Doncaster Knights eye derby double

Doncaster Knights will be bidding to complete their first Championship double of the season tomorrow when they entertain Yorkshire Carnegie at Castle Park.
Clive GriffithsClive Griffiths
Clive Griffiths

Knights recorded a rare victory at Headingley in September but have not won in the league since.

Beaten play-off semi-finalists last year, the ninth-placed visitors have also suffered a disappointing campaign to date and look to have little chance of claiming a top-four spot.

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Knights’ director of rugby Clive Griffiths, who took in Carnegie’s first home league win of the season against Moseley last Sunday, says the early-season game will count for little tomorrow.

“Since that game they’ve had a change of coach and a change of direction,” he said.

“They’ve got a big pack, so we’ll have to deal with that, and they’ve also got some dangers out wide when they play an expansive game, so we can’t afford to under-estimate them.

“They had a real dig against Worcester at Headingley, which was another one of their games we’ve watched, and they ran Bristol very close (28-28) at Ashton Gate last month.

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“Maybe the fact that they’ve only had a six-day turnaround will help us because it’s a very important game - especially in view of what is happening down in Plymouth - and I’m hoping that the crowd really get behind us.”

He added: “I wouldn’t say that they’ll be much stronger than Munster A, who we beat in our last game (B&I Cup) at Castle Park, so with the wind in our sails you never know.

“We are still in there fighting and we didn’t look like a side which was second bottom at Worcester last weekend.”