Doncaster Knights: '˜It's all about building momentum' - Colin Quigley

That is due in part to a challenging pre-season campaign in energy-sapping conditions.

“It was the first pre-season I had done for a couple of years due to injury problems,” said the 38-year-old fans' favourite.

“It was a pretty tough in those conditions but the club looked after us and everyone put a lot of effort into pre-season because we wanted to get off to a good start and the boys have looked fit in the two opening games.

“We probably deserved better than a losing bonus point in our first game away at Cornish Pirates but give them credit for winning the game as a result of taking their chances better than we did.

“It’s always a tough place to go and at least we didn’t come away empty handed.

“It’s all about building momentum at this stage of the season and it was good to pick up a win over Hartpury at the weekend.

“They are a very good side and they are well coached and they put us under a bit of pressure at times but the boys dug in in the second half and we turned the screw a bit in the scrums and came out on top.

“We’ve got several new combinations across the team – including at half-back – and we’ve all got to get used to playing with each other which will come over the coming weeks.”

Knights hit the road again this weekend when taking on Richmond at the Athletic Ground.

“It’s always a tough game down there,” said Quigley. “They are a good side on their day and have no fear at all.

“It’s an important game for us as we want to get on a roll but there are no easy games in the Championship.

“If you look at the fixtures on any given weekend you can’t always predict the outcome.”