Doncaster Knights have no room for error against out of sorts Bedford Blues

Seventh-placed Bedford travel to Castle Park on the back of defeats to Ampthill, Richmond and Hartpury.

Knights remain second in the Championship table, one point behind leaders Ealing Trailfinders.

Ealing and third-placed Cornish Pirates, who are two points behind Doncaster, have both played two games fewer than the Knights.

Steve Boden’s men have won seven out of seven at home this season but were disappointed to miss out on a winning bonus point against Ampthill last weekend and will be looking to claim a maximum five-point haul against the Blues.

About the opposition

Bedford Rugby Club was formed in 1886 and has always retained its place as a focal point of the town and that of a traditional family club.

A total of 41 players have won full international caps whilst contracted to Bedford. Three have captained England: David Perry (1965), Budge Rogers (1966) and John Orwin (1989).

No fewer than 83 further internationals have made one or more appearances for Bedford.

Last time out

Knights were below par but still managed to beat Ampthill 19-13 at Castle Park.

Hartpury recorded their first ever win at Goldington Road as they ran out 34-10 winners, virtually ending Bedford’s hopes of a top four finish.

Blues’ director of rugby Mike Rayer said afterwards: “Firstly, I thought Hartpury were outstanding. We were poor in every aspect, and they were excellent in equal measure. They did a job on us today.

“We never managed to get a foothold on the game which is disappointing, and I take my share of the blame. We should be better than that on our home patch.

“We seem to have lost our mojo post the Jersey game [on Boxing Day] where we had a lot of emotional energy. We haven’t managed to bottle that to bring it in these more recent matches and we were back to square one today. It’s disappointing.”

Head-to-head

The last four meetings between these sides have all gone in favour of the home team.

Bedford won the reverse fixture 31-23 in October.

Dangermen

Blues’ wingers Dean Adamson and Pat Tapley are both joint fifth on the list of Championship try scorers.

Fly half William Maisey is the second highest points scorer in the Championship.

Verdict

Bedford boss Mike Rayer has introduced a free-flowing style of play which could make for a high-scoring game.

The windy conditions did not help Knights against Ampthill but they must be more clinical this weekend if they are to pick up the bonus point win which they really need to keep the pressure on Ealing and Cornish Pirates.

Fixtures

Nottingham v Jersey, Richmond v Cornish Pirates, Hartpury v Ealing Trailfinders.