AS a supporter, player, captain, coach and leading club official, Peter Rossborough has been through the good times and bad with Coventry RFC over six decades.
A first-team player in his late teens and now club president for the last dozen years, the former England full-back has pretty much seen it all, from the glory years of the 60s and 70s, when Coventry ruled the roost in English rugby, to the time when the club almost shut up shop.
Like many of his generation, his love affair with rugby, and subsequently his hometown club, only began when the round-ball had been kicked into touch.
“When I was a young lad at junior school I was madly into soccer, but then I took the 11plus and, against all expectations, I passed and went to King Henry VIII Grammar School, a rugby-playing school,” he explained.
“Resisting at first, I got stuck into it and I made my first appearance at Coundon Road as a 12-year-old at a schools’ tournament.”
Rossborough went on to grace Coventry’s famous old pitch just shy of 400 times in the blue and white hoops, having made his club debut in the 1967/68 season while still at Durham University.
“Coventry were a different team then, they were one of the best club teams in Great Britain and Europe, and I suspect the world.
“We were up there with the best New Zealand and Australian teams and certainly the best French teams. We were one of the few English teams to play in France, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
“It was an easy journey on a Wednesday evening or a Saturday to go down to the valleys and then have a quick punch-up against Maesteg or Pontypool and then drown your sorrows, in the most part, after the game as you didn’t get much change out of Welsh referees.”
This story is from the April 12, 2020 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 12, 2020 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
England show who's No.1
ENGLAND women’s head coach John Mitchell says his side will take valuable lessons from the 24-12 win over world champions New Zealand as they build towards their WXV1 title defence.
Skivington: We're going to roll dice and go for it
THE Cherry and Whites are the enigmas of the Premiership.
Looking to go one step beyond this time around
NE small step is what it will take for Bath to go one better than last season and secure the Premiership for the first time, but it would be one of the biggest taken by the club in the professional era.
Four-try England make it 17 wins on the spin
ENGLAND women opened the Allianz Stadium era at HQ with a victory over New Zealand to make it 17 wins on the bounce before their WXV title defence.
Time for Borthwick to prove his worth
HONEYMOON periods are not set in stone and in my estimation Steve Borthwick’s ends this summer. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still in good shape.
Barrington ready to power up the Mob
RICHARD Barrington has signed up to the Ampthill “Mob” reassured that he’ll still have a target on his back most weeks.
Skivington keen to build identity
GLOUCESTER won their first trophy for nine years last season and reached the Challenge Cup final, but when George Skivington went on holiday the day after the campaign ended the words in his head were never again.
Roebuck targets England success
WINNING a maiden England Test cap to top the best season of his career will not be enough for Sale winger Tom Roebuck.
Booth: Tough telling players I was leaving
TOBY Booth admits telling his Ospreys players that he would be leaving at the end of the season was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career.
Stephens' debut try sees off old rivals
DORKING had to dig deep in another tight game between two old rivals, with the lead changing hands twice and result in doubt right up to the final whistle.
