Doncaster Knights suffer 34-18 defeat to Bedford Blues at a lively Goldington Road.
19th October 2024
The Knights were unable to silence a lively Goldington Road, despite Morgan Strong scoring twice for the visitors.
Doncaster began the game with some good phases of attack, as Thom Smith and Archie Smeaton made notably strong carries. However, Doncaster’s scrum meant that Bedford regained possession in the form of a penalty and worked their way to the try line.
The Blues scored the first try of the game as they shipped the ball out the scrum and moved it well between the back-line. Winger, Archie Garside carried it over the line and the conversion was also successful.
At the restart, the Knights applied good pressure in defence, forcing a knock-on, but another scrum penalty goes Bedford’s way and they gained momentum to score another.
Their second try was a well placed grubber kick up the wing, which was chased well and grounded over the line. The conversion was missed, meaning the hosts had a 12-0 lead.
Bedford overthrew a line out and Jasper McGuire reacted well to catch the ball and carry it a handful of metres. The Knights continued to build but fell victim to the famous downhill at Goldington Road when a cross field kick rolled past the dead ball line.
Doncaster’s scrum improved at a crucial moment when a scrum penalty on the 5m line allowed them to exit the 22 and attack again.
They keep the momentum, and eventually Morgan Strong displayed brilliant determination to shake off a Bedford player and carry the ball under the posts. Russell Bennett added the extras.
The hosts answered back quickly, however some good phases of Doncaster defending meant they only took three points when they struggled to get over the line.
Russell Bennett then slotted a penalty to close the scores and keep Doncaster in the game heading into half time.
Half time score 15-10.
At the start of the second half, Bennett kept the points ticking over with another penalty. The Knights maintained most of the possession for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Bennett, Zach Kerr and Telusa Veainu moved the ball between them really well to gain a lot of ground up the wing. But shorty after, we are penalised for crossing.
More positives came from Doncaster as Morgan Strong turned the ball over at the breakdown. However, the turning point of the game followed shortly. Matt Worley was quick off the line to intercept a Donny pass and score for Bedford, killing the momentum the Knights had built. They added the extra two for the conversion.
Bedford claimed another as a cross field kick bounces nicely into the arms of the winger, and another conversion extended their lead.
Ben Murphy applied good pressure as he charged down Bedford’s attempt to exit the 5m line. When Doncaster regained possession, Veainu threw a sly offload, mid tackle, to Strong. Strong then worked his magic again, bumping off a Bedford player and diving over the whitewash. Alex Dolly narrowly missed the touchline conversion.
The Knights kept fighting, but after holding out a Bedford maul once, they manage to ground the ball in the second attempt and claim one final try.
Full Time score, 34-18.
The Knights will now turn their focus to the Premiership Cup when they host Sale Sharks on the opening night. You can buy tickets for this fixture now!
