London Welsh 24 Doncaster 19: Knights regroup for showdown

Doncaster Knights suffered a rare defeat as their Championship regualr season campaign drew to a disappointing close.

Nevertheless, it should not detract from what has been a terrific season for Clive Griffiths’s side, who have finished runners-up in the second tier and take their improbable Premiership promotion bid into next week’s play-off semi-final with Yorkshire Carnegie.

Nic Reynolds and a penalty try gave London Welsh – who have under-achieved this season given they were relegated from the top flight last term – a 12-0 lead before David McIlwaine set up Paul Jarvis to pull a try back.

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However, Guy Armitage broke a series of tackles and raced home to give Welsh a 17-5 interval lead.

Doncaster pulled to within five points after the restart when McIlwaine this time fed Bevon Armitage who barged over; Dougie Flockhart on target with the conversion.

This gave the Knights added belief and despite being pinned back in their own territory they still fashioned an opportunity to take the lead; Ollie Bryant intercepting a pass and racing 80 metres to score a try that with Flockhart’s conversion gave Knights a two-point advantage.

However, the lead was short-lived as Reynolds fed Chris Elder to score the devisive try.

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Jarvis had a ‘try’ chalked off at the end that would have given Doncaster at least a share of the spoils instead of the solitary losing bonus point.

London Welsh: Elder, Lewis, Armitage, Jewell, Reynolds, Barkley, Davies, Trevett, Britton, Cooper, McNally, Corker, Skuse, Hodson, Thorpe. Replacements: Morris, Marfo, Aholelei, Woolford, Murphy, Glynn, Carlisle.

Doncaster Knights: McIlwaine, Flockhart, Bulumkau, Armitage, Jarvis, Bryant, Field, List, Veikoso, John, Hotson, Young, Makaafi, Owen, Stedman. Replacements: Stagg, Sproston, Armstrong, Phelan, Shaw, Cusack, White.