Two temporary players join the squad for the Premiership Cup

Doncaster Knights are pleased to share that we have two additional teammates joining our squad for the Premiership Cup period. 

Shaun Adendorff joins us on a short term deal. Shaun is a South African back row with Premiership, Super Rugby & French Pro experience. He also played for South Africa u20s when they excelled to World Rugby u20 Championship glory in 2012

Shaun

Aidan Cross joins us on a short term loan from Scottish club, Glasgow Warriors. Aidan is a 24 year old winger who joined Glasgow’s A squad for the 2024 FORSOC Super Series Sprint. Cross played his club rugby with Melrose before representing Southern Knights in Scotland.

Aidan

Welcome to the Castle both! 

The Premiership Cup period begins on Saturday as we host Newcastle Falcons. To see the two new players in action, secure your tickets here! 

 

Wilbourn & Co. sign deal as kit sponsors for 2024/25 season

We are very pleased that this season Wilbourn & Co. signed a brand new kit sponsorship deal with Doncaster Knights.

Wilbourn & Co. are the top Chartered Environmental Surveyors in the country, with expertise on how the environment affects impacts on all forms of real estate working with global investors pension funds and businesses. With its base in Doncaster, the company also conducts business across Europe.

Wilbourn & Co.’s CEO, Phil Wilbourn, has been a loyal supporter and sponsor of the club for many years, as well as having been a player for the club, and a referee for 24 years – he is the epitome of a ‘rugby man’. Phil’s passion for the club went one step further this season with sponsorship of our 150th Anniversary kit, appearing on the chest of the shirt. Phil shared his delight in the agreement, “rugby is not just a sport, it’s an all-inclusive community, a way of life, and a symbol of what we stand for: resilience, teamwork, family and dedication. Being a kit sponsor this season has enabled my business to reach an untapped audience, thanks to extensive social media coverage. Business has a fun side to it as well, and my sponsorship for Doncaster Knights merges the serious and enjoyable sides of the industry, through networking drinks, delicious food with friends and clients, and, of course, rugby.” 

Tracey Owen, Commercial and Partnership Executive, has enjoyed working with Phil in this sponsorship, expressing how “we, as a club, are delighted that Wilbourn & Co. are continuing  and extending their sponsorship at Doncaster Knights this season, in our very special 150th Anniversary. The kit sponsorship extends our relationship and brings the Wilbourn branding to a whole, new, wide range of fans, supporters and a massive social media following. A highly valued sponsor at Doncaster Knights we welcome them into all home games, where they also sponsor our sin bin– he was a referee, after all!! Wilbourn & Co are also sponsoring our upcoming fixture in the Premiership Cup vs Caldy.” 

A true advocate of the local community, Phil is also a key member of our Rotary Club associated with Doncaster Knights, who provide support for the for the Doncaster area. To learn more about Wilbourn and Co., please visit their website by clicking here.
If you are interested about the sponsorship opportunities at Doncaster Knights and how this can extend your business branding in a fun environment, then please contact Tracey Owen via email: towen@castle-park.co.uk; or via telephone 01302 831388.

Doncaster take tough defeat in Nottingham

The first half of the Knights Friday night clash in Nottingham was a close affair, with the score line 19-15 at the break. However, Nottingham proved to be the stronger side on the day, as they excelled in the final 20 minutes. 

Doncaster spent the first five minutes of the game attacking in Nottingham’s half, moving the ball well and gaining ground. However, it was Nottingham who took the lead after Ryan Olowofela snatched a loose ball made a break up the wing to bring the hosts within 5m. They then shipped the ball out across to the other wing to go over in the corner. The conversion was successful, 7-0.

From the restart The Knights were back on the front foot and immediately answered back with a try. A Fred Davies jackal penalty gave Russell Bennett the chance to kick for the corner. Following the line out, the backs moved the ball wide to Veainu, who put in a perfectly weighted grubber for Jordan Olowofela to chase and score in the corner, 7-5.

In the next play, Bennett picked up an injury resulting in an early change to the backline, Harry Davey came on in the centres.

Nottingham then worked their way up to the try line and struggled to score from their driving maul as the Knight’s pack defended it well. However, they then opted to cross field kick, which opened up the gap for them to score in the corner. Conversion successful, 14-5. 

Veainu displayed his skills again as he dodged countless Nottingham defenders to swerve his way up to the line. He was tackled just short, however, Ben Murphy finished the job by squeezing the ball over the line. Morgan Bunting added the extras, 14-12. 

Fred Davies kept the energy alive for the Knights as he turned the ball over again. Unfortunately, a knock on after a few phases meant Nottingham regained possession. They then used their cross field kick again to open the gap that allowed Ryan Olowofela to score, 19-12. 

The Knights then closed the gap just before half time as Bunting slotted three points, half time score 19-15. 

Doncaster took the first points of the second half as Bunting kicked another three, putting us within one point, 19-18. But, shortly after, Nottingham’s back line exploit an overlap and distribute the ball out to the wing for another try, 24 – 18. 

Nottingham then seemed to ignite and allowed Doncaster minimal chances to get hands on the ball. With 20 minutes left, they scored three more tries, two from moving the ball at speed and one from another cross field kick. With two of the three conversions successful the full time score was 43-18. 

The Knights now turn their attention to the Premiership Cup as we host Newcastle Falcons on Saturday. Tickets for this fixture are selling fast so be sure to secure yours now! TICKETS.

 

 

On at Castle Park this weekend

If you are looking for some weekend Rugby action here at Castle Park, you can catch the Doncaster Phoenix v Moortown double header on Saturday! 

Both the 1XV and 2XV will be facing the same club! Be sure to get down and show your support. 

 

It is also your LAST CHANCE to help donate to their charity campaign for Doncaster Mind. They are taking donations of unwanted Christmas gifts to be used for raffles throughout the year. 

Please help donate to this if you can! 

Save the date – Doncaster Rugby Club 150th Anniversary Dinner

It’s official! Doncaster Rugby Football Club’s 150th anniversary dinner will take place on Friday 25th April! 

Travel back in time with us to 1875 with an evening full of exciting guest speakers, Cow Pie, friends and non stop entertainment! 

There is lot’s to be announced in the lead up to the event, but believe us when we say it’s not one to miss, so make sure to note down the date and keep your eyes peeled for more updates. 

Information on pricing and agenda will be announced over the coming weeks. 

 

RIP Roger Lisk

Everyone at Doncaster Knights is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of long time fan, Roger Lisk.

Roger moved from Wales in 1970 and was a Knights supporter immediately, he attended every home game and also travelled to away games in Leeds,Rotherham and Nottingham. He was a season ticket holder at the knights for over 15 years and the club will always be very grateful for his support over the years. 

As well as being a big supporter here at Castle Park, Roger also played for wales under 15s at twickenham in the 1950s!

Roger will be missed deeply within our community and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.

Knights named for Friday night lights v Nottingham

Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have named a changed squad to travel to Nottingham on Friday night.

One area of this week’s team that will remain the same is our back three, which is Telusa Veainu, Jordan OIowofela and Maliq Holden. Winger, Harry Davey, who scored off the bench last week, remains on the bench. 

Morgan Bunting, who joined Doncaster Knights this season from Nottingham, is starting at fly half, with Russell Bennett remaining on the pitch, but moving to inside centre. Zach Kerr stays at outside centre and Ollie Fox keeps the starting 9 shirt, with Alex Dolly as the replacement scrum half. 

Conor Davidson has moved to the starting front row to join Joe Jones, after last week’s starter, Andrew Turner, has returned to Bristol Bears for the Premiership Cup period. Fred Davies keeps the number 2 shirt for this week, with George Roberts on the bench. Jasper McGuire and Lewis Thiede are the props amongst the replacements. 

Josh Williams comes in to the starting line up to partner captain, Ben Murphy in the second row. Adam Hopkinson slots in to the replacements. Our back row however, does stay the same as last week – Archie Smeaton, Rhys Tait and Morgan Strong. 

Taniela Ramasibana and Ben Chapman are the remaining forward’s on the bench.

Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Jordan Olowofela. 13, Zach Kerr. 12, Russell Bennett. 11, Maliq Holden. 10, Morgan Bunting. 9, Ollie Fox. 1, Conor Davidson. 2, Fred Davies. 3, Joe Jones. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Josh Williams. 6, Archie Smeaton . 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.

Replacements | 16, George Roberts. 17, Jasper McGuire. 18, Lewis Thiede. 19, Adam Hopkinson. 20, Taniela Ramasibana. 21, Ben Chapman. 22, Alex Dolly. 23, Harry Davey. 

Unavailable for selection due to injury: Cory Teague, Semesa Rokoduguni, Thom Smith, George Wacokecoke, Connor Edwards. 

Note: Loan players, Arthur Green (Bath), Will Parry (Bath) and Andrew Turner (Bristol) are unavailable for selection as they return to their clubs for the Premiership Cup period. 

Doncaster’s visit to Nottingham kicks off at 7:45PM on Friday night (24th). The Knights will then turn their focus to the Premiership Cup as we host Newcastle Falcons the following week. Tickets for this game are selling extremely fast so be sure to secure yours now!

 

 

 

We welcome Mark Barlow, new S&C lead

Doncaster Knights are pleased to share the appointment of our new Strength and Condition Lead, Mark Barlow. 

Mark is no stranger to the Rugby world as he had a long and successful playing career in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. He has previously played for Wakefield trinity, Championship side Batley Bulldogs, Halifax, Dewsbury and York City Knights, he also had a successful season long stint playing for Elite One team, Lyon in France. 

Mark also played his fair share of National League Rugby Union, with both Otley and Huddersfield.

After retiring from playing, he began his coaching career back at Batley Bulldogs as their assistant coach. 

During his time as assistant coach, they reached the Championship play off final in 2022 and the following year, reached the 1895 cup final at Wembley. In his third year at Batley, he progressed to the Head of Strength and Conditioning role.

This season he has taken on the S&C lead role at Doncaster Knights, which he is committed to full time, while still coaching Batley Bulldogs.

Mark has stepped up to take over from previous strength and conditioning lead, Adam Simpson. Adam has made the move to premiership club, Sale Sharks, and everyone here wishes him all the best in his new role. 

We are also really excited to have Mark on board and look forward to seeing what he will bring to the team! 

Knights miss out by one point away to Coventry, 24-23

Coventry v Doncaster came down to the wire as a missed penalty, with the clock in the red, secured Cov’s one-point win. 

It was evident the game would be a tight contest from the start, as the first score didn’t come until just short of 20 minutes in. 

Both teams initially defended brilliantly, but it was Coventry who claimed the first points of the game when they pounced on a loose line out ball, and dotted it over the line. They added the conversion for a 7 point lead. 

We answered back within a minute as Telusa Veainu chipped the ball over the top of Coventry’s defence and gathered it to carry us up to the line. He is tackled just short but the support is there and Maliq Holden drives the ball over in the corner. 

Russell Bennett added the extras from the touchline to level the scores. 

Moments later, the Knights extended their lead as Jordan Olowofela gathered the ball brilliantly and offloaded to a supporting Ollie Fox. Fox delayed his pass to draw in Coventry’s defence before offloading to Zach Kerr. Kerr showed his pace to carry the remaining 20m and secure another five points. 

The hosts managed to level the scores again as their outside centre, Ryan Hutler ran a hard line to break the Knight’s defence. They added the extras to edge the lead. 

Coventry took one more try to retain their lead before the break. A kick over the top found its way to Cov hands, before they moved the ball quickly to open the gap and go over the line. The added conversion meant the half time score was 21-12. 

The second half started in Coventry’s favour as a scrum penalty was given their way and they took the three points. 

There were no scores for another 20 minutes, but some notable positives from the Knights. Archie Smeaton showed fantastic work rate as he chased down a loose line out ball, tackled the player and won a penalty at the breakdown. He and Morgan Strong made some dominant carries to maintain Doncaster’s momentum. 

Russell Bennett then used his boot to close the scores as he kicked over two penalties within a few minutes of each other, putting the Knights within a converted try. 

Zach Kerr placed a fantastic 50:22 to give the Knights possession in the attacking 22 and they continued to push.  After the forwards spent a handful of phases carrying just short of the line, the ball was moved quickly to Harry Davey, who showed great skill to dive over in the corner while narrowly avoiding the touchline. 

With one point in it, the tensions were high for the final moments of the game. With the clock in red, Coventry knocked on the ball and Doncaster had a scrum just inside our attacking half. The forwards scrummaged brilliantly and a dominant display awarded us a penalty. 

Unfortunately, the penalty kick went slightly wide, meaning Coventry just held on to their one point lead. Full time score, 24-23. 

The Knights are on the road again next week for our shortest away trip of the season, Nottingham. They then return to Castle Park for the Premiership Rugby Cup on the 1st of Feb, tickets available HERE!

 

 

 

TEAM NEWS: First squad of 2025 selected to face Coventry away

Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have named their first line up of 2025 as the Knights travel down to Coventry for round 11.

Andrew Turner returns to the starting front row to join Joe Jones, with Fred Davies remaining the hooker in the middle. Prop, Conor Davidson is set to make his return from a knee injury as he joins Lewis Thiede on the bench. 

Our second row remains unchanged for the fourth week in a row, with our Captain, Ben Murphy and Adam Hopkinson. In the back row, Archie Smeaton slots in to the starting line up, with Thom Smith not included due to injury. Rhys Tait will be the other flanker, and Morgan Strong is our number 8. Taniela Ramasibana and Josh Williams are set to replace those forwards. 

Our half backs stay the same as last week, with Ollie Fox at 9 and Russell Bennett at 10. Alex Dolly and Morgan Bunting are both set to replace them from the bench. Zach Kerr comes in to the centres as George Wacokecoke picked up an injury at Hartpury. Kerr pairs up with our regular 12, Connor Edwards.

Our back three is unchanged from Hartpury, Telusa Veainu at full back, flanked by Jordan Olowofela and Maliq Holden on the wings. Harry Davey is our back three replacement. 

Starting XV | 15, Telusa Veainu. 14, Jordan Olowofela. 13, Zach Kerr. 12, Connor Edwards. 11, Maliq Holden. 10, Russell Bennett. 9, Ollie Fox. 1, Andrew Turner. 2, Fred Davies. 3, Joe Jones. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Adam Hopkinson. 6, Archie Smeaton . 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong.

Replacements | 16, George Roberts. 17, Conor Davidson. 18, Lewis Thiede. 19, Josh Williams. 20, Taniela Ramasibana. 21, Alex Dolly. 22, Morgan Bunting. 23, Harry Davey. 

Unavailable for selection due to injury: Cory Teague, Semesa Rokoduguni, Thom Smith, George Wacokecoke, 

Note: Loan players, Arthur Green and Will Parry are unavailable for selection as they return to Bath this weekend for the Bath United fixture. 

“We’re just growing into ourselves and finding out who we are as a team”: Ollie Fox previews Coventry Away

Scrum half, Ollie Fox discussed the mood amongst the squad as Doncaster Knights are set to begin their 2025 campaign against Coventry on Saturday. 

Before the new year, the Knights finished their 2024 stint with a home win against Hartpury who at the time, were fourth in the league. Fox reflected on that performance: 

“We came out of, a cup period and went into the league with a real focus on getting as many results as possible there. We had some tough fixtures, some potential banana skins that we could really fall down on and end up not looking so good coming in to the new year. But not only did we win, it’s the way we also won, I think it was brilliant and we put in a performance that we were massively proud of. Going forward it’s how we want to play.”

The Championship returns this weekend after a three week break, Fox explained how the team is feeling about returning: “It’s been really, really positive. It’s obviously been nice to get back together after having a nice Christmas and a nice New Year. We are really looking forward to attacking the league now and going out to get results.” 

Coventry are currently second in the table, but Fox said: “I think it’s just like any other week. We don’t take any team for granted, we haven’t yet this year, I think results have shown it doesn’t matter who we’re going to go up against each week it’s a tough game.

“We have to prepare and put everything into each week to make sure we can get the best outcome on Saturday.

This fixture against Coventry marks halfway through the season, Fox reflected on the growth of the team, “I think we are a team that’s growing into ourselves massively.

“I think you can see that in the results. And obviously, we’ve had a few probably disappointing results, but some really good performances, especially in that cup period. I think we’re just growing into ourselves and finding out who we are as a team and how we want to play a game, I think it’s really exciting. I think, you look at the other week, the way we won, it was brilliant. So I think we’re just going to look for more of that.”

A coach full of supporters will be heading down to Coventry to support the Knights, he said: “It’s brilliant because obviously Coventry pride themselves on their home support, but we’ve got brilliant home support and we’ve got brilliant away support. So those guys making the journey down is everything to us and we will make sure we get around to see as many of them as we can before and after the game.” 

Doncaster’s round 11 game against Coventry kicks off at 3PM in the Butts Park Arena.