Doncaster Knights finally hit a turning point in their season - and how will they replace Harlequins' bound Joe Jones
Victory at Chinnor last Friday night might have reignited Doncaster Knights’ play-off ambitions but head coach Darren Fearn believes it represented something far more significant for his team.
Namely, that it silenced a few critics and has the makings of a turning point in their season.
While important in the standings - gaining five points to Chinnor’s zero to close to with seven points of opponents who hold the last play-off spot in sixth - it also proved a point.
“It was good to get the five points and for them to get nothing was big, but for me it was more the performance,” said Fearn, who has seen an upturn in form since the club announced it would be abandoning a full-time playing model next season in a perceived scaling back of their promotion ambitions.
“There was a narrative that Doncaster only turn up for certain games and going down there on a boggy pitch on a Friday night, where teams historically have struggled, was another opportunity to target Doncaster. So for me personally to see the team go out and deliver a performance like that was a big turning point.
“The victories against Cornish Pirates and Bedford are just as important, but with this one it was the nature of it. When you’re at Castle Park in front of a crowd that’s bouncing it’s important that we turn up, but we’ve probably done that more than we have going to a boggy pitch on a cold February night. They all matter but that was big for us at the weekend.
“It was far from perfect but we won more battles than we lost and that’s been more consistent over the last four weeks which is why we’ve seen a change in the performances.”
Just as encouraging was the fact they managed it without one of their main props, Joe Jones, who earlier in the week got a big move to Prem side Harlequins.
Canada international Cole Keith came in and impressed on his debut, buying Fearn and the coaching staff time to weigh up their next move.
“There are a couple of loan options,” he said. “Lewis Thiede is back and will be available soon. Cole Keith played 80 minutes at the weekend, it was a good debut from him, so we’ve got plenty of options.”