February 20, 2026
Two weeks ago, Hartpury University did a thoroughly professional job to leave Kingsey Road with a 39-21 victory. However, last weekend Chinnor recovered to grab a 30-29 win at lowly Ampthill, securing victory with a 78th minute try from Keiran Goss, and then had to watch a long-distance Ampthill penalty sail wide of the posts before they could celebrate their 5 point win.
That victory kept Chinnor in 6th place in the Champ table, whilst tonight’s visitors were in 10th place. Doncaster Knights were playing Friday Night Lights !
Previous Meetings
The first ever meeting between Chinnor and Doncaster was extremely eventful, as the game last December was played in the middle of Storm Darragh, and was certainly the worst I had ever seen any sporting event played in. Full credit was due to both sides for fully committed performances in atrocious conditions, but with Chinnor leading 18-13 with 12 minutes remaining, the floodlights failed due to a local power cut. After an hour of confusion, the match was abandoned, and following a review by the RFU, the score stood as over 60 minutes had been played.
Doncaster got their revenge with a convincing 38-14 victory in the spring, which was part of a run of 10 wins to finish the season that saw the Knights climb up to third place.
In the first meeting this season between the two sides, Chinnor achieved their first ever win at a full-time professional side with a 23-21 victory in rain sodden conditions. A penalty 20 minutes from time gave Chinnor the lead, which they were successfully able to defend.
Doncaster This Season
With Doncaster being the only side in the Champ to meet the promotion criteria ( ignoring Worcester who didn’t meet the deadline to apply for promotion as they said they wanted at least another season to consolidate after their re-formation ), most supporters in the Champ were hoping that they would make a spirited attempt to overcome the Premiership ring-fencing.
However, results so far this season had been poor, and three weeks ago it was announced that for next season the Knights would be moving to a hybrid model, with the existing professionals remaining full-time, but new signings would become part-time. That said, it wasn’t too clear exactly how this model would work !
Doncaster had started the season reasonably well, and despite an opening day 8-26 loss at Nottingham and a 15-15 draw at Cornish Pirates, they impressively beat Worcester Warriors 34-31 in week 4.
Three consecutive losses followed before beating Coventry 24-21 at home, and a creditable 33-33 draw at Hartpury, but a surprising home loss to Ampthill followed. Although a comfortable 31-7 victory was clocked up at Richmond, Knights then lost at struggling London Scottish, at home to Caldy and then become the only side to fail to beat Cambridge after a 12-12 draw.
Doncaster’s poor results had been attributed to up to 15 of their squad missing through injuries but as some started to return, convincing wins home over Cornish Pirates ( 44-12 ) and second placed Bedford Blues ( 50-12 ) were recorded, in-between a narrow 20-25 loss at Worcester Warriors.
Doncaster’s average home attendance so far this season was 1,590, with 2,087 seeing the victory over Worcester. Last season their average was 1,367.
Doncaster Squad
Twelve of the Knights squad that beat Bedford last weekend appeared in last season’s Storm Darragh affected match, with another four on the current injury list. Number 8 Morgan Strong was now playing for Coventry whilst winger Malakai Wacokecoke was currently turning out for Cornish side Camborne in level 4.
Newcomers for Doncaster this season included winger Ryan Olowofela from Nottingham to join his brother Jordan, Samoan Under 20 international lock East Timor Viliamu ( probably the only player in the Champ named after an Asian island ! ) and ex-Scarlets lock Morgan Jones. Centre Joe Margetts returned to the club after a season playing in France and ex-Chinnor lock Ehize Ehizode joined from Ealing Trailfinders.
Fly-half Russell Bennett was the leading points scorer on 114 points, whilst wing Zach Kerr topped the try scoring list on 9, followed by Margetts on 6.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Doncaster to Thame is just under 160 miles and normally takes about three hours.
Adult tickets purchased online were £16 and £20 at the gate and an online programme had been prepared in advance of today’s game.
The usual food vendors were in attendance today and with the members’ discount a pint of Brooklyn IPA was £5.36 and a pint of XT4 was £5.18.
There had been a lot of rain over the past week, and throughout most of the afternoon, but the rain had ceased well before the 19.45 kick-off time and the forecast was to remain dry for the game. The temperature was 9 degrees, but the infamous Chinnor breeze was mostly absent.
Similar to the game against Hartpury two weeks ago, a few patches of sand had been applied to the pitch, which looked heavy, especially towards the ring-road end, and would cut up as the game progressed.
Doncaster announced just one change to their starting XV that thrashed Bedford Blues with Canadian Cole Keith ( 40 caps ) replacing Joe Jones at tight-head prop. Jones had this week signed a deal with Harlequins for the rest of the season.
Chinnor made four changes to their side that won last week at Ampthill. Centre Morgan Passman swopped with James Bourton for his first start of the season, hooker Chris Moore exchanged places with Alun Walker, and on-loan Ealing Trailfinder New Zealander Harry Taylor also made his first start for Chinnor in the back-row with Will Cave dropping to the bench. There was also a welcome return from injury for fly-half Nathan Chamberlain with Joe Brock missing out from the matchday squad.
Doncaster were in a change kit of mostly blue shirts with pink sleeves and shoulders, and pink shorts, with large numbers on their backs which were easy to see, well at least untidy they got muddy ! Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops with black shorts and socks.
Match Report
Chinnor kicked off towards the ring-road end and a fumble at the opening ruck by Doncaster scrum-half Alex Dolley gave Chinnor a scrum on the Doncaster 22. Chinnor attacked down the blindside from the scrum, and then spread the ball wide only for Goss to be tackled short of the line. However, a penalty advantage had been played, and Chinnor kicked the penalty to 5 metres. Lock Jamie Campbell won the line out for Chinnor but although the rolling maul was halted, scrum-half Luke Carter weaved his way between two defenders and over the line. Chamberlain failed to add the extras though so it was 5-0 with 3 minutes played.
Carter returned the restart with a high kick which Campbell tapped back, but Chinnor were offside, and Doncaster kicked the penalty to 15 metres from the Chinnor line. The line out was messy, with both sides judged to have knocked out with Chinnor being first, so the scrum went to the Knights.
Doncaster won a penalty at the scrum and kicked to 5 metres, but the referee deemed the line-out to be not straight. Doncaster won a consecutive penalty at the scrum as it collapsed. This time Doncaster opted to go for a tap. However, it wasn’t taken to the referee’s satisfaction, who awarded a scrum to Chinnor.
Chinnor’s scrum was under pressure but Izzy Wharton picked up from the base of the scrum and took play to Chinnor’s 22 and Carter was able to clear to touch. Doncaster’s line-out was thrown too long but they were able to retrieve the loose ball, and when they tried to go wide, Chinnor full-back Nick Smith attempted to intercept a long miss pass but was unable to hold on and knocked the ball forward into touch.
Strangely, the referee gave a line-out to Doncaster rather than a penalty for a knock-on, but after Doncaster won their line-out, centre Connor Edwards made a good break through the centre of the Chinnor defence, but when the visitors reworked possession, the kick ahead was too strong and went dead for a scrum to Chinnor 25 metres from their line.
This time the Chinnor scrum was steady and again they worked the ball down the blindside to get to their 10-metre line. Both sides engaged in a bout of kick tennis until Doncaster were ruled to have been offside.
Chinnor kick to 5 metres, Campbell won the line-out but the rolling maul was stopped, as were several drives for the line and eventually the Chinnor pack was held up over the line. However, another penalty advantage had been played, and Chinnor were back with a 5-metre line-out.
Conor Brockschmidt won the line-out this time for Chinnor but the Doncaster defence was good, forcing Chinnor to give the ball to their backs, and although the ball was dropped backwards, Chinnor recovered possession but their next attack was halted by the referee who deemed Chinnor to have been guilty of crossing.
Doncaster secured their ball from the scrum 10 metres from their line and kicked into the Chinnor half where wing Freddie Owsley made the catch and released Smith to run into the Doncaster half. Chinnor lost the ball and a Doncaster kick bounced into touch on the Chinnor 22.
The Chinnor throw went over the top and Doncaster gathered. The Knights had a penalty advantage but Bennett dropped a pass so it was back for the penalty, which Bennett kicked to 5 metres. The line-out was won and a smart off-load from hooker Ben Chapman released Olowofela to burst through near the corner and then run round under the posts. Bennett added the simple conversion, taking the score to 5-7 after 22 minutes.
Another bout of kick tennis ensued after the restart until Chamberlain kicked the ball into touch for a Doncaster line-out on the Chinnor 10 metre line. Doncaster won their line-out and Margetts made a break through the middle. The ball was worked to Tongan full-back Koleti Veainu ( 16 caps ) who ran down the touchline and an inside pass enabled Olowofela to run to the corner. Bennett’s attempted conversion slid wide of the far post, so the score was now 5-12 with 24 minutes on the clock.
The restart was dropped into touch by Doncaster to give Chinnor the line-out, which was won and spread wide to Goss, who ran into the Doncaster 22 but the pass inside was loose and Doncaster gathered to win a penalty at the subsequent ruck to take play up to half-way.
Doncaster won their line-out but their attempt to break through the centre of the Chinnor defence was stopped. Dolley launched the ball into orbit but a Doncaster player knocked on in the aerial challenge resulting in a scrum to a Chinnor on their 10-metre line. However, the Doncaster pack won another scrum penalty.
Chinnor’s attempt to steal the line-out resulted in a knock-on, and from the scrum another run from Veainu led to an overhead pass to Olowofela, who jinked his way through a crowd of defenders to score in the corner for a superb try and his hat-trick. Bennett’s attempted conversion again sailed wide of the far upright making the score 5-17 with 32 minutes played.
Doncaster knocked on at the restart but when Chinnor moved the ball from the scrum a knock-on gave Donny the scrum on their 22. The Knights kicked long from their scrum forcing Smith to kick to touch to give the visitors a line-out on the Chinnor 10 metre line. Doncaster attempted a short throw to the front of the line-out but the ball was dropped, but when Chinnor attacked they too dropped the ball, and Doncaster were able to send a kick bouncing into touch just inside the Chinnor 22.
After Campbell won the lineout Chinnor won a penalty at the subsequent ruck, but a Doncaster tap stole the line-out on half-way. After failing to make progress from moving the ball wide, a high ball was launched which the Knights won. Kerr made a strong run down the left-hand touchline and a smart inside pass was perfectly time for number 8 Jasper McGuire to burst through to score the Knights fourth try of the evening. Bennett added an excellent conversion, moving the score to 5-24 with 39 minutes played.
Doncaster won a penalty at the restart, and after a scruffy tap at the following line-out they opted to kick into touch to end the half. After Chinnor had dominated the opening 20 minutes but failed to turn territory into points, Doncaster had stormed back to score four tries, with their back three looking very impressive.
Doncaster started the second half, but Chinnor ran back to their 10-metre line and then kicked into the Doncaster 22, where Veianu picked up and ran to his 10 metre line until being flattened by a good tackle. Doncaster kicked high but were caught offside, but the Chinnor line-out 20 metres from the Knights line was judged to be not straight.
It looked like there was a clear knock-on by McGuire at the base of the Doncaster scrum, but the referee allowed play to continue, and the Knights kicked to half-way and somehow had the throw at the line-out. Doncaster won the line-out and moved the ball wide but Chinnor were mysteriously awarded a scrum near the half-way line, and sent a kick bouncing into touch inside the Doncaster 22. The Knights won their line out and kicked to Owsley on the halfway line, and Carter launched a box kick at the subsequent ruck but Chinnor were offside. Doncaster were back inside the Chinnor 22.
Chinnor won the Donny throw and Cave charged up to the half-way line but several Chinnor attacks failed to progress beyond half-way, forcing Carter to kick again where Veianu spilled the high ball. Chinnor gathered but then squandered the loose ball and a fly-hack sent the ball into the Chinnor half. A return kick then saw Olowofela go scorching down the touchline into the Chinnor 22. After he was stopped, Doncaster had many close range drives for the try-line which were thwarted. Eventually, they looked up and saw acres of space out wide, and a long pass enabled Veianu to have a clear run over the whitewash. Bennett’s conversion was good, taking the score to 5-31 with 51 minutes played.
Shortly after the restart, Smith dropped a high kick and when Doncaster spread the ball, Veianu sent a grubber kick ahead and was tackled off the ball by Passman, who unsurprisingly was shown a yellow card.
Doncaster kicked to inside the Chinnor 22, but good defence led to a penalty for Chinnor, which took them back to half-way. Chinnor won their line-out and Chamberlain made a good break then chipped ahead, forcing the covering Doncaster defender to take the ball into touch 10 metres from their line. Not for the first time in the evening, a catch by Campbell was ruled to be not straight.
Doncaster won a penalty at the ruck after the scrum, taking them back to the half-way line. Jones won their line-out and Dolly kicked high for Goss to make an excellent catch, and The Knights were pinged for offside.
Chinnor were back inside the Doncaster 22 and Scott Hall won the lineout and when Chinnor moved the ball, Owsley was tackled 10 metres short of the line, and Doncaster won turnover ball. For a few scary moments for the Knights the ball bounced across the tryline as the Knights attempted to attack from their own line, until replacement scrum-half Fox hoofed the ball into touch.
Hall won another line-out for Chinnor and Chinnor moved the ball wide, but unfortunately for them, after Ealing loanee Brodie Robinson had made a strong run, his pass to Owsley went behind the winger and into touch.
Campbell won the Doncaster throw but after some messy play, a pass was dropped with a penalty advantage. Chinnor kicked the penalty into the Doncaster 22, where the lineout was won, the rolling maul rumbled forward and another penalty advantage was awarded. When the play came to nothing, Doncaster centre Edwards was shown a yellow card for his team, being the last offender after a number of infringements.
Campbell again won the Chinnor 5 metre line-out but the rolling maul was stopped and Doncaster were awarded a penalty for reasons not too obvious. Doncaster won their line-out and the sides exchanged high kicks until Robinson made a break, and then Owsley and Bourton exchanged passes taking play into the Doncaster 22. Walker then made a semi-break and offloaded for Cave to charge under the posts. Chamberlain added the extras, taking the score to 12-31 with 70 minutes played.
Doncaster were again caught offside after dropping a high kick shortly after the restart but when Chinnor attacked inside the Knights 22, the visitors won turnover ball. A high clearing kick was dropped backwards by Goss and Doncaster gathered but when Fox kicked high, Doncaster were again pinged for offside, and some backchat took the penalty forward 10 metres, enabling Chinnor to kick within 15 metres.
The game now entered its comedy period. Doncaster lock Ehizode entered the field but it wasn’t obvious who had left the field, and Ehizode took a place amongst the backs rather than the line-out. Chinnor won their line-out and gave the ball to their backs, but a dropped pass went a couple of feet backwards. Amazingly, the referee deemed this to be a knock-on. With several spectators calling out 16 men, I initially assumed this was some comment on bias from the official, until it became apparent that the Knights did indeed have 16 players on the field. After a lengthy discussion between the referee and the 4th official, it was eventually determined that a penalty should be awarded to Chinnor. Ehizode left the field but did legitimately return a couple of minutes later.
Chinnor kicked to 5 metres, and after winning their line-out Carter headed for the line but was stopped, but Hall was on hand to gather the offload and barged over the line. Chamberlain knocked over the easy conversion so it was 19-31 with 78 minutes played.
Any hopes that Chinnor might grab a four try and get within losing point range were soon dashed when McGuire made yards down the touchline to get deep into the Chinnor 22, and after possession was reworked substitute Andrew Davies was able to dive over in the corner. Bennett’s conversion was low and wide, so the score was 19-36 with 79 minutes played.
Chinnor still had time to try and score another try to claim a bonus point but after Carter made a robust tackle on Veianu at the restart, the referee surprisingly determined that it was worthy of a yellow card.
Doncaster kicked the penalty off for a line-out and again tried to throw short to the front of the line-out and then looked to break into the Chinnor half, but again the fussy referee saw something amiss with the move much to the bemusement of Carter and the spectators close to the incident.
After not winning any decision at the scrums in the whole game, the referee then decided it was a free-kick in Chinnor’s favour at the scrum, and after Chinnor knocked on in the following move, the referee gave another free-kick to Chinnor at the Doncaster scrum put in.
Chinnor again attempted to spread play, but after Hall made yards into the Doncaster half his attempted offload to release Goss went directly into touch, at which point the referee blew to end the match.
Doncaster were very impressive this evening and totally deserved their 5 point victory, having had the edge in the scrums and their back three looked razor sharp. On this form they are likely to continue their resurgence and should comfortably secure a place in the promotion play-offs, should they indeed happen. Chinnor look like a side in need of a few weeks break……..
No comments:
Post a Comment