Jersey 41 Doncaster Knights 21: Early damage sees Knights sunk in Channel
Doncaster Knights failed to shine under the Stade Santander International lights until it was too late when slumping to 41-21 Championship defeat against fourth-placed Jersey Reds.
The game was effectively over as a contest inside the first quarter as Jersey, looking to bounce back from their first home league defeat for nearly a year, raced into a 19-0 lead.
Knights knew they had to score the next try if there was going to be any way back but the one-way traffic continued and fly-half Brett Herron, who also added the extras, claimed Jersey’s bonus-point try at the start of the second quarter.
Knights came more into the game but failed to find any real chinks in Jersey’s armour and fell further behind from a Herron penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Knights got the game underway on the restart hoping that the second 40 minutes would prove more than a damage-limitation exercise which proved to be the case as they out-scored their hosts 21-12
Fly-half Sam Olver celebrated signing a two-year deal when setting up a try, which he also converted, for wing Paul Jarvis with a kick to the corner on 48 minutes which was reward for a spirited start to the third quarter.
Knights rung the changes with new signing Charlie Beech coming on for his debut.
Utility-back Charlie Foley had only been on the field for less than two minutes when he touched down from a long lineout throw which bounced kindly for him.
Olver’s conversion made it 29-14.
Jersey hit back with two quickly-taken tries to dash Knights’ outside hopes of a losing bonus point though the Castle Park side did have the last word as No 8 Rory Pitman drove over in stoppage time.
Knights: McColl, Jarvis, Hayes, Clark, Wilson, Olver James; Hislop, Hunter, Quigley, Tyrell, Hicks, Stedman, Calladine, Pitman. Reps: Mayhew, Beech, Sproston, Challinor, Jones, Polataivao, Foley.