Doncaster Knights 27 Newbury Blues 11
The Knights got the new campaign off to the ideal start with a four try bonus point win at Castle Park. Playing conditions were far from ideal, though: a couple of hours of torrential rain before the match, and a strong end to end wind during it, made handling and creative play difficult. The Knights adapted better to the conditions. Playing against the elements in the first half they retained ball well for long periods, denying Tim Walsh much opportunity to kick deep to apply pressure and spending much of the first half in Blues territory. After the break, Mark Woodrow and John Boden were able to control the game, pinning the visitors deep in their own half on a regular basis from where increasingly frenetic Blues play forced an increasing number of errors to allow the Knights a comfortable victory.
The game began well, with Woodrow’s hanging kick off being regained and several forward drives setting up attacking positions from which penalties were conceded by the Blues. Kicks to the corner for attacking line outs were, however, wasted as the Blues stole the ball to escape the pressure. The first eleven minutes, against the wind, were spent in Blues territory with the pack dominant in close play. The first backs opportunity then produced a three on one on the left but it ran too lateral and the pass delayed to the overlap and the chance was gone. The opening score came on 15 minutes, and it was a little gem! The Knights stole a Blues line out, Glen Kenworthy and then Luke Gross made yardage up the middle before the ball was worked right. Woodrow accelerated through the narrowest of gaps, drew the last man and presented the supporting John Boden with a lovely score. The Blues then had their first real spell of pressure, the home backs were all offside in rush defence at a ruck and Walsh had an easy penalty from in front of the posts. Woodrow’s vision was next evident on an advantage play when he cross kicked to the widely positioned Spencer Davey who was only denied a try by the awkward bounce of the ball. Two further advantages to the Knights eventually resulted in a kick to touch and an attacking line out 15 metres from the Blues line. The secure catch was then driven with a mighty effort to drive to goal where Jason Forster was credited with the muscular touchdown on the half hour. Again Woodrow couldn’t convert into the wind. Walsh did get three points back for the Blues with a second simple penalty when a Knight was caught offside at a ruck; and then to the surprise of the crowd Newbury scored a try. Ali James broke the defensive line with a powerful surge in midfield and his centre partner Mark Ireland was in support to make it to the right corner when desperate home cover was just too late to arrive. It gave the Blues an unlikely half time lead at 10-11 but with the elements behind the Knights in the second half, the result was never going to be in doubt.
Woodrow was again alert to use another advantage offer from referee Chris Sharp to try and chip for Wes Davies to score but the kick was just too long and went to touch, but it was another imaginative thought by the fly half who was having an impressive debut. With that advantage lost, he elected to kick to the corner instead of taking points at goal and was rewarded by another powerful catch and drive from close range by the Knights’ pack and a second try by Forster in a style reminiscent of the Derek Eves era at Castle Park. Woodrow converted with ease. Newbury then had long periods of defence and weren’t to be rolled over! But when the fourth try came on 65 minutes to secure the bonus point, it was well deserved. Young prop Tom Davies, on as a replacement for the impressive Ngalu Tau, made a half break: Woodrow then did likewise and the ball was fed to Wes Davies who drew the defence before popping a scoring pass to Glen Wilson outside him to just make the left corner. Woodrow showed his kicking prowess with a wonderful conversion from touch, and the job was done. Newbury never gave up, though, but their efforts to turn defence to attack were increasingly frenetic and inevitable riddled with errors. An over exuberant piece of rucking Dave Scully’s head instead of the ball gave Woodrow his first penalty kick of the day at the posts and from almost half way he used the wind to strike the ball easily over the bar. And in the dying moments, a lovely chip through by Woodrow was chased by Hunt and Boden, the defended was forced to release the ball and Boden was denied a try from the pick up only by a heroic tackle by Tom Brown.
It had been a game played in excellent spirit by two positive sides and one moment late in the match exemplified that. Blues skipper Gregor Hayter put a huge tackle on Steve Boden and the hooker dropped like a stone with head blood evident from the touchline. Hayter sensed a serious injury to Boden and instead of profiting from the spilled ball elected instead to summon medical help from the Knights’ bench which arrived immediately. Fortunately Boden recovered only to need several stitches above the eye, but Hayter’s act of sportsmanship will be long remembered by those who witnessed it.
Next up for the Knights is a trip across the Pennines to Sedgley Park next Saturday (3pm).
Knights: Boden J, Hunt, Bailey, Davey, Davies W, Woodrow, Jones (Scully 53), Bunting (List 71), Boden S (Plevey 75), Tau (Davies T 62), Kenworthy, Gross, Grainger (Cook D 70), Forster, Wilson (Cook O 66).
Blues: Roberts, Rees, James, Ireland (Defty 75), Bingham (Gibson 65), Walsh, Mezger (Smaje 57), Bruce (Faulkener 49), Dalgleish (Cooper 53), Dawson, Harris, Radbourne, Hayter, Morgan, Brown.
Referee: C Sharp (RFU) |
