NOTTINGHAM Rugby go into next Sunday's play-off game against Exeter Chiefs on a high following their 37-20 victory over Coventry at Meadow Lane.

The Green and Whites scored six tries against the battling visitors. But the scoreline could have been even bigger.

However, director of rugby Glenn Delaney was reasonably happy with the result in front of the sparse 790 fans, which has left him with a selection headache for the visit of the Chiefs.

He said: "It looks like we are going to have a fully-fit squad to select from for the Exeter game, and that's a great thing as far as we were are concerned.

"We are going to put our best side out against them and some guys put their hands up today.

"It was great to see Ben Johnston back on the pitch again after his injury. It's going to an interesting week ahead, that's for sure."

Saturday's game was very disjointed and, on occasions, Coventry did cause Nottingham problems.

"It will be a very different kind of rugby against Exeter," said Delaney. "It will be a fairly intense tussle.

"We seemed to go down to Coventry's level at times. Next Sunday we are going to have to go up and surpass Exeter's level."

For the first eight minutes, Nottingham camped inside Coventry's ten-metre line, forcing the visitors to give away a string of penalties.

The referee's patience soon ran out and Arron Carpenter was sinbinned after just two minutes.

A couple of minutes later, Craig Hammond was forced over the line to open the scoring and Greig Tonks kicked the conversion.

But, five minutes later, Coventry were level when Nathan Jones took a quick penalty and dived over. Ben Russell kicked the conversion.

A flowing move which involved Dan White, Andy Savage, Nic Rouse and Donald Blake gave Jack Cobden the opportunity to put Nottingham back in front.

Russell reduced the deficit with a delayed penalty after 32 minutes and then gave Coventry the lead with another delayed penalty in the 36th minute.

David Jackson, who had replaced Savage at half-time, finished off another good move just after the interval to give the home side back the lead, 17-13.

Tim Streather stretched it to 22-13 and Jackson added the conversion in the 51st minute.

Seven minutes later, Streather was on the end of another good move to make it 29-13.

Hooker Ben Youngs was sinbinned for deliberate interference in front of own post in the 65th minute and, from the scrum, poor tacking allowed Arron Carpenter in for a try which was converted by Russell for Coventry.

Jackson stretched the lead again with a penalty in the 72nd minute and Ben Johnston, who replaced David Marshall, completed the scoring with a try in the fourth minute of added time.

"It was another win, we scored six tries in attack," said Delaney. "I know we conceded 20 points, but I'm not so worried at that. Those are issues we can sort out this week in training.

"It was a very disjointed game. There were bits when we had complete control and bits where we didn't.

"Our counter-attack was superb and that was transferred into tries. But we've got to work a bit harder in some of the other phases, build momentum and then be a bit more composed.

"We very dominant early on and then we ended up in our own 22. We were struggling as to why we were being penalised.

"It's quite hard when those things are out of your control and you've got to try to play to what's being decided.

"The trouble with us, is that we allow decisions to get to us and that's what drags our level down. We get a bit fractious and players go off the team programme.

"Those are the things where we have to improve our composure and be able to deal with them."

Nottingham: Streather, Savage (Jackson), Cobden, Marshall (Johnston), Blake, Tonks, White, Parr (Fowkes), Youngs (Everard), Buxton, Hemmingway, Rouse, Hammond, Sherriff (Sammons), Eggleshaw (Slater).