Doncaster Knights impressively come back but narrowly miss out against Newcastle Falcons, 28-31.
10th November 2024
After a slow start meant the half time score was 28-0, Doncaster Knights came fighting back by scoring four tries and preventing the falcons from getting over the line again.
Doncaster spent the first 15 minutes with most of the possession but Newcastle were clinical in defence and Doncaster struggled to break through.
It wasn’t until the 17th minute that Newcastle scored their first try, they shipped the ball out of a maul to Alex Hearle, who made a break under the posts. They added the extras.
Ollie Fletcher scored the second of Newcastle’s tries shortly after as he dove over the line out the back of the driving maul.
A third try followed for the hosts as they found space out wide and dished the ball between them allowing Ethan Grayson to score in the corner. Both tries were converted.
Doncaster showed glimpses of what they are capable of. Josh Williams made a notable defensive effort as he tackled Alex Hearle into touch after Hearle caught a high ball.
Russell Bennett showed the strength of his boot on multiple occasions to gain territory for the Knights. And Morgan Strong made a handful of excellent carries, palming off Newcastle defenders while doing so.
However, Newcastle continued to defend exceptionally, and a few errors here and there meant the Knights couldn’t covert to points.
The Falcons claimed one more just before half time as Freddie Lockwood ran a hard line to crack the Knight’s defence. They added the extras again.
Half time score 28-0.
Doncaster started the second half with serious determination, winning a scrum penalty to give them the chance to work their way up the pitch.
Morgan Strong made a break to eat up meters before offloading to Euan McVie. McVie carried with pace and strength to find his way over the line. Bennett added the extras.
The Knights continued to make positive impact as Lewis Thiede turned the ball over at the breakdown.
Strong carried to create a gap into open play and ran the Knights back into the 22. They continued to work, with the forwards carrying at the line and Tom Currie finally managed to squeeze his way over the line. Claiming his second try in two games. Bennett successfully converted again.
Doncaster continued to attack but Newcastle beat the Knights to the breakdown and earned a penalty. They extended their lead by three points.
However, Donny continued to dominate possession and a fantastic hard line from Connor Edwards allowed him to fly through the Falcons and dive under the posts. Bennett slotted the conversion.
The Knights were determined to keep possession and began fighting for another after the restart.
A penalty allowed Bennett to kick us to the 5m line, and Doncaster shipped the ball out the maul to the back line. Veainu danced around Falcons defence before darting over the line.
Bennett made it 100% kicking accuracy with his final conversion of the game.
With just three points in it and the clock in the red, Doncaster worked their way to the try line. From minute 81 to 85, the Knights were carrying hard, but Newcastle’s defence was rock solid, and they eventually turned the ball over.
Full time score Falcons 31- 28 Knights.
