.

Immediately following the re-start, Coventry are penalised for offside. Sheppard kept the scoreboard ticking over, as Scottish lead 10-25.

Coventry came back much stronger in the second half, as a series of short pick and drives was finished off by replacement forward Scott Tomlie. The conversion was successful, as the gap in the score line narrowed.

Coventry continued to pile on the pressure, with James Voss’ try; which came after he broke a tackle on the Scot’s line. The deficit narrowed to just one point, with twelve minutes left to play.

Coventry’s replacement scrum half Peter White demonstrated his pace and used tricky footwork to evade contact. A burst of speed through a gap left him in the open to give Coventry a hard-fought lead.

Scottish responded immediately, and never looked like a beaten side even after going behind. An expertly worked rolling maul seemed to have them back in the lead, yet the referee’s view was that the ball was held up.

With a last gasp effort, Mark Bright put his side in front in the final minutes. A rolling maul was finished off in similar style to the one disallowed just moments prior. His dive next to the touchline gave the Scot’s a 29-30 advantage, as the clock ticked down with three minutes left.

Yet the home side had the last say. Tolmie’s second try was Coventry’s last roll of the dice, as short, hard-hitting phases knocked their way over Scottish’s try line, in the final seconds.

London Scottish Flanker Luke Frost spoke after the highly contested match:

WATCH: Full Post-Match interview with Luke Frost

“I think that there are loads of positives (for London Scottish), I think for 60 minutes of that game, we were on top, we played really well.

We were clinical, we addressed the mistakes that we made last week, but we just can't have performances that have lulls and gaps in it.

Coventry stuck at it today, and that's where they scored their points, credit to them, they stayed on it for the 80 minutes today, and that was the difference today.”

London Scottish will look to take the positives from this match forward into next week, as they face Ealing Trailfinders at home.