Preparations may change after Knights lose out at home again

Doncaster Knights have slipped back towards semi-professionalism in the past two seasons with full-time training schedules abandoned as part of a wider range of belt-tightening at the South Yorkshire club.

The first team currently trains two full days a week with a run out conducted on a Friday, but after a second home defeat on the bounce that left head coach Davey frustrated at the basic errors and lack of spark shown by his team in the second half, he is considering changing his side’s midweek programme.

“I’ll look at a few things we need to do off the field, we probably need a new pattern,” said the Welshman, who is facing the first signs of concern in his first season as head coach.

“We’ve got to tighten up on certain things, make sure everything runs better around the place, making sure the players have a no-excuse culture.

“If our timetable isn’t right then we’ll have a little change, freshen things up a bit. I’ll pose the question to the players, see what they come back with.

“Maybe we’re asking them for a little too much in the two days.They might be feeling a bit tired. It’s not a legitimate reason but we’ll just pose the question, is there something better we can do off the field that will help us on it?”

Davey has room in his budget to bring in new players but has promised that he will not succumb to a knee-jerk reaction.

Doncaster remain a top-eight side and have enough quality to outlast Plymouth, London Scottish, Moseley and Esher in the race for a promotion play-off spot.

They still have a host of gamebreakers in the side in the likes of David McIlwaine, Oli Goss and Michael Keating, but with Mike Whitehead and Stuart Corsar on the treatment table, they, like their South Yorkshire neighbours Rotherham, lack squad depth.

And after matching top-four candidates London Welsh for 50 minutes, they ran out of steam mentally when their high number of kicking errors and lineout issues – they lost seven – proved too much of a hindrance.

“I trust the players, they’re a good bunch, I know they’re better than this result,” said Davey.

“It’s a very frustrating to be honest. For whatever reason we didn’t do anything second half. When you create your own downfall that’s tough to take because you’re making silly errors.

“We struggled with our composure.

“If they’re mistakes that were happening three or four weeks ago and they’re still happening today, then that’s tough to take.

“Back to back defeats at home doesn’t sit well, especially after the start we’ve had because we’ve started fairly well.”

It was all promise in the first 10 minutes when Latu Makaafi burst through from 50 metres, only to be held up on the line.

Pressure from the scrum forced a penalty try that McIlwaine converted, and although the Ulsterman gave them a 10-6 lead at half-time thanks to an impressive 49-metre penalty, he was off target with his remaining three penalty attempts.

Tom Luke was also enduring a nightmare with his kicking from hand, which stressed the importance of the absence of Whitehead who watched the game from the stands with his leg injury ruling him out until December at the earliest.

Doncaster’s lineout was particularly vulnerable and the creaks were exposed by two Welsh tries in 10 minutes.

First Chris Hallam and Matt Challinor were at fault as Simon Whatling intercepted, kicked-on and scored, and then a flowing lineout move resulted in a burst from former Knight Hudson Tonga’uhia, who offloaded to Edd Trower who was able to outpace the defence.

Doncaster staged a sit-in on the visiting line in stoppage time, but even with the Welsh pack reduced to six after two yellow cards, they could not salvage a bonus point.

“They lived off our mistakes,” said lock Challinor.

“The attitude and effort was there, just not the performance.

“I know it’s a cliche but we should make Castle Park a fortress, we should fancy our chances against any team. To lose back to back home games is soul destroying.

“But the little things are coming together and we’re still quietly confident, even after this.”

Doncaster Knights: McIlwaine, Flockhart, Goss, Gidlow, Keating (Bateman 62), Thomas, Hallam; T Davies (An Brown 70), Boden (Yeandle 60), Al Brown, Challinor, Kenworthy (Parsons 68), Makaafi, Farivarz (Boyde 70), Planchant (Noone 60). Unused replacement: Audis.

London Welsh: Thrower, Ajuwa, Tonga’uhia, Whatling (Jewell 78), Lewis, A Davies (Ross 55), Lewis (Stevenson 74); Pittman, Nelson (Ma’asi 50), Moss (Tideswell 66), Ad Brown, Purdy, Beech, Denbee, Jackson. Unused replacements: Corker, Russell.

Referee: R Campbell (RFU).