Doncaster Knights began their Championship season with a 45-31 home win against Ampthill. Captain Ben Murphy spoke post game about how he felt the performance went:

“To get five points from the first game is always a positive. Obviously there’s parts of the game that we can improve on and there’s probably certain times where we lost control of the game. But like I said, five points from the first game is all you can ask for really.”

Murphy explained how despite being a very new squad, this did not effect their coherence on the pitch. “It’s probably one of the closest groups I’ve been in. We had a complete turnover, basically more than half the squad left. Everyone who’s come in, they’ve bought into the culture.

“And credit to the back room staff and the coaches that gave us the opportunity to bond, like the weekend in Bury which was very beneficial. Everyone seemed to gel. And from that moment forward we’ve become a team, really.”

The second row briefly looked ahead to the rest of the season: “Like anyone, you don’t play to come second. You always play to come first. So we’re taking it one game at a time. We’re not looking too far ahead, but we’d be lying if we weren’t looking for the top.

“It’s as realistic as you want to make it, I think. If you believe in it, then we can go on to do it. But like I said, we’re taking it one game at a time. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”

“Our back’s were very dangerous and our forwards have operated well with a couple of maul tries. We’ve got a few injured players coming back next week but other than that, we’ve not really looked too far ahead.” 

The Knights have been back on site training with their attention now on Saturday’s fixture against Nottingham. You can secure your tickets here!

Click below to watch the highlights from Saturday’s game against Ampthill: 

Doncaster Knights started off their Championship campaign on the right foot as they beat visitors Ampthill 45-31 in the first round of the Championship.

The Knights lit up Castle Park almost instantly as a turnover in the breakdown from Thom Smith gave the hosts a penalty. Russ Bennett then kicked to touch before a successful Doncaster line out followed.

George Roberts threw a long ball in the line out to Connor Edwards, which allowed Doncaster to move the ball between the backs and open up the space for Jordan Olowofela to score the first try of the day.

Maliq Holden showed incredible work rate to set Donny up for a second try. Zach Kerr put in a kick up the wing which Holden chased, before tackling the Ampthill player who received the kick and then turning over the ball in the breakdown.

Following the penalty, Bennett kicked to touch, and George Roberts worked his way over the try line off the back of the rolling maul. Bennett added the extras.

Alex Dolly received a yellow card and Ampthill began to show some fight. The visitors spent a long time in the 22 before stretching the ball out wide and scoring in the corner. Their fly half Josh Barton added the extras.

Around 10 minutes later, with Dolly back on the field, Rhys Tait claimed the next five points for Doncaster. Dolly assisted the flanker’s try as he shipped the ball out to Tait, allowing him to squeeze over the line mid-tackle. Bennett slotted the conversion again. 

The backline then worked together beautifully as Zach Kerr tipped the ball to Jordan Olowofela while being tackled. Olowofela then sent the ball back inside to Russell Bennett, who used his footwork to beat Ampthill’s final defender and score. Bennett then added the extra two points to his own try, leaving the half time score 26-7.

Ampthill continued to show some fight heading into the second half, they come close after a series of pick-and-go’s within the 22. However, when they won a penalty and kicked for touch, Doncaster turned the ball over in the maul.

Olowofela then showed incredible skill and speed to claim his next try. Bennett put in a cross field kick which Olowofela chased and caught brilliantly before showing real pace to get the ball over the line. Bennett scored the conversion.

Ampthill answer back as they score two tries in quick succession. The first came from a rolling maul, allowing their hooker over the line. The second was scored out on the wing as the visitors found an overlap. Neither tries were converted.

Full back, Olowofela then claimed his hat-trick try. Morgan Bunting, who had replaced Bennett, threw a long ball out to the wing, where Jordan received the ball and exploited the gap that had opened in front of him. Bunting’s conversion went slightly wide.

Ampthill add another seven points when ex-Knight Fraser Strachan chased a grubber kick from Barton and scored by the posts. Barton converted successfully.

The visitors continued to close the scores as Barton found a gap in Doncaster’s defence and scored under the posts. He added the extras.

In the 80^th minute, Semesa Rokoduguni reminded Castle Park who was in charge with fantastic decision making. Bunting’s attempt at the sticks for a penalty went to the right, however Rokoduguni chased the kick, caught the ball and scored in the corner.

Morgan Bunting then added the extras in the final kick of the game, meaning Doncaster won 45-31 and Jordan Olowofela was named man of the match.

Doncaster Knights are back in action at Castle Park again next week. We will be hosting Nottingham on September the 28^th, kick off 2:30PM.

Like what you saw today? Missed out on the action? Secure your tickets for next week here!

Here is all the important info for tomorrow’s game! Tickets are still available here.

Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have named their very first Championship match day squad of the season. Doncaster Knights face Ampthill at Castle Park on Saturday 21 September in round one.

The Knights are playing quite a different squad to the team that faced Bury St Edmunds during pre season. Alex Dolly moves back to his first choice position, scrum half after having a run out at fly half in August, with Ollie Fox as the replacement nine. Russ Bennett starts at fly half with local boy, Morgan Bunting on the bench. 

Zach Kerr is joined by Connor Edwards in the centre with Maliq Holden partnering Semesa Rokoduguni on the wing. Jordan Olowofela remains at full back. Harry Davey moves to the bench as back three replacement. 

In the pack, we see a brand new front row to the Bury fixture, with Logovi’i Mulipola and Joe Jones at prop and George Roberts in between as hooker. Captain Ben Murphy is paired with Thom Smith to make up the second row. 

Our back row however, remains the same as pre season. Archie Smeaton and Rhys Tait flank, with Morgan Strong at eight. 

Fred Davies, Andrew Turner and Lewis Thiede make up the front row replacements, while Taniela Ramasibana and Jasper McGuire will be ready to replace the second and back row.

Starting XV | 1. Logovi’i Mulipola, 2. George Roberts, 3. Joe Jones, 4. Ben Murphy (C), 5. Thom Smith, 6. Archie Smeaton, 7. Rhys Tait, 8. Morgan Strong, 9. Alex Dolly, 10. Russ Bennett, 11. Maliq Holden, 12. Connor Edwards, 13. Zach Kerr, 14. Semesa Rokoduguni, 15. Jordan Olowofela

Replacements | 16. Fred Davies, 17. Andrew Turner, 18. Lewis Thiede, 19. Taniela Ramasibana, 20. Jasper McGuire, 21. Ollie Fox, 22. Morgan Bunting, 23. Harry Davey

Injury news: Adam Hopkinson is out of contention due to a hand injury, with Josh Williams, Telusa Veainu, Cory Teague and George Wacokecoke unavailable due to match fitness.

Two of our new signings Morgan Strong and Ben Chapman have joined the Knights after spending last season with Ampthill.

Tickets for the fixture are available here!

Second Row, Thom Smith was part of the Knights during the 2021/22 season before moving to Jersey Reds. After his time at Jersey, Smith took some time away from the sport, before returning to Castle Park.

The 24-year-old, explained how it feels to return: “After Jersey, I took a little bit of time out from rugby. I didn’t expect to miss it as much as I did. But then I got a message from Matt [Harland] and Joey [Ford] about two months before the season started and I bit their hand off. I’m really excited to be back.”

Despite Smith having been with Doncaster previously, the squad has changed dramatically, with only a few familiar faces left from Smith’s season. He explained, “Weirdly, the team have come together very quickly. Hats off to the backroom staff. I think the players that they’ve got in are brilliant. Off the field, we’ve gelled really well. And on it, I think hopefully we’ll see the fruits of our labour come the season.”

Amongst the new team is a big selection of experienced players, Smith said: “I think their experience is invaluable. The likes of Logo and Telusa who are just coming in. Even the likes of Jordy (Jordan Olowofela) who have been at very impressive environments. Their knowledge, not only just game knowledge, but life experience too, It’s just great to have around to learn off.”

As well as the experienced players in the Squad, the Knights have acquired some young and upcoming team members too. Smith plays the same position as Bath loanee, Arthur Green. He said: “hopefully I can help guide him and he might be able to guide me as well. I think, we’ve got a good blend and it’s definitely exciting going into the season to try and see where we can finish up.” 

As part of the pre season schedule, the Knights travelled down to Bristol for a behind closed doors game. Smith, who was involved on the day explained: “I think the positive from it was that, going to an environment which is obviously in the Premiership. Firstly, their facilities are unreal, so just experiencing that was really cool.”

“And then them as an outfit as well, it was a great test. The conditions were quite poor, but it was a game we were after, we got stuck in and got a good result in the end.” (Bristol 14-33 Doncaster)

Finally, the second row emphasised the feelings in the squad heading into the start of the Championship this weekend: 

“I think just everyone’s really excited. We’ve obviously got our ambitions and our goals that we’ve set. But none of them are going to come without hard work. So we’re just looking forward to getting into it now.”

Doncaster Knights face Ampthill in the first Championship game of the season this weekend. Saturday 21 September – book your tickets now!

Are you – or is someone you know looking to take thier sporting career to the next level? Doncaster Knights Academy is the perfect way to combine rugby and education.

Join us for an exciting insight into the Doncaster Knights Academy and University Campus Doncaster (UCDon)!

• Wednesday, September 2
• 5-9pm

You’ll have the chance to meet the coaches, players, and teaching staff, and enjoy an action-packed British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) match between the Academy and Sheffield University.

If you’re looking to develop your rugby skills while continuing your education after 18, this event is just for you. In partnership with UCDon, the Doncaster Knights offer a fantastic sporting experience and a student-athlete development programme. This programme, led by expert coaches and professionals, can be pursued alongside any HNC or degree course at UCDon.

Event Highlights:

• Q&A with the Doncaster Knights Academy coaching team and UCDon academic staff
• Meet the current Academy players
• Watch the thrilling South Yorkshire derby between the Academy and Sheffield University.

If you would like to register a place at the event, you can book online here!

For more information contact, Tyson Lewis – tlewis@castle-park.co.uk OR Glen Kenworthy – kendo@castle-park.co.uk

Telusa Veainu arrived at Castle Park today for his first day with Doncaster Knights. The Tongan international got stuck straight in with today’s training and afterwards reflected on how he feels:

“It’s been very welcoming, I know a few of the boys here and they told me it’s sunny all year round so I’ve turned up and they clearly didn’t lie about that.”

“I’ve really enjoyed my first day here. I’ve had a few trainings with the boys and a bit of fitness. I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”

Veainu explains the reasons why he thinks Doncaster Knights is the right place for him:

“I mean, apart from the weather, speaking to guys like Logo and Rocco, and obviously knowing Joey Ford from Leicester.

“I like the way that he’s heading with this team and what direction he’s trying to get to. I like what he’s trying to do here at the club. Speaking to him really convinced me to come here.” 

The 33-year-old has had an impressive career so far, playing both Premiership and International Rugby. He hopes that his experience will benefit the squad.

“I think it will be me guiding them and helping out wherever they need me. Whether it’s taking care of the young boys in terms of how the game is played, or maybe just life skills – whatever they may be.” 

“I just want to be here to get the best out of them and learn a lot from the young guys, and feed off their energy as well.”

“Aside from that side, I just want to win. And I believe, after being around the boys that there’s a good feeling about it. With the coaches that we’ve got here, obviously Joey leading, everything is clear and he knows where his true north is.”

“I’m really excited. He’s kept it simple and it’s an exciting brand of footy that he wants to play. So I can’t wait.”

The season begins on Saturday 21st September when the Knights face Ampthill at home. To see Veainu and the rest of the team in action, secure your tickets here!

Doncaster Knights have signed experienced Tonga full-back, Telusa Veainu ahead of the 24/25 Championship Season. 

The accomplished 33-year-old, has experience at all levels of Rugby Union and will be fantastic for the development of the younger Knights.

Veainu spent five incredible seasons at Leicester Tigers, in his first season, he won both newcomer of the year and player of the year. During his time at Welford Road he scored 32 tries in 79 appearances, before joining French Top 14 side Stade Francais in 2020. 

Throughout his stint in France, he scored 50 points in 42 appearances before making the return to the English Premiership on a one-year deal with Sale Sharks for the 2023/24 season.

The full back played for New Zealand U20 at the age of 18 and 19, but in 2015 he was selected for Tonga for the 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. He made his debut in the opening match against Fiji, scoring an excellent try.

Veainu was then selected for Tonga’s 31-man squad to attend the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Veainu was Tonga’s top try-scorer of the tournament, scoring three tries in total, two against Argentina and one in a two-point deficit to France.

Head Coach Joe ford says:

“He’s really passionate about helping the younger players and will make a massive impact for them both on and off the pitch.” 

“Veainu has a brilliant understanding of the game, he’s the best I’ve seen running the ball back, but he’s also so much more than that. He will add to our leadership group and drive high standards both on and off the field.” 

“We can’t wait to get him started into the group this week as we build towards our first game of the season V Ampthill. He’s a really exciting signing and will add so much quality to our back-three.” 

Doncaster Knights are extremely excited to add yet another experienced and talented player to the 2024/25 line up. 

The brand new squad kick off their Championship season on the 21st of September against Ampthill, you can buy your tickets now!