London Welsh 29 Doncaster Knights 24: Knights' charge just fails to pay dividends

They turned around 29-3 behind and seemingly out for the count but fought back with three unanswered tries.

Welsh scored after only four minutes when former Rotherham star Errie Classens attacked them wide out before passing to winger Dom Shabbo, who beat the remaining cover to score in the corner.

Then a Knights move broke down in midfield and the loose ball was snapped up by Shabbo, who raced 50 metres unopposed to score. This try was converted by fly-half Gordon Ross, who soon kicked a penalty.

Knights fly-half Tristan Roberts kicked a penalty and they started to tighten their defence only to be caught out when former Doncaster centre Hudson Tonga'uiha burst from a maul close to touch on halfway before linking up with scrum-half Ben Stephenson who chipped over full-back Steve McColl to win the race for the touchdown in the corner for a try that was converted by Ross.

After 36 minutes, Knights scrum-half Chris Hallam was sin binned and, from the resultant lineout from the penalty, hooker Marc Breeze was driven over for a try that was converted by Ross.

Doncaster reduced the deficit after three minutes into the second half with McColl scoring in the corner and Roberts converting.

After 20 minutes, Shabbo was yellow-carded and the Knights scored a try in the corner through winger Dougie Flackhart and Roberts's conversion meant it was game on.

The Knights pack piled on the pressure through a series of scrums and drives and centre PJ Gidlow crashed over near touch in stoppage time for the game's final try which Roberts converted.

London Welsh: Claassens, Shabbo, Tonga'uiha, Whatling (Gibson 60), Drauniniu, Ross (Thomas 58), Stevenson (Runciman 46), Holford (Ward 31), Breeze (Ma'asi 47), Pittman. Purdy (Powell 61), Corker, Williams, Russell (Taione 51), Beech.

Doncaster Knights: McColl, Flockhart, Briers (Goss 75), Gidlow, Williams, Roberts, Hallam, Frazier (Corsar 56), Boden, Cusack (Thiede 75), Kenworthy (Parsons 65), Challinor, Boyde (Farivarz 75), Jackson, Cochrane. Unused: Jerecevich.