Doncaster Knights fought hard against reigning champions Ealing Trailfinders to claim the full five points on the road in 35-36 victory.

The Knights opened the scores almost instantly as Rhys Tait showed brilliant strength to carry through Ealing defence and find his way under the posts. Alex Dolly added the extras to give Doncaster the head start.

The even match in ability between the two squads was reflected in how quickly the hosts answered back. Ealing stretched the ball out to the wing and found the space out wide to score. Their fly half, Jones added the extras to level the scores early on.

Doncaster initially had dominance at scrum time and a scrum penalty allowed Alex Dolly to claim three points. Shortly after, Dolly added another three thanks to a turnover at the breakdown by Tait. 

Ealing then spent a while within the 22, they struggled to get the ball over the line from the rolling maul so opted to ship to the backline. Centre, Colgate managed to dart through and score. Jones added the extras.

Jordan Olowofela didn’t allow Ealing to keep the lead for too long as he received a well delayed pass from Morgan Bunting, which opened the gap for Olowofela to work his magic. Dolly secured another conversion.

Ealing clawed back another try as they appeared to set up for a kick into touch following a penalty. However, they opted to quick tap and attack a gap on the wing. Jones converted to put them in front again. 

Doncaster’s scrum continued to dominate as another scrum penalty meant Dolly could secure another three points. 

Ealing’s rolling maul proved to be more successful on this occasion as their hooker broke over the line.  However a missed conversion meant the scores remianed within three (26-23).

Olowofela gave Doncaster the edge heading into half time. The Knights were playing a penalty advantage so Connor Edwards risked a grubber kick through Ealing’s defence, Olowofela outpaced Ealing and collected the ball over the line. 

Half time score 26-28. 

It was the men in green who claimed the first points of the second half as they gained three from a penalty. They continue to push at Doncaster’s defence but the Knights showed fantastic work rate to turn over the ball at a driving maul. 

Bunting read Ealing’s defence well and chose to carry up the pitch as he spotted a gap. This put Doncaster in a good position for Dolly to kick for another three. 

As tensions rose, Doncaster’s discipline slipped and they conceded two penalties in quick succession meaning Ealing regained the lead again. 

However, the Knights recomposed themselves and Olowofela claimed his second hat-trick of the season to snatch the final score of the game. Connor Edwards popped the ball to Semesa Rokoduguni out on the wing. Roko then sent it to Wacokecoke. Wacokecoke offloaded back inside to Olowofela, who jumped out of a tackle to carry the ball over the line.

It was a nail-biting final few moments as Doncaster were defending on their try line. But they applied great pressure and a knock on at the breakdown meant they regained possession to secure the win. 

Final score Ealing 35, Doncaster 36. 

The Knights are back at Castle Park next week to face London Scottish. You can secure your tickets here! 

Doncaster Knights have named their squad for the first away trip of the Championship season. Round three sees the Knights face Ealing Trailfinders away.

With a few changes to this weeks starting line up, Lewis Thiede replaces Logovi’i Mulipola in the front row due to Mulipola picking up calf injury during the Nottingham game. Conor Davidson and George Roberts remain 1 and 2. Fred Davies is still the replacement hooker with front row replacements Joe Jones and Jasper McGuire.

Cory Teague earns his first start moving Thom Smith to the back row. Teague will be part of a second row pairing with captain, Ben Murphy. While Smith is joined in the back row by Rhys Tait and Morgan Strong.

Josh Williams, Archie Smeaton and Arthur Green are the other forwards amongst the replacements.

The backline remains exactly the same as last week, Alex Dolly and Morgan Bunting as half backs, Connor Edwards and Zach Kerr in the centre and Maliq Holden, Semesa Rokoduguni and Jordan Olowofela at back three. The two replacements, Ollie Fox and George Wacokecoke also staying the same.

Starting XV | 15, Jordan Olowofela. 14, Semesa Rokoduguni. 13, Zach Kerr. 12, Connor Edwards. 11, Maliq Holden. 10, Morgan Bunting. 9, Alex Dolly. 1, Conor Davidson. 2, George Roberts. 3, Lewis Thiede. 4, Ben Murphy (C). 5, Cory Teague. 6, Thom Smith. 7, Rhys Tait. 8, Morgan Strong. 

Replacements | 16, Fred Davies. 17, Joe Jones. 18, Jasper McGuire. 19, Josh Williams. 20, Archie Smeaton. 21, Arthur Green. 22, Ollie Fox. 23, George Wacokecoke.

Morgan Bunting joined Doncaster Knights this season, but his name is no stranger at Castle Park because his Dad, Simon Bunting has 96 caps for the Knights.

Morgan explained how he has settled into Castle Park: “I’ve really loved it here. It’s quite close to home, so it’s a pretty big deal for me to come into a club like this.

“Obviously, with being a new player, settling in can always be a little bit difficult, but now there’s such a big group that have come together, it’s been pretty easy to integrate into the squad with the lads that were already here.” 

The fly-half said he and his family are “very proud” to have joined his Dad’s former club, “I’ve always looked up to my dad. It’s massive to come to a club he was a part of and successful at.

“It’s a club that I remember a lot from growing up. I remember being four or five years old and spending a lot of time at this club. So it’s a big deal for me to come here.” 

At the weekend, The Knights suffered their first defeat of the season to Bunting’s former club, Nottingham. He reflected on the performance: “I think just the harsh reality is we probably weren’t good enough on the day. There’s a lot of pride and aspiration in the group, and I think we all let ourselves down a little bit.

“But, when you look back at the game, there were some positives to take away from it. I feel we spent a lot of time in the Nottingham half, credit to them, they defended. But if you play that game again, I feel like we know now what to do to come away with points and turn that pressure into points.” 

Bunting said: “It was strange to play against Nottingham, but good to see a lot of the lads, I do have a lot of close friends there so it was good to see them.” 

 

 

The Knights are heading into a very important game this weekend, against current Championship winners, Ealing Trailfinders. 

Bunting said: “We had a tough Monday review, worked out what we need to do and I think we are all focused towards the next challenge, which is going away to reigning champions Ealing. There is no bigger test really at the minute. We’re just taking it week by week.” 

“There’s always some additional little challenges with away games. Obviously the travel can affect you, but I feel at this level you have to go to a lot of different places, so I think it’s more just getting used to having two games at home then being on the road. We will see how we react to that.” 

Doncaster Knights v Ealing Trailfinders kicks off at 3pm onSaturday, you can follow the live feed on our twitter page. 

Alternatively, the Knights are back at Castle Park the following week to face London Scottish. Secure your tickets here.

 

 

We are delighted to announce the continued support of sponsorship from MF Hire.

MF Hire are a leading independent tool hire and sales provider, with bases in Sheffield, Leeds and Leicester. They provide to a plethora of industries, trade customers and DIY enthusiasts, with a wide range of tools and equipment such as power tools, gardening and landscape, plumbing, building and lifting equipment. MF Hire have been a loyal sponsor to the club for years, and this season they agreed to be the front of shirt sponsor on our 150th anniversary kit.

Zak Poole, Hire Sales Representative at the Sheffield branch, and semi-professional rugby player for Rotherham Titans, headed the deal along with Group Operations Director, Rob Harmston. Zak came down to Castle Park and stated: “It’s brilliant to see a Yorkshire-based rugby union club doing so well. I’ve always loved the sport, and it seemed so important to get MF Hire involved in a club with such high aspirations, and especially so close to home.”

Head of Commercial at Doncaster Knights, Tom Foy, expressed his delight in the ongoing partnership with MF Hire: “I’m very pleased that Doncaster Knights and MF Hire have committed to another year of sponsorship together. As a company who are such avid fans of the support, and who provide such a useful yet innovative service, this partnership is one we value highly and believe can benefit MF Hire, the club and the community.”

MF Hire and Doncaster Knights are very excited for the upcoming season, which will mark another year of a solid foundation of business between the two parties. To learn more about what MF Hire have to offer, you can read more on their website for all your tool hire needs.

To learn more about the sponsorship opportunities at Doncaster Knights, contact Tracey Owen via email: [email protected]; or via telephone 01302 831388.

Doncaster Knights fall short to a determined Nottingham side at Castle Park. 

Nottingham Rugby opened the scores early on as a Doncaster penalty allowed them to kick for the line out. They executed the line out well, with their hooker going over the line from the rolling maul.

Despite missing the conversion for the first try, the visitors extended their lead shortly after by kicking three points off the tee, the penalty was given because Doncaster were offside. 

After Nottingham’s first score, Doncaster manage to keep the majority of the possession for the remainder of the first half, but errors mean they came away with very few points. 

There were a handful of positive moments, including a turnover in the line out. This then led to the ball being fed down the line to Zach Kerr who put in a brilliant grubber kick to keep Doncaster in the attacking 22. They spent a while close to the try line but handling errors meant they came away without a score.

Morgan Bunting placed a good cross field kick which was dropped into touch by Nottingham’s 15, Ryan Olowofela. Allowing them another chance to attack from the line out. The line out was unsuccessful but the visitors knock the ball on meaning Doncaster were back in possession.

The Knights continue to push in attack and Morgan Strong finally cracks the defence. The Number eight picked the ball from the back of the scrum and showed brilliant strength to carry the ball over the line. Alex Dolly comfortably slotted the conversion. 

Doncaster come close to scoring a second try just before the half time whistle as the ball was shipped to Jordan Olowofela who gained a lot of ground. However, another handling error meant it was lost forward at the line. 

Half time score 7-8. 

It was a more positive start to the second half from the home team as the half backs linked up nicely to set Olowofela up for a try under the posts. The forwards made a series of carries which drew the defence in and opened up the space for the backs, Dolly then shipped the ball to Bunting who perfectly timed his pass to Olowofela. Dolly added the extras again. 

Doncaster continued to dominate the next few phases, until Nottingham’s winger Harry Graham intercepted the ball and ran the whole length of the pitch. Maliq Holden softened the blow with a brilliant chase down on the conversion, keeping Doncaster in front at the time. 

However, following the intercept, Doncaster Knights struggled to get their momentum back and Nottingham scored two more tries and a penalty. 

The first of the tries was scored by their second row, Tom Manz, who found a gap in the Doncaster defence after Nottingham spent a while making carries. The second was scored out on the wing when Nottingham moved the ball quickly to create the overlap. Both the tries were converted meaning the final score was 14 – 30 to Nottingham. 

Maliq Holden was awarded our man of the match, showing dedication and fight in defence, as well as making some great carries. 

Doncaster Knights now focus on their first away game of the season next week, against Ealing Trailfinders. 

 

 

From 12pm tomorrow you can come and purchase your brand new Knights kit!

If you have already pre-ordered your shirts from our online shop you can either collect them from our store tomorrow or they will be shipped to your delivery addresses from Tuesday. 

Here is all the important information for tomorrow’s game at Castle Park. 

Joe Ford and Sir Ian McGeechan have made a few tactical changes to their starting line up since last week’s win against Ampthill.

In the pack, the only changes are to the front row. Logovi’i Mulipola moves across to tight-head prop, making way for Conor Davidson at loose-head. This will be Davidson’s 50th cap for Doncaster Knights.

George Roberts remains to be the starting hooker. Joe Jones and Andrew Turner are on the props on the bench, while Fred Davies remains as the replacement hooker. 

The rest of the forwards pack stays the same. Thom Smith and captain, Ben Murphy at second row, with Archie Smeaton, Rhys Tait and Morgan Strong on the back row. 

Morgan Bunting comes in for Russ Bennett at fly-half. The remainder of the starting back line stays the same. Alex Dolly as scrum-half, Zach Kerr and Connor Edwards in the centre, with Maliq Holden, Semesa Rokoduguni and Jordan Olowofela at back three. 

Both Morgan Bunting and Jordan Olowofela have joined the Knights this season, from Nottingham and will therefore be going head-to-head with their previous club. 

There is a couple of other tactical changes to the bench – Bath loanee Arthur Green comes in for Jasper McGuire and second row, Cory Teague also gets a space on the bench. Ollie Fox remains the scrum-half replacement, but George Wacokecoke replaces Harry Davey on the bench.

Starting XV | 1. Conor Davidson , 2. George Roberts, 3. Logovi’i Mulipola 4. Ben Murphy (C), 5. Thom Smith, 6. Archie Smeaton, 7. Rhys Tait, 8. Morgan Strong, 9. Alex Dolly, 10. Morgan Bunting, 11. Maliq Holden, 12. Connor Edwards, 13. Zach Kerr, 14. Semesa Rokoduguni, 15. Jordan Olowofela

Replacements | 16. Fred Davies, 17. Andrew Turner, 18. Joe Jones, 19. Taniela Ramasibana, 20. Arthur Green, 21. Cory Teague, 22. Ollie Fox, 23. George Wacokecoke 

Tickets for the fixture are still available here!

We are delighted to add a new sponsor onto our roster this season with ORB Recruitment.

With their head office based in Doncaster, ORB are a leading recruitment company, who pride themselves on creating personal and purpose-built solutions, unique for each client. In doing this they have become a leading agency within their chosen markets, such as manufacturing/production, healthcare, construction, and engineering. ORB have committed to a multi-faceted deal this season, taking the back of shorts sponsorship, and a 150th anniversary package, which includes the player sponsorship of prop, Joe Jones.

ORB Recruitment CEO, Stewart Olsen couldn’t make it to Castle Park for the photo shoot, however their Business Development Manager, Michael Kilby-Scott, a Knights fan, did the honours. Olsen shared his joy in the agreement, however, saying: “Since I started ORB Recruitment in 2018, our support for our business community as Chamber Sponsor and our local teams have been at the forefront of our ethos. When the opportunity arose to become a kit partner for the Knights, it was a very easy decision to make when I met with Tom and Tracey. Like ORB Recruitment, we feel that there is one way they are heading, and Doncaster Knights’ drive and commitment for Premiership promotion will make this season extremely exciting for the players and the fans”.

Tracey Owen, Sales Executive at Doncaster Knights, stated her delight in the partnership saying “it has been a pleasure working with Stewart and Michael and the rest of the team at ORB. As a club, we value the support of local businesses for sponsorship and are delighted to welcome ORB as sponsors and for hospitality throughout the season”

Both parties are very much looking forward to the season ahead, both in a business and sporting sense. Whether you are looking for a change from your current recruitment supplier, looking to add another option to your talent acquisition function, or completely outsource recruitment as a whole, ORB are there to help. To learn more about what ORB Recruitment has to offer, see more on their website.

To learn more about the sponsorship opportunities at Doncaster Knights, contact Tracey Owen via email: [email protected]; or via telephone 01302 831388.

Full back Jordan Olowofela previews the Nottingham fixture this weekend and explains his feelings about facing his brother. 

Olowofela was a star man during last weeks performance as his scored a hat-trick on his Doncaster Knights Championship debut. 

He said: “it was good. We had a long preseason. I think it was 10 weeks of training hard. It was good to get out for the first home game and win like that.” 

The 26-year-old is one of the new additions to the squad this season. He explains how he is finding the team: “it’s a really tight group of lads. Everybody makes you feel welcome. Good coaches and staff too. It’s really good.”

Nottingham are the team that Olowofela was part of before joining Doncaster Knights.

“It’ll be strange to play against them, but it’ll also be good, obviously it’s a new team now, it will be good to go against some old and new faces.”

As well as facing his old team, he will also be facing his twin brother, Ryan Olowofela.

“I have played against him before, a long time ago, maybe five years ago, but it’ll be good to play against him.” 

“It’s a tricky one for the family and friends not knowing who to support. We’re both competitive, but not in a hindrance way. Growing up we’d all support each other.” 

Finally, Olowofela reflects the mood in the squad heading into the weekend, “we are buzzing to go again, especially at home. Training’s been very good as well.” 

If you want to catch Jordan and the rest of the team in action, you can secure your tickets here.

Bury St Edmunds defeated Oxford Harlequins 61-33 in their first home game of the season. Doncaster Knight’s loanees Will Metcalfe (wing/scrum half), James Harrison (second row) and Calvin Mitchell (prop) featured in the starting line up for the winning side. 

Both Metcalfe and Mitchell got their names on the score sheet – with Metcalfe earning man of the match. 

Bury opened the scores just two minutes in as their scrum half Elliott McPhun scored. Shortly after, Mitchell scored after a series of powerful drives. 

Metcalfe scored two tries during his ‘man of the match performance’ – starting on the wing and moving to scrum half in the second half. 

You can read their full match report here

Photo credit: beanstalkmedia

Bury’s next fixture is away to Dorking this weekend.