Doncaster Knights 26 Esher 17
Doncaster retained their unbeaten record but looked far from convincing against a competitive Esher outfit who were hard to break down, fought for everything and played very much to their own strengths with a full on damage limitation game plan. Yellow cards were an inevitable consequence, and three were sustained by Esher, but even with a man advantage for 30 minutes the Knights were increasingly frustrated by their own inability to play heads up rugby, frequently taking the wrong option seemingly obsessed with the desire be be expansive when better options up the middle existed.
It had looked promising when early pressure allowed Mark Woodrow to set up an opening try for full back Anthony Carter but two pieces of indiscipline gave Neil Hallett two penalties in quick succession to narrow the gap to a point. Esher were already slowing tackle ball, and being penalised with Woodrow adding three points but further indiscipline gave those back to Hallett’s boot; and when there was Esher obstruction at the restart, this time the penalty went to the corner from where a series of drives ended with lock Bryn Griffiths diving over on 25 minutes while the visitors had the first of three players taking a break in the sin bin. When the second departed just before the break, Woodrow took three more points, but almost immediately these were negated when a man offside from a knock on interfered and Hallett was gifted three points back for a half time score of 20-12. The game might have been very different had Justin Bishop not knocked on Antione Nicoud’s pass with the line at his mercy, but it was typical of the Knights’ day.
The second half was a stalemate, with two Woodrow penalties all the Knights could manage despite a third visitor seeing yellow. In fact, whilst a man short this time Esher scored a try of their own, and a comedy of errors it was! Loose ball on the ground was snaffled by Esher with the Knights seemingly waiting for a whistle, a little chip kick to the line followed and not one defender was alert to it allowing a clearly surprised Bevon Armitage to run through and touch down more in hope than expectation only to see the try awarded. Nine points in arrears, Esher went for the losing bonus point and twice came close; but the game ended in a manner that reflected the whole Knights’ afternoon. At last a quick move created a big overlap on the left that was appallingly wasted: a penalty did result from a tackle and Woodrow opted for goal rather than the attacking line out. The kick missed and Esher again ran the ball back before the move was contained and the game ended with a frustrated ten seconds of handbagging at half way. A bemused (not for the first time) referee eventually got the players apart but no offender could be identified (although the terrace crowd did) and the final whistle was mercifully blown.
Four games, four win. Two away in thrilling fashion: two at home in frustrating circumstances. What’s that all about? At least next weekend’s game is away, at Nottingham on the Sunday.
Post match interviews with Glen Wilson and Ollie Cook can be viewed as podcasts on the 1st XV page.
Knights: A Carter, J Bishop, B Hunt, S Davey, W Davies, M Woodrow, A Nicoud, S Bunting R List 55), S Boden, N Tau (J Rawson 51), B Griffiths, G Kenworthy, O Cook, S Grainger, G Wilson.
Esher: N Hallett, M Moore, B Armitage, T Clouston, D Flockhart, D Hewitt, L Lane G Barr 57), D Cormack, J Campbell (S Goldsmith 57), T Warren, P Barker (J Inglis 51), A Harris, M Butterworth (M Blakeburn 51), L Starling, D Barrell
Referee: A Hartwell (RFU) |
