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It's a matter of pride for the Lions
By Coventry Telegraph April 19 2008
RUGBY LIONS are playing for their pride in tomorrow's season-closer at Webb Ellis Road against Bradford & Bingley (2.30pm). Five successive defeats, culminating in last week's 52-0 loss at Darlington Mowden Park, have sent Lions plummeting down the National Division Three North table to tenth place with injuries stretching squad resources.

After challenging for promotion last season, director of rugby Mark Ellis concedes that the campaign has been a major disappointment.

"We had a bad start, a good middle and are having a disastrous finish," said Ellis. "We are on our knees at the moment.

"Hopefully we can finish on a win in front of our fans, but more than anything else I want to see a performance tomorrow from all our players."

Centres Matt Goode and Lloyd Warner, prop Phil Greenbury and flanker Tristan Prosser-Shaw are all scheduled to return, while Ellis is hopeful that lock Stuart Riding will be fit after going off with a shoulder injury 15 minutes into last week's game.

Young hooker Olly Cowley is given his first start after two appearances off the bench, and scrum-half Justin Parker, who joined from Banbury around Christmas, is in line for a place among the replacements.

Lions have the incentive of avenging a 38-25 defeat at Bradford on the opening day of the season and will also climb above their visitors in the table with a win.

Rugby Lions: Hawken; Rust, Goode, Warner, Hales; Glackin, Handley; Greenbury, Cowley, Tyers, Riding, Cheney, Nash, Prosser-Shaw, Brady. Reps: from Murphy, Clarke, Parker, Siveter, Wati, Overton.

* COVENTRIANS host the annual Coventry Benevolent Sevens competition on Sunday (noon for 1pm start) and all District Union clubs are uged to field a side in support of the charity which helps injured players and their families in financial difficulty.

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