Doncaster Knights 26 Ealing Trailfinders 46 - Knights on the right trail after return from lockdown

THERE was no crowd, no win and not even any of the famous Cow Pie on show.

However, there was a game of rugby union again for Doncaster Knights on Saturday and that truly felt like something to behold.

Having been put on pause for such an interminable period of time due to the various effects of Covid, there was relief all round just to see players doing what they are supposed to be doing once more at Castle Park.

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With that in mind, the result – a 46-26 loss against Ealing Trailfinders in the Trailfinders Challenge Cup – almost felt immaterial as the Knights resumed for the first time in 10 months.

Doncaster Knights' Tom Bacon sprints the length of the pitch to score an early try against Ealing Trailfinders. Pictures: Tony JohnsonDoncaster Knights' Tom Bacon sprints the length of the pitch to score an early try against Ealing Trailfinders. Pictures: Tony Johnson
Doncaster Knights' Tom Bacon sprints the length of the pitch to score an early try against Ealing Trailfinders. Pictures: Tony Johnson

Steve Boden took over as head coach last March when the previous Championship campaign was ended by the pandemic yet was overseeing a game for the first time at the weekend.

As one of the three clubs who can actually afford to take part in the hastily-arranged pre-season tournament he knows how fortunate they are.

Others are not so lucky.

Indeed, Ampthill announced on Saturday that they may not be able to take part in the Championship campaign, due to begin on March 6, having seen their application for a Government grant rejected by Sport England.

Doncaster Knights' Charley Foley.Doncaster Knights' Charley Foley.
Doncaster Knights' Charley Foley.
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It says the Government’s Sports Winter Survival Package (SWSP) Investment Board has offered no grants to Championship clubs, only loans and, for them to step up training and participate it will cost them more than £120,000 in Covid test fees alone over the next four months.

Doncaster’s benevolent owners continue to aid them and their generosity has allowed the Knights to take part in the Cup.

Even then their home game opener with Saracens – the third club in the tri-series – was cancelled the previous week because of a Covid outbreak at the relegated Premiership club.

Boden conceded: “It was just fantastic to wake this morning and have that buzz, a reason why you’ve been training all week.

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“It was great to see rugby back at Castle Park. Speaking on behalf of the players and the staff, we are just really thankful to everyone who has made the game happen.

“We’re really fortunate to have a board that really cares about the club and that showed today.”

Admittedly, Ealing, who defeated Saracens a fortnight earlier in the first game of this competition, built up a commanding 33-7 interval lead.

They had also played four games before Christmas and you could tell; they were well-drilled, battle-hardened and largely accurate.

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In contrast, perhaps unsurprisingly, Doncaster, who had a dozen debutants on show, were initially at sixes and sevens with each other before finding some fluidity in a much-improved second half. Boden said: “I thought we played some really good stuff with the ball in the second half.

“To be honest, at half-time, I said to them that I thought our intent physically was fantastic.

“We’d only done about seven minutes of full contact training before that game so the lads have just been slung completely into the deep end against a side that has now played six games and are a very good outfit.

“The biggest thing was discipline; we were giving really, really stupid penalties away and had a couple of rough calls against us.

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“We could have avoided those but the pleasing thing was that those penalties were given away through probably too much desire.

“If it had been the other way around we’d have something to talk about. But we’ve spoken about what it takes to be a true Doncaster player and how it’s not the moments when it’s easy, it’s the moments when it’s tough. We had a ridiculous amount of tough moments out there and everyone stood up. I couldn’t be more proud of them. They all deserve a couple of beers tonight.”

On-loan Wasps full-back Tom Bacon raced away to score from 80m in the third minute but, thereafter, the west London side took full control, capitalising as Knights too often erred, gaining tries from James Cordy Redden, Will Davis, Bobby de Wee, Guy Thompson and Craig Hampson.

Still, centre Charlie Foley’s wonderful break set up position for Kyle Evans’s try at the start of the second period and young hooker Will Holling got on the end of a maul to make it 33-21.

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The visitors responded via David Johnston but on-loan Sale Sharks winger Aaron Reed raced in just after the hour mark. Steven Shingler struck a penalty to make sure Ealing could not be caught and they rounded off victory with Dean Hammond’s try.

Doncaster Knights: Bacon; Evans, Foley (McBryde 72), Best, Reed; Olver (Strong 72), Mitchell; Cade (Roberts 56), Holling (Pieterse 72), Jones (Foster 53), Challinor, Smith, Britton, Graham, Volpi (Davies 72)

Ealing Trailfinders: Daniels; Redden, Johnston, Howard (Strachan 75), Hammond; Willis (Shingler 50), Hampson (Burns 65); Davis (Chilvers, 70), Walker (Malton 50), Millar Mills (Davis 15) de Wee, West (Nonkontwana 60), Murphy (Korczyk 50), Thompson, Smid.

Referee: Hamish Smales (RFU).

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