Chris Hallam

What could have been a potential “leaf on the line” to derail the Knight’s climbing out of the bottom four eventually became a scheduled stop on the way to success as other results went their way last Saturday. With Rotherham and Plymouth both failing to win their games the points against Birmingham were enough to lift Doncaster out of the relegation zone for the first time in what seemed an eternity for the fans at Castle Park.

And as always it seems the script could not be written any better to lead up to the first South Yorkshire Derby of the season, just as the Knights overtake their fiercest rivals Rotherham Titans the fixture list throws them together in what will surely be a belter at Clifton lane.

Rotherham, buoyed by the return of Maggs will face a Doncaster side elated with the return of just about everyone influential from injury. The selection headache continues for Welsh Director of Rugby Lynn Howells as the patched up side of heroes that defeated Bristol are still keeping a lot of previous seasons “big names” out of contention by fighting to keep places tooth and nail. Ex Titans Scrum Half Chris Hallam’s partnership with Fly Half Ali Warnock seems currently unbreakable, while all would argue just how you replace young Stevie McColl at Full Back with anything short of a Howitzer Cannon.

Currently the Knights are 8th and Rotherham Titans are 10th in the Championship league table. A more telling statistic for this Saturday, the Titans are equal 8th in the home league table and the Knights are equal 6th in the away league table.

Once again there is hardly any daylight between the sides, and it could all come down once again to an injury time penalty as it did last season when Jamie Lennard ( now London Irish) wrapped up the points for Doncaster on his return to his old club.

This season the Titans have a deadly weapon, cancelling out the return to form of Warnock is the discovery of Titan Jonathan West. Son of Head Coach Craig West, Jonathan is not only the Championships 3rd top scorer he is also the Championships top drop goal scorer. Sitting only 5 points behind Bristol’s Adrian Jarvis West has proved a thorn in everyone’s side this season, dishing out punishment for ill discipline in the form of points with the boot. The Knights will, like everyone who face Rotherham this season will need to keep discipline in check with this player to face.

At home Rotherham have played 4 and both won & lost 2, it’s their away form that lets them down, having won 1 but lost 5. Despite the Knights being on a high following 4 straight wins, they cannot take the Titans lower league position for granted, home advantage within the intensity of a Derby counts for a lot and Clifton Lane has been tough on opposition this season.

Other games being played on week 11 of the Championship that could possibly impact the Knights league position are the yet-to-win Bees host Coventry (9th) and Plymouth (11th) travel to the Capital to play the exiles, London welsh (4th).

Can the Knights win by more than 5 points to take their points difference into positive figures for the second half of the season or will the Titans continue their home record of gaining at least 1 point in every game?