Doncaster Knights' hardest man ready to face hometown club

As with every story there are two sides to Doncaster Knights' club captain Matt Challinor.
Matt ChallinorMatt Challinor
Matt Challinor

Off-field, the modest 31-year-old second-rower is as affable as they come.

But when he pulls on a Doncaster shirt, he is a player you definitely want on your side when the going gets tough, as it surely will in Sunday’s Championship derby against Rotherham Titans at Castle Park.

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Not for nothing is Challinor frequently voted the hardest player in the squad by his team-mates.

That is reflected in the fact that he has only missed a handful of games in his time at Castle Park

Despite that Challinor has yet to feature in a winning side against his hometown club – something he hopes to finally put right in this weekend’s televised encounter.

Knights go into the eagerly-awaited fixture after losing for the first time in 13 games against Jersey.

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“It was disappointing to lose but it probably gave us a kick up the backside,” he told The Star ahead of facing his former club.

He added: “Rotherham are a better side than their position in the table would suggest.

“They’ve been unlucky with injuries this season and it we’d have had three of four players in key positions, which thankfully we haven’t had, it would also have had a negative effect on us.

“I know you can get loan players in but it takes time to gell and they’ll be a long stronger having four players back.

“Outside looking in you might say that confidence could be a problem having lost their last seven games, but they’ll have no problems getting up for a derby game.”