Toma Toke

Castle Park will be the field of battle for the Knights once again this Saturday at 3pm as London Welsh roll into town for the final playoff game of the season.

To keep themselves in with a chance of a Semi Final place Doncaster Knights must throw themselves into the fray once more and come away beating London Welsh by 8 points or more, and prevent London Welsh scoring four tries (or more).

On top of this, the Knights will rely on Nottingham beating Exeter to keep them in with a chance of progressing.

That the Knights are still on their feet at this stage of the season is a marvel. Being bottom of the RFU Championship after 7 games with 13 players on the serious injury list meant the promotion playoffs looked a long way off. A “lost month” due to the big freeze saw them out of action just when they had finally found their form. The resultant 9 games in 27 days was one of the most punishing schedules in modern rugby, and yet the Knights seemed the thrive on the pressure.

Winning 8 of the 9 games they were made to play in such a short period of time, and being the first qualifying team for the British and Irish Cup final the mental strength of the squad was never in doubt. The first signs of the fatigue caused by a season lined with problems was the exit from the British and Irish Cup, a tired looking XV took the pitch at Camborne after their exploits this season.

What the team need now is one more show of support from the fans, to cheer them onto a final effort while a second Semi final is within their grasp.