Doncaster Rugby Club

Doncaster started at a fast pace and pinned Richmond inside their own half from the off forcing them to defend desperately as the Knight’s first drive from a lineout went over 20 metres. With 4 minutes gone Richmond were penalised in from of their own posts for not rolling away from the ball at a ruck and Rees kicked a simple penalty. If the Knights thought it was going to be one way traffic they were to be disappointed as Richmond challenged the home side particularly in the scrums and they brought the score level after 8 minutes when their full back Matt Hart kicked a penalty from 30 metres out after the Knights were offside at a ruck. A further shock was to come 6 minutes later when the Knights were penalised for not rolling away from the ball and Hart kicked his side into the lead. The Knights lifted their game and they drove at the Richmond line from a lineout. When this first effort was stopped the ball was moved to the left and a driving maul allowed Luke to go over for a try which the players had to point out to a bemused and out of position referee. Rees’s conversion put the Knights back in front but Richmond were not to be put off. After a couple of drives inside the Knights 22, Richmond centre Tom Gregory cut through a gap between Rees and centre Spencer Davey to link up with Hart who scored between the posts to give himself a simple conversion and his side a 13 points to 10 lead. For the last 15 minutes of the half Richmond defended stoutly against a series of Doncaster attacks the highlight of which was a scything break by Van Vuuren which fizzled out when the support could not get to him.

Turning around behind the Knights lifted their game a number of gears and they started to get on top over the next 10 minutes with another superb but eventually unproductive break by Van Vuuren being the highlight. However the Knights showed Richmond the respect they deserved by a taking a penalty opportunity after 13 minutes which Rees goaled to make the scores level. With 16 minutes gone, the Knights won a Richmond lineout on the visitors 22 and quick ball to the left gave Davey the space to make a break almost to the line before passing inside to fellow centre Young for his first try for the Knights which Rees converted. By now Richmond were tiring but although the Knights were now threatening to run rampant they were thwarted by some gutsy defence by the visitors. After 65 minutes Knights extended their lead when Richmond failed to control a ball as it shot out of the back of a scrum close to their line and an alert Storey picked to ball up and quickly linked with Rees whose pass gave winger Paul Bailey the opportunity to show his speed and strength to score wide out. Shortly afterwards Richmond lost their fiery Samoan replacement prop James Johnstone to the sin bin for his second warning in as many minutes and the visitors were now really up against it. From the next lineout the Knights drove Richmond back 20 metres before releasing the ball to the left where Bailey was lurking and he cut back inside and beat six defenders to score near the posts giving Rees an easy conversion. From the kick off Doncaster attacked and, with their two Tongan internationals Lisiate Fa’aoso and Toma Toke now on as replacements for Luke and Rawson respectively, they were rampant. A bullocking 15 metres run down the left touchline by Toke split the Richmond defence and his offload to the supporting Davey allowed the centre to dive over in the corner for a try which Rees converted with a superb kick for the final score of the game.

After the match Lynn Howells gave credit to the gutsy Richmond side who held their own for the first 50 minutes of the game before the Knights fitness told. He said that, although parts of his team’s performance had admittedly been scrappy, he was more than pleased that a number of players made been given match opportunities and to put their case forward for future selection. This had been the bigger picture that he had been aiming for and he said he was particularly pleased that the likes of Luke Gross and Ben Phillips had been able to come through unscathed and that he had been able to give the likes of List, Storey, Young and Rees a full game.

Doncaster Knights: W Davies; P Bailey; S Young; S Davey; D Van Vuuren; C. Rees; D Storey; R List; B Phillips (S Plevey 65); J Rawson (T Toke 55); B Griffiths; L Gross (G Kenworthy 47); O Cook; C Planchant; T Luke (L Fa’aoso 68) Subs not used A Carter; B Hunt and B Jones)

Richmond: M Hart; K Bingham; T Gregory (M Brown 65); A MacLennan; N Piggot (J Awuja 40); L Cousins; T Drewe; R Allmusen (T Nuttall 63); E Rosa (M Bolton 63); O Gregory (J Johnstone 50); T Wesley (P Wilson 50); H Head; J Bucknall; J Hartman (S Barlow 55); T George