'Overall, the season has been a disappointment' - Doncaster Knights knocked out of Championship Cup by red-hot Ealing Trailfinders

On Coronation Day, Doncaster’s performance was less than majestic, but throughout they competed ferociously; indeed, too enthusiastically in the second half when they were reduced to 13 players only following yellow cards against props Conor Davidson and Jake Armstrong on 61 and 67 minutes.

The Knights created scoring opportunities late in the first half on Ealing’s line, but they couldn’t be taken, and then in the second, forwards Ehize Ehizode and Rhys Tait threatened as did hooker George Roberts who made an exciting break.

However, Doncaster struggled to contain the powerful Ealing pack, setting up tries on seven, 29, 33 and 71 minutes. Ealing led by 27-0 at the interval, but Doncaster’s strong defence let in only one more try in the second half as winger Jonah Holmes sprinted over for his second.

Once again, Ealing’s goal kicker, Luke Daniels, enjoyed an accurate game, with three conversions and two penalties. In a contest that saw Doncaster defending much more than attacking as Ealing controlled possession, without the impressive tackling of centres Connor Edwards and Joe Margetts combined with the strong defensive mauling by their forwards, the Knights would have lost by a bigger margin.

“We struggled up front in our set-piece and it was therefore hard to get a platform to attack,” explained co-captain, fly-half Sam Olver.

“Ealing’s Bobby De Wee (lock) was outstanding in a strong Ealing pack, but I’m pleased with the effort we showed.

“Overall, the season has been a disappointment. We’ve played well at times, then had a dip in form and you lose confidence. However, we’ve had serious injuries to crucial players and that hasn’t helped us.”

Meanwhile, Doncaster are recruiting more than 20 new players for next season with the emphasis on strengthening their forwards. The Knights report back for pre-season training on Monday, June 12.