Doncaster keep heat on top two with big win at Richmond
HOWARD Packman’s first-half brace and five Richmond sin bins helped Doncaster Knights return to winning ways at the Athletic Ground after last week’s defeat to Saracens.
The Knights had secured the bonus point early into the second half as Guido Volpi and Will Holling crashed over, before Jack Davies and Jerry Sexton put gloss on the scoreline late on.
Richmond did have bright flashes as Max Trimble and Callum Watson found their way to the whitewash, but their ill-discipline stifled their momentum throughout the encounter.
Richmond director of rugby Steve Hill said: “Doncaster played to their strengths and we knew we needed to be disciplined. Unfortunately, we appeared
to get on the wrong side of the officials which hurt us and we’ll have to learn from that going forward.”
After a first quarter littered with mistakes from both sides, Doncaster showed their clinical edge as Packman went over on their very first attack after their rolling maul had come up just short.
Oliver Evans was then sent to the bin for a deliberate knock-on, and with the man advantage, the
Knights kicked to the corner again before Packman crossed for his second in an almost carbon copy of his first.
With half-time beckoning, Doncaster smelt one more try. Another purposeful rolling maul was pulled down by Jake Parker, earning him a place in the sin bin on his return from injury. On the second time of asking Doncaster made no mistake as Volpi crashed over for 19-0.
With the added man at the start of the second half, Doncaster soon scored the bonus point as academy graduate Holling crossed on the back of their main weapon, the rolling maul.
Richmond needed a quickfire double to get themselves back into the contest.
But sadly for the hosts this came in the form of yellow cards rather than tries.
First Jack Allcock was the victim of repeated Richmond penalties, before Dan Kelly was judged to have entered the maul illegally. Despite being down to 13 men, Richmond stood firm and their line was unbreeched on this occasion.
Although they were
down on numbers and down on the scoreboard, Richmond kept attacking and eventually Trimble sidestepped his way into the corner for a much deserved score.
Another yellow card for Richmond was handed to Jimmy Litchfield for repeated scrum penalties before Davies crashed over from close range after repeated Doncaster pressure.
Callum Watson, brother of England and Lions star Anthony Watson, who was making his first start of the season, was then the beneficiary of Doncaster failing to control the ball at their own scrum. When the ball spat out awkwardly, Watson was the first to pounce and once he had the ball tucked under his arm his genetics took over and he glided in from 60m.
With the clock in the red, Sexton eventually cantered over for Doncaster’s sixth ensuring that the Knights returned to Yorkshire with a comfortable win that keeps the pressure on the top two.