Doncaster Knights’ round seven fixture against Chinnor has been abandoned due to a power cut that turned the pitch to darkness.

The decision as to whether the game will be replayed, or if the result will stand as it was, is now in the hands of the RFU. The RFU will discuss and inform the clubs of the decision in due course.

The extreme weather conditions resulted in a messy first half where set piece was frequent, but difficult to execute due to high winds and heavy rain.

Chinnor slotted an early penalty to secure the first points of the game and moments later extended the lead with a try.

In the lead up to their try Chinnor opted to tap and go from a penalty in the 22. It proved to be the correct decision considering the conditions as eventually their forwards rolled over the line. An impressive kick in the wind meant they were 10-0 up.

A Doncaster high tackle gifted Chinnor another three points before the Knights began to apply pressure.

They spent about 10 minutes in attack and just before the half time whistle George Roberts powered over the line.

The Knights came out fighting in the second half. Rhys Tait made a brilliant turnover at the breakdown to put Doncaster in attack.

Jordan Olowofela collected a high ball brilliantly as Alex Dolly box kicked to gain territory. The Knights then worked their way into the 22 and Russell Bennett kicked a penalty to close the scores.

With both teams desperate for territory and possession, there was continuous kicking back and forth. However, when Doncaster kicked to clear again, it was charged down by Chinnor and they just got to the ball on time to ground it over the line. The conversion was missed.

Doncaster soon answered back as Bennett put in a brilliant cross field kick. Zach Kerr chased it, collected it and grounded it.

The Knights continued to appear dominant with the momentum of the try behind them. And, with an attacking scrum in Chinnor’s half, they looked hungry for another score.

However, just as the forwards prepared to scrummage, the ground went pitch black. The score at the time of the power cut was Chinnor 18 – 13 Doncaster Knights.

Chinnor attempted to fix the floodlights, but with the cause likely to be storm damage, there was no option but to postpone the fixture.

Doncaster Knights will inform the supporters of the next steps as soon as we are aware.

A special thank you to all the supporters who made the effort to come down and cheer on the team in these conditions.

Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have named an unchanged Knights squad to head to Chinnor on Saturday.

The coaching staff are putting their faith in the team that excelled against Cambridge last week to secure a 52-17 win at home.

We stick with our experienced back three, Jordan Olowofela, Semesa Rokoduguni and Telusa Veainu. As well as our try scoring centre pairing from last week, Zach Kerr and Connor Edwards. 

Russell Bennett, who maintained a 100% kicking record off the T last week, is the fly half paired with scrum half, Alex Dolly. Dolly being another player who earned a spot on the scoresheet against Cambridge.

Morgan Bunting and Ollie Fox will replace the half backs, with George Wacokecoke likely to swap in the centres.

A reminder of our front row, Andrew Turner, George Roberts (hooker) and Joe jones, who will swap with Jasper McGuire, Fred Davies (hooker) and Logovi’i Mulipola.

Captain, Ben Murphy and Josh Williams, are in the second row. With Thom Smith and Rhys Tait on the flanks and Morgan Strong at 8. Archie Smeaton and Arthur Green will replace the forwards.

Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Semesa Rokoduguni. 13, Zach Kerr. 12, Connor Edwards. 11, Jordan Olowofela. 10, Russell Bennett. 9, Alex Dolly. 1, Andrew Turner. 2, George Roberts. 3, Joe Jones. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Josh Williams. 6, Thom Smith . 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.

Replacements | 16, Fred Davies. 17, Jasper McGuire. 18, Logovi’i Mulipola. 19, Archie Smeaton. 20, Arthur Green. 21, Ollie Fox. 22, Morgan Bunting. 23, George Wacokecoke.

Unavailable for selection due to injury: Adam Hopkinson, Cory Teague, Conor Davidson.

Semesa Rokoduguni shares his feelings on where the Knights currently are and reflects on the preperations heading into this weekend’s fixture against Chinnor. 

Rokoduguni joined Doncaster Knights at the start of the season, he explained how he has found his time here so far: “It was exciting, to be honest. When I started with the club, I saw the boys training and how excited we were, with training and the intentions of being a better team out there. It was exciting and it’s been fantastic for me.” 

The Knights triumphed over Cambridge in round six of the Championship, beating them 52-17. Rokoduguni said: “It was very important because it’s kind of set the standards for us. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season. At the beginning we won the first game, then we lost a few on the bounce, and we haven’t really got a rhythm yet. But, to get two wins on the bounce like that, it sets us up going forward, as a team, so it was very important for us.” 

The winger explained how the Premiership Cup was a great challenge to help build the team before returning to the Championship. “Those two games , Sharks and Newcastle, they were a good test for us to see where we’re at with pretty much every part of our game. The kick and chase, the discipline and all that. We put a good performance against Sharks, and they got the win towards the end.”

“It showed us that, from where we started off at the beginning of the season, to where we are right now, we are improving. So I think, if we can take that, this week, to Chinnor, then the result will take care of itself.” 

Chinnor are new to the Championship this season, and it is a ground that the Knights have never visited before. Rokoduguni said: “Every week is a test, so again, from last week we’ll take the learnings from that. There’s a lot of room for improvement. And the boys have used this past couple of days to train and practice what we will get from Chinnor this week. The boys are looking forward to it, it’s going to be a very good test.” 

Rokoduguni has a breadth of experience under his belt, including 194 Bath Rugby caps, where he scored 71 tries. He explained how his experience helps the team: “There are a lot of young boys here that are really eager to learn. So, me and a few boys out there who have come from Premiership sides and are now playing with the boys. It helps the boys to put a decent performance out there which is best for the team.” 

“If we can also bring our individual games up to standard, it’s going to get us through the game and it’ll be perfect for the team.” 

Roko explained how the away fans who are travelling down to Chinnor will have a positive impact on the squad: “Fans are always, massive for us. The support from them being there is actually going to give us an extra boost that we need to put the performance in.” 

“It means a lot. Thank you for all the fans following us, it means a lot. We will make sure that we will put out a decent performance this week.” 

Doncaster Knights kick off in Chinnor at 3pm on Saturday. They then return to Castle Park the following week as we host Caldy at home. To secure tickets for this festive fixture, click here. 

 

Doncaster Knights are extremely pleased to share that after a visit from Food Standards Agency, we have been awarded a 5-star rating, again. 

Head Chef, Andy Chadburn and the rest of the kitchen team always ensure to maintain the highest standard possible to provide our customers with the best hospitality experience. The club is looking forward to welcoming fans, customers and sponsors to a pristine Castle Park during this festive season, to enjoy a range of events, parties and Rugby games! 

If you would like to try our match day hospitality, you can book on here: BOOK NOW

 

Tuesday 3rd of December

Tonight the club’s annual AMG will take place. ALL season ticket holders and club members are invited to attend. 

It will begin at 7pm in the clubs Clubhouse Suite. 

Parking on site is available! 

 

Despite Cambridge scoring the first points of the game with an early penalty, the Knights quickly found their feet to begin a dominant try scoring spectacle.

Joe Jones was the first Knight to cross the line with a strong carry to squeeze over after the forwards spent many phases trying to push through. Russell Bennett added the extras. 

Doncaster continued to build on the momentum of the first score as George Roberts caught an overthrown Cambridge ball at the line out. The hooker shipped the ball out to the backs, which allowed them to put Doncaster within the 22. Bennett then kicked a penalty into the 5m line, and Thom Smith showed great determination to score from the back of a driving maul. Bennett added the extras again. 

Just a few minutes later, the Knights extended the lead again as Connor Edwards ran onto the ball at great pace to carry hard, he shipped the ball to Rhys Tait to open up space. Tait then popped it back to Edwards, allowing him to finish his try. Followed by another conversion from Bennett.

Cambridge began to show some fight in their attack, and they managed to work up to the 5m line. Doncaster made tackle after tackle to hold the visitors out and when two driving mauls still couldn’t get them over the line, they opt for a cross-field kick. Jordan Olowofela beats Cambridge to the ball and the half time whistle went, leaving Cambridge without a try at the break (21-3).

Not even a minute into the second half Doncaster began scoring again. Zach Kerr, ran a fantastic hard line into space, showing incredible speed to score a try almost identical to last week at Caldy. Bennett extends the lead with another two points. 

The Knights defend yet another Cambridge maul at the 5m mark, however, the visitors soon attack again and get a try. They attempted a cross field kick which was caught by Olowofela, however he chucked the ball back in play to prevent him carrying it into touch and Cambridge dove on it before a Knight could reach it. They added the extras. 

Donny answered back very quickly with a counter attack. Semesa Rokoduguni chucked an offload mid-tackle to Telusa Veainu, Veainu then carried at speed before offloading to support runner, Alex Dolly. Dolly then finished well as he grounded the ball, despite a Cambridge defender clinging on to him. Another successful conversion from Bennett. 

Morgan Strong extended the Knights lead in what has become a signature Morgan Strong try. He made the break, palmed off a defender and powered over the line, as seen many times before from him. Bennett added the extras to complete his 100% success rate off the T. 

Cambridge claw one try back as they moved the ball quickly down the line and found space to attack up the wing. They added the conversion to complete their 17 points for the day. 

Jordan Olowofela then worked his magic to end on a high for the Knights, with two consecutive tries. The first came as Connor Edwards swept up a loose ball and broke into space, he moved the ball to Wacokecoke, who then drew in Cambridge defence and tipped the ball to Arthur Green. Green then popped the ball to Olowofela, opening the gap for him to run in the try.

Olowofela’s second was a speedy carry up the wing after he received a well delayed pass from Kerr. Morgan Bunting’s conversion hit the post. 

The Knights take to the road again next week as they head to Chinnor for the first time. But, you can get tickets for the following week, when Doncaster return to Castle Park for a Christmas clash against Caldy. 

Tickets here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Doncaster Knights are back at home as the Championship returns for round six. Here is the team selected to face Cambridge.

Club captain Ben Murphy is set to start in the second row for his 50th Doncaster Knights appearance. Murphy will be joined in the second row by Josh Williams.

Andrew Turner and Joe Jones keep their spot as the starting props, with George Roberts coming in as hooker. Jasper McGuire, Logovi’i Mulipola and Fred Davies (hooker) will be the replacement front row.

Our second top try scorer, Morgan Strong remains at 8. With Thom Smith returning from injury at 6, and Rhys Tait at 7.

Loan player, Arthur Green is amongst the forward replacements as he returns from a successful Prem Cup spell back in Bath, getting himself on the score sheet for the Prem club. Archie Smeaton is the other forward on the bench.

Russell Bennett comes back in as starting fly half to partner up with Alex Dolly. Morgan Bunting and Ollie Fox will replace the half backs. Connor Edwards returns from injury to slot back into the centres, joined by Zach Kerr, who scored last week.

The back three consists of Telusa Veainu at full back, with Semesa Rokoduguni and Jordan Olowofela out on the wings. George Wacokecoke is the supporting back ready to make impact.

Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Semesa Rokoduguni. 13, Zach Kerr. 12, Connor Edwards. 11, Jordan Olowofela. 10, Russell Bennett. 9, Alex Dolly. 1, Andrew Turner. 2, George Roberts. 3, Joe Jones. 4, Josh Williams. 5, Ben Murphy (C). 6, Thom Smith . 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.

Replacements | 16, Fred Davies. 17, Jasper McGuire. 18, Logovi’i Mulipola. 19, Archie Smeaton. 20, Arthur Green. 21, Ollie Fox. 22, Morgan Bunting. 23, George Wacokecoke.

Unavailable for selection due to injury: Adam Hopkinson, Cory Teague, Conor Davidson.

Tickets for this fixture are available to buy here! 

The Knights finished the first half of the Premiership Cup block with an away win, beating Caldy 43-19. This weekend, they return to Castle Park ready to redeem their form at home. 

Prop, Jasper McGuire reflected on how important the Premiership Cup has been to the team’s progress. “Yeah, it was massive away at Caldy last week we prepped really well for that game. We wen’t into it saying it was a big game with the Champ back up this week. SO it was a massive result for us leading forward.” 

The Knights dominate win at Caldy came off the back of two tight affairs with Premiership clubs, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks. McGuire explained the importance of being tested by the premiership clubs:

“Against Sale and Falcons we had no option but to prepare really well, every session we had, we made good use of it, prepared really well, and took forward what we learned into Caldy. We put in a good 80 minute performance against them last week. So it was pleasing.” 

Cambridge currently sit just one place below Doncaster in the table, so the team are expecting an exciting game. “Monday morning was a bit different coming in after a win, so that was positive. And we have trained really well again this week. Both teams know each other’s strengths, so we have got to take forward what we learn’t last week and put in an 80 minute performance against Cambridge.” 

McGuire shared how important it is to be back in front of a home crowd, “It’s massive being back at home in front of our fans. It’s a massive week for us being at home, and a championship game. So we’ve got to take everything we’ve learned from the Cup back into this week, we have prepared really well.” 

The fixture takes place on Saturday 30th November at 2:30PM . Tickets can be purchased here!

Head over to the Terrace bar during Saturday’s fixture to try our Brand New Knights Ale. 

The Knights Ale will be coming to all bars within Castle Park over the coming fixtures, starting in the Terrace as if this weekend!

Doncaster Knights are extremely excited about this partnership with local brewery, Don Valley. Don Valley, whose head office is located in the charming village of Sandtoft, strive to combine the ultimate desires for great beer and good tunes.

In our pursuit of sustainability and diversity, they make sure that the majority of their beers are vegan-friendly, aligning with the broader mission to provide a wide range of choices for all beer lovers.

All the important information for Saturday’s game!

• Doncaster Knights v Cambridge
• 14:30 PM Kick-Off
• Saturday 30th November
• Castle Park

PLEASE NOTE: There are races on at the Doncaster Racecourse so please allow additional travel time. 

Turnstiles open from 12:00!

Tickets: 

Tickets for the fixture are cheaper when purchased online, however can be bought from the ticket window on the day. 

For this fixture, students can buy a discounted ticket if they book online or show valid student ID at the ticket window. 

The ticket window is located around the back of the Lloyd De Mulder stand. 

Turnstiles: 

We have now added turnstiles to the ground allowing easier and quicker match day access! It is as simple as scanning your ticket at the gate to trigger entry through the turnstile! 

We have worked with the engineers to speed up the function of the turnstiles. To help with a smooth entry to the ground, where possible, please distribute e-tickets so that each fan has their own ticket on their own device. If this is not possible – please can the ticket holder scan everyone through before entering the ground last. 

Parking:

Parking is available on site and operates on a first come, first serve basis. 

Parking is also available for £3 at Outwood Academy Danum and The Sportsman pub, both are a just a short walk away. 

Food and Drink: 

We will have a variety of Food and Drink options available on match day. All bars will be open! 

Our famous Cow Pie will be available at the Knights Fayre, along with a selection of other hot food. You can also purchase pasties and hot drinks at the end of the concourse bar.

CAM Coffee will be on site for hot drinks and you can purchase your sweet treats from the sweet van!

Live Sport: 

We will be showing: Ireland v Australia & Bath v Exeter in the concourse. 

Club Shop:

BLACK FRIDAY SALE 20% OFF REPLICA SHIRTS AND TRAINING TOPS!

Our club shop will be open before the game for you to purchase your Doncaster Knights shirts and merchandise.