Doncaster Knights will revisit unfinished business with Chinnor on Saturday as we host them for round 17 of the Championship.
Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have named their squad to face the task.
Logovi’i Mulipola comes back in to the front row, to pair with Conor Davidson. George Roberts keeps the number two shirt again. Our front row replacements are Fred Davies (hooker), Andrew Turner and Lewis Thiede.
Behind them in the scrum, Adam Hopkinson moves back into the second row to join Ben Murphy and Archie Smeaton starts in the back row. Smeaton joins usual starters, Rhys Tait and Morgan Strong.
Ben Chapman and Jasper McGuire make up the other replacement forwards.
Alex Dolly comes back in to the starting line up to pair with Russell Bennett and Connor Edwards comes back in to start at inside centre, with newly re-signed, Zach Kerr on his outside.
Aidan Cross slots straight in to the starting team after a Stella performance off the bench against Cambridge. Semesa Rokoduguni comes back in to the other wing, with Telusa Veainu at full back.
Ollie Fox and Morgan Bunting make up the half back replacements, with Obi Ene the final back on the bench.
Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Semesa Rokoduguni. 13, Zach Kerr 12, Connor Edwards. 11, Aidan Cross. 10, Russell Bennett. 9, Alex Dolly. 1, Conor Davidson. 2, George Roberts. 3, Logovi’i Mulipola. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Adam Hopkinson. 6, Archie Smeaton. 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.
Replacements | 16, Fred Davies 17, Andrew Turner. 18, Lewis Thiede. 19, Ben Chapman. 20, Jasper McGuire. 21, Ollie Fox. 22, Morgan Bunting. 23, Obi Ene.
Unavailable For Selection |Thom Smith, Harry Davey, Joe Jones, Maliq Holden
Doncaster Knights captain Ben Murphy talk’s recent form and previews this weekend’s fixture against Chinnor.
The Knights have won six games on the bounce now, with a positive end to the Prem Cup and three championship wins in a row. Murphy said:
“We’re ecstatic, it’s all you can ask for, really. We’re just taking it one week at a time and that is all we can ask for, one win.”
Like I’ve said previously, earlier on in the season we were quite a new team and we probably took things for granted that we needed to work on. As you can see, as the season’s gone, we’ve probably got better and better.”
Around the second prem cup block, it started to click, and I think we found a game plan that suits us and our players. And it’s just been one game at a time, going after what we can control.”
Despite the positive from, Murph acknowledged that this weekend poses a big test for the team. Our game earlier in the season against Chinnor was cut short due to floodlight failure, and with just five points in it and 10+ mins to go, Chinnor were awarded the win.
Murph said, “It was, unforeseen circumstances, we have unfinished business there. It is a big part if the game plan this weekend.”
In fairness, they’ve got a big 22 game, they are dangerous when they get in our 22. So obviously we’re going to try and limit those entries and then obviously at some point they’re going to make it, it’s then about barring up and keeping them from crossing the line.”
He explained how he has captained the team to help maintain their positive performances. “I’m probably an unconventional captain as, I let other boys do the talking in certain areas, but, yeah, I just make sure everyone’s on point, try and lead by example rather than what I say.”
He also touched on how important it will be to be back at home with the fans behind us.
“Like I said after the Ealing game, as you can tell off the field, people are really buying into it, it’s massive, the fans traveling with us recently too, it really is huge especially in those dying moments of a game.”
We have now added turnstiles to the ground allowing easier and quicker match day access! It is as simple as scanning your ticket at the gate to trigger entry through the turnstile!
We have worked with the engineers to speed up the function of the turnstiles. To help with a smooth entry to the ground, where possible, please distribute e-tickets so that each fan has their own ticket on their own device. If this is not possible – please can the ticket holder scan everyone through before entering the ground last.
Parking:
Parking is available on site and operates on a first come, first serve basis.
Parking is also available for £3 at Outwood Academy Danum, which is just a short walk away from the ground.
Food and Drink:
We will have a variety of Food and Drink options available on match day. All bars will be open!
BRAND NEW DONUTS! We have now started selling donuts on all of our bars!
Our famous Cow Pie will be available at the Knights Fayre, along with a selection of other hot food. You can also purchase pasties and hot drinks at the end of the concourse bar.
CAM Coffee will be on site for hot drinks and you can purchase your sweet treats from the sweet van!
Live Sport:
We will be showing the following games in the concourse:
Doncaster Knights are delighted to confirm that Zach Kerr has re-signed for 2025/26.
Kerr was born in Ireland but moved to Newcastle in 2020 to study law at University. During his time playing university rugby, he was picked up by Newcastle Falcons to sign his first professional contract, earning his first Premiership cap in 2021 against Exeter Chiefs.
After the 2023/24 season, he left Newcastle after 17 appearances and 3 tries, making the move to Doncaster Knights. Kerr has been a huge addition to the Doncaster Knights squad this season, earning a reputation for his impressive defensive ability, playing all but two games and scoring 4 tries.
Consultant DOR Sir Ian McGeechan said:
“We are delighted Zach has re-signed, he has made a tremendous contribution to the squad this season. Both on and off the field and he has become a really important part of the team’s development.”
Head Coach Joe Ford said:
“Zach is a brilliant professional who can play in a number of different positions throughout the backline and will be equally as good in all of them. He competes on every single play never refusing to take a backward step. We are lucky to have him in our team.”
Everyone at Doncaster Knights is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Noel Senior.
Noel was a hugely valued member of the Doncaster Knights community who played for the club in the 1960’s and 1970’s, as well as working with the mini and junior section. He was also a committed member of the ‘Knight shift’, a fantastic group of volunteers that support the club. As well as becoming a member of the ‘Chain Gang’ in 2002.
Growing up, Senior went to Mexborough Grammar School, where he was first introduced to rugby. As a boy, he took part in scouting and became a Queen’s Scout attending the World Scouting Jamboree before leaving school to complete his National Service, where he served in the Royal Artillery. Whilst in the Royal Artillery he continued to play rugby but also boxed and competed in athletics.
He then studied to become a teacher which became his life’s vocation. He taught for 34 years at what was first Percy Jackson Grammar School and then amalgamated to become Adwick School. Most notably, Noel was a family man and aside from being married to Sheila and having two sons he leaves 4 grandchildren and one great grandchild who were all the apple of his eye.
The club sends their deepest condolences to all his family and friends at this sad time, he will be massively missed here at Doncaster Knights.
Noel Senior (middle)
The details of Noel’s funeral are:
12.30pm
Wednesday the 30th April
St Peters Church, Barnburgh (between High Melton and Goldthorpe), DN5 7ES.
Doncaster Knights are pleased to confirm the appointment of Tom Foy as General Manager of Doncaster Knights.
Tom steps into the role with a clear vision to strengthen the club’s commercial and operational performance, working closely with Director of Rugby Sir Ian McGeechan and Head Coach Joe Ford to ensure alignment between the club’s strategic ambitions and rugby operations.
Having previously served as the club’s Head of Commercial, Tom brings a wealth of experience in partnership development, matchday operations, and stakeholder engagement. Under his leadership, the Knights have seen a significant uplift in commercial growth, including the successful renewal and expansion of key sponsorships and partnerships across the board.
Speaking on his appointment, Tom said:
“I’m incredibly proud to step into the role of General Manager at Doncaster Knights. It’s a privilege to represent a club with such strong heritage, ambition, and support from our community. I’m excited to lead the commercial and operational side of the club as we align our off-field strategy with our on-field goals. With a strong team around me and a clear vision ahead, I’m confident we can take the Knights to the next level.”
Club Chairman, Tony De Mulder added:
“Tom has shown outstanding commitment and capability in his time with the Knights. His leadership, drive, and deep understanding of the club make him the ideal person to take on this role. We are confident he will play a key part in shaping a successful future for Doncaster Knights.”
Tom’s appointment comes at a pivotal time as the club looks to build towards ambitious goals, including the proposed expansion of Castle Park’s capacity to support potential promotion opportunities and an enhanced matchday experience.
Tracey Owen who has been a fantastic addition to the commercial department over the last 2 years has been promoted to Head of Commercial and the club has recently appointed Joanna Finucane as Head of Events & Hospitality to lead our events and conferencing business here at Castle Park.
The club would like to congratulate Tom on his new role and look forward to continued progress under his leadership.
THE leading connectivity and business managed services partner Connectus is investing an additional £500,000 at Doncaster Airport Business Park, the company announced today.
The investment will see Connectus turbocharge its work in and around the site’s Innovation – which consists of 140 business units for start-ups and growing businesses.
Connectus’ cash-injection comes just days after the Government announced it will plough £30m into the newly-reopened Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Roy Shelton, the CEO of Connectus, said one key focus of the investment would be to create additional technical solutions designed to safeguard the airport in event of a Heathrow-style outage.
Mr Shelton said: “This new investment underlines our commitment to provide the very best connectivity services to Doncaster Airport Business Park and the businesses based there.
“Connectus is the leading managed services provider around the City of Doncaster, and this investment will further strengthen this.
“We’ve already invested £1m over several years at the Business Park, which has helped to ensure all businesses on the park can enjoy access to our gigabit full fibre network. Now we’ll go further and faster to give lift off to even better services.”
The £500,000 of investment pledged by Connectus, which has offices in Doncaster , Salford and Grimsby, will focus on:
Creating two diverse links for increased connectivity to the site. This will help ensure that if there is an outage at one telecoms exchange, the site remains live unlike what recently happened at Heathrow;
Developing new engineering roles to manage and support an increased demand for services;
Rolling out additional renewable and alternative power solutions to further mitigate the risks of a replay of the Heathrow incident, feared to have unfolded due to an over-reliance on one supplier;
Building new AI based diagnostics and tooling via our partner Kaseya;
Investing in more community outreach including continued support to Doncaster Knights Rugby Union and other grassroots sports clubs.
Earlier this month the Prime Minister confirmed a total of £30m would be released by the government to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
On a visit to Doncaster, Sir Keir Starmer said the previous government’s decision in January 2024 to block South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard spending the regional funding to relaunch the site would be reversed.
The airport closed in 2022 and since then South Yorkshire politicians and business groups have campaigned to reopen it as a keystone of wider development plans for the region.
During a visit to the site, Starmer said he was “really delighted” to be able to support the airport’s reopening with the multi million-pound investment.
“We are backing this region as a sustainable aviation hub in South Yorkshire and giving lift-off for growth here in Doncaster,” Starmer said.
The Airport is located seven miles from Doncaster and 25 miles from Sheffield, serving passengers across Yorkshire, the Humber and North Midlands.
Formally the home of RAF Finningley, DA commenced commercial operations in April 2005 and by 2011 handled over 840,000 passengers, with flights to over 30 destinations.
Adjacent to the Airport, is the Gateway East/Doncaster Airport Business Park.
Covering an area of around 62 acres, the Business Park has planning consent for over 2,000,000sq ft (186,000sq m) of commercial development. Opportunities exist for new builds ranging in size from 7,500sq ft (796 sq m) up to 245,000sq ft (22,760sq m). Today, the Business Park consists of a number of business units, with over 180 businesses occupying in excess of 500,000sq ft (46,000sq m). Also located on the site is a 100 bed Ramada Encore hotel, a Children’s Nursery, Health & Fitness club and a private fee-paying school catering for 5 -18-year-olds.
Doncaster Knights are delighted to announce that Thom Smith has extended his contract for the 2025/26 season.
25-year old Thom Smith returned to Doncaster Knights this season after departing the club in 2023 to join Jersey Reds. The club is ecstatic that he will be remaining at Castle Park again next season.
Despite having picked up a shoulder injury in January, Smith had a stellar first half of the season, scoring three brilliant tries and proving his skills at not just back row, but second row too.
Smith started his professional Rugby career for Premiership club, Leicester Tigers, back in the 2018/19 Season, becoming their youngest captain at age 19.
Mid-way through the 2021/22 Season, Smith signed a full contract for the Knights, after being on loan here from Leicester. During his first stint at the club Smith played a total of 2254 minutes, scoring a total of 25 points.
The end of the 2022/23 season saw him sign for Jersey Reds, but unfortunately they fell into liquidation right on the cusp of the 2023/24 season opener. Which then resulted with Smith returning to us the following season.
Forwards coach Darren Fearn said:
“We are delighted Smithy is staying, he’s such a good lad and has got such good character. He works hard, he’s got an edge about him and he’s got the bit between his teeth, both individually and to bring success to the club.”
“You saw his impact at the start of the season. Before his injury, he was one of our standout players, he was integral to that forward pack. And the skill set Smithy has, which he’s continuing to develop, fits the philosophy of how we want to play as Doncaster Knights, which is really exciting and why we as a team are delighted he’ll be staying and having a big impact next season.”
“It is easy to forget with Smithy that he’s 25 years of age. He’s got so much of his career in front of him, he has such a high ceiling and because he’s so coachable and so open to get better, that’s really exciting. So, delighted that Tom will be with us next season.”
Head of recruitment and analysis Matt Harland said:
“We have been delighted to have Smithy back at the club this year, what he has given both on and off the pitch has been brilliant. Up until his injury he’s shown what a key player he is and will be for the club going forward.”
Doncaster Knights kicked off the scores early as top try scorer Jordan Olowofela added another to his tally. Ollie Fox sent a long ball out to Telusa Veainu, who sent another big pass out to Olowofela, setting him up to finish in the corner. Russell Bennett added the extras 0-7.
Doncaster carried the momentum into the next re-start as Cambridge kicked the ball dead, giving Doncaster a mid-field scrum, where they showed great dominance to win a penalty.
Bennett kicked us into the 22 and the Knights continued to attack. Morgan Strong broke through the defence to carry up to the line, before popping the ball across to Rhys Tait. Tait stretched the ball over the line to finish the job. Bennett added another two, 0-14.
Cambridge then worked their way up to the line and their centre ran a hard line to score their first. 5-14.
Minutes later, the Knights reacted with another score. Bennett broke the line and shifted the ball across to Lewis Thiede. Thiede carried into open space before quickly moving the ball across to a supporting Ollie Fox. Fox showed brilliant speed to run the try in from 20m out. Bennett extended the lead, 5-21.
Fox
There was no score for the next ten minutes, but some great defensive efforts from the Knights, including a whole handful of scrum penalties.
An overthrown Donny line out gave the hosts a chance to attack. Their fly half chipped the ball through and managed to gather it over the line. They added the conversion, 12-21.
The Knights soon ensured they scored the final try of the half. The visitors put the ball through the hands of nearly all the backs, before Fox carried up to the line. Veainu popped the ball off the base of the ruck to Strong, who does a little spin to get over the whitewash. Bennett added the conversion. Half time score, 12-28.
Bennett
Donny began the second half with fantastic work rate. Cambridge found themselves with a line out on their attacking 22, but Adam Hopkinson disrupted the ball, allowing George Roberts to catch it.
Roberts carried the ball into our half and Bennett then followed it up with a nice chip through to the try line. Cambridge beat us to the ball but at the next phase, Hopkinson turned the ball over at the breakdown.
Just a few phases later, we moved the ball out wide to Aidan Cross, who displayed a superb single-handed finish, while avoiding the touchline. Bennett added another two from a difficult kick out wide, 12-35.
Cross
Ben Murphy picked the ball from the back of a breakdown and carried into space. Fox ran the support line again, which meant he could carry half the pitch to score his second of the game. 12-40.
Cambridge then displayed the strength of their backline to score a nice try. They distributed the ball between countless players, before going over in the corner. 17-40
Bennett spotted nobody in the back field for Cambridge, so placed a nice kick up to the 5m line, gaining big territory for the Knights. Cross soon found a second try as Alex Dolly threw a well timed pass out to open the gap. Bennett added the conversion, 17-47.
Cambridge continued to fight for more points and worked their way up to the try line, but a turnover from Morgan Strong meant the Knights could attack again.
Donny worked up to the opposing try line, and a huge maul from the forwards meant Fred Davies could get himself onto the score sheet. Full time score, 17-52.
Davies
The Knights will look for another win next week as we host Chinnor at Castle Park.
Doncaster Knights are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Cambridge for Round 16.
A few changes in the front row, with Lewis Thiede coming into the starting line up to join Conor Davidson. George Roberts remains the hooker for the weekend. On the bench, loan players Andrew Turner and Patreece Bell will be ready to replace the props. Fred Davies remains our replacement hooker.
Josh Williams comes back into the starting line up to join Ben Murphy in the second row. This means Adam Hopkinson moves back into the back row, with Rhys Tait and Morgan Strong.
Cory Teague and Archie Smeaton remain the replacement forwards. Ollie Fox comes in to start at 9, with Alex Dolly on the bench. Russell Bennett remains the starting fly half, with Morgan Bunting amongst the reserves.
Our back three stays the same with Jordan Olowofela and Semesa Rokoduguni on the wing and Telusa Veainu at Full Back. Our centre partnership is also unchanged, Zack Kerr is partnered with George Wacokecoke on the outside.
Obi Ene is the final replacement on the bench.
Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Semesa Rokoduguni. 13, George Wacokecoke 12, Zach Kerr. 11, Jordan Olowofela. 10, Russell Bennett. 9, Ollie Fox. 1, Conor Davidson. 2, George Roberts. 3, Lewis Thiede. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Josh Williams. 6, Arthur Green. 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.
Replacements | 16, Fred Davies 17, Andrew Turner. 18, Patreece Bell. 19, Cory Teague. 20, Archie Smeaton. 21, Alex Dolly. 22, Morgan Bunting . 23, Obi Ene
Unavailable For Selection |Thom Smith, Harry Davey, Joe Jones, Maliq Holden
Front of House Manager – Doncaster Knights Castle Park, Doncaster | 30 hrs/week | £13.60/hour |
Join Yorkshire’s top rugby club as we grow on and off the pitch. We’re looking for an experienced and motivated Front of House Manager to lead our hospitality operations across matchdays, events, and conferences at Castle Park.
What You’ll Do
Lead front of house service for events, matchdays, weddings, and conferences
Manage and support hospitality and catering teams
Ensure high-quality customer experiences and operational excellence
Oversee set-ups, guest-facing tech, and day-to-day logistics
Maintain safety, hygiene, and licensing compliance
Liaise with suppliers, manage budgets, and drive service improvements
What You’ll Need
Proven experience in hospitality or events management
Strong leadership, organisation, and communication skills
Good knowledge of food & beverage operations and relevant legislation
Commercial mindset with attention to detail
Flexibility to work evenings and weekends around events
A formal qualification is a plus, but passion, professionalism, and people skills matter most.
