Knights Continue Cup Form with Bonus Point Win Over Scottish in the Capital

Doncaster Knights secured a bonus point win against London Scottish in Round 2 of the Championship Cup last night at the Richmond Athletic Ground.

The Knights first strike came just 3 minutes into the encounter. Tom Parkin – the Academy player starting having only made his professional debut last week – put the ball into the corner from an advantage and the Knights had the prime opportunity of a lineout on Scottish’s 5m line.

With a clean set piece, George Roberts – eventual man of the match – had the ball at the back as the Knights looked to maul. Rumbling onwards, teammates filed in and as they neared the whitewash, it was scrum half Will Yarnell who made the last snipe of the ball for the score. Parkin then kicked the conversion for the full points.

What followed was a period of back and forth in possession between the sides. The Knights utilised a dominance at the set piece but Scottish looked to work the aerial battle to gain territory.

The Knights made good on the aforementioned set piece form with another try grounded by a lineout just after 20 minutes played. Roberts connected with former Scottish man Ehize Ehizode at the lineout and the Knights pack drove the maul. Uarnell took the ball from the back as he spotted an overlap on the short-side. He fed Parkin to run in the score in the corner, with the half-back then converting his own score.

Discipline hampered the Knights as Maliq Holden was shown a yellow card – sent to the sin bin for cynical play when he was deemed to have taken Scottish scrum-half Luca Petrozzi late as he chipped the ball away.

As 3 minutes was left on Holden’s time in the bin, the Knights were reduced to 13 men. As they defended a driving maul from a lineout in their 22, Evan Mintern was penalised and shown yellow for diving into the side of the maul.

Scottish made the best of the man advantage using an overlap on the wide channels to feed winger Noah Ferdinand to run in with clean air on the wing. Conor Slevin’s conversion was unsuccessful, however.

Having re-emerged from the changing rooms for the second half, it was once more the Knights who were back on the board first. Another maul try charted for the forwards as, with the added weight of the backs firing in combined with the already positive momentum to see the Donny men go over for the try with Roberts named as the man to have dotted down.

The last points of the match for the Knights came in much the same fashion as 55 minutes glowed on the clock. A driving maul and the try-line in sight was all the Knights pack needed and Roberts was once more the man to steady ship from the rear and crash over for the bonus-point try.

A noteworthy moment came on the hour mark for the Knights as another Academy player, Will Metcalfe, came onto the field to make his Knights professional debut as he replaced the day’s captain Jack Spittle.

The evening’s hosts looked to attempt a comeback with 10 minutes left on the clock. With pressure from a re-set scrum on the Knights 5m line, a side pod reared off the scrummage and tumbled over for the try with Austin Wallis the man to have touched the ball down. Slevin converted to score what would be the last points of the match.

A slightly hectic 10 minutes unfolded for the closing stages, but the Knights were able to stick to their guns as their defensive line held up and Scottish, in their want for more points, allowed errors to creep in and a knock-on would ultimately call time on the encounter.

The Knights attention now turns to hosting Bedford Blues in Round 3 at Castle Park next Saturday in what will be the last Cup game of this first block.

Match Statistics

London Scottish XV | 15 Luke Mehson; 14 Sam Smith, 13 James Whitehouse, 12 Theo Manihera, 11 Noah Ferdinand; 10 Conor Slevin, 9 Luca Petrozzi; 1 Sam Gratton, 2 Callum Scott, 3 Will Hobson, 4 Angus Southon, 5 Matt Wilkinson, 6 Bailey Ransom, 7 Jack Ingall, 8 Dan Cuthbert.

Replacements | 16 Harri Morris, 17 Maurice Nwakor, 18 Dan Gamble, 19 Ben Charnock, 20 Austin Wallis, 21 Ed Hoadley, 22 Harry Sheppard, 23 Cameron Scott.

Tries: Ferdinand, Wallis

Cons: Slevin

Knights XV | 15 Maliq Holden; 14 Chidera Obonna, 13 Jack Spittle, 12 Joe Bedlow, 11 Tyson Lewis; 10 Tom Parkin, 9 Will Yarnell; 1 Jake Pope, 2 George Roberts, 3 Mak Wilson, 4 Theo Vukasinovic, 5 Ehize Ehizode, 6 Evan Mintern, 7 Jared Cardew, 8 Sam Daly.

Replacements | 16 Will Holling, 17 Kai Owen, 18 Karl Garside, 19 Jake Armstrong, 20 Ben Murphy, 21 Joe Green, 22 Will Metcalfe, 23 Alex Dolly.

Tries: Yarnell, Parkin, Roberts 2

Cons: Parkin 2

Yellow card: Maliq Holden, Evan Mintern

Referee: Jonathan Cook

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