Doncaster Knights: Kyle Evans relishing tough test at Cornish Pirates

Pirates lost second spot after suffering a surprise defeat at Coventry at the weekend.

That could make Knights’ task of avenging an early-season defeat at Castle Park even harder.

“It’s going to be tough travelling all the way down there,” said wing Kyle Evans, who has previously played at the Mennaye Field ground when with Moseley earlier in his career.

“But hopefully we can come away with a result which would be a great way to start the second half of the season

“But to be in with a chance of doing that we’ll have to cut out the penalties that we’ve been giving away in recent games.

“We also need to try and play with a bit more width than we did against London Scottish on Saturday.

“Neither wing got much chance to run with the ball during what was at times a stop-start game.”

Prior to joining Knights during the summer, Evans had been playing part-time whilst doing a three-year plumbing course.

“During that time I often wondered had I done the right thing as I wanted to play at a higher level and when the chance to come up to Doncaster and go full-time came up I took it,” he said.

The pacey Evans can feel pleased with his efforts so far in a position where Knights are particularly well-served when everyone is fit.

“There is a lot of competition for places but we all get on and help each other,” he said.

Evans has shown good dribbling skills on occasions when latching on to a loose ball which is no surprise given the fact that he was a useful footballer in his younger days.

Like all wings, Evans like to score tries and was pleased to claim his first touchdown in the recent defeat at Ampthill and hopes for more in the second half of the season.

He says he enjoys the physical part of the game and more than one opponent this season has been halted in their tracks by his determined defence.

Meanwhile, director of rugby Clive Griffiths has dished out praise to his players after their win over London Scottish.

“I thought hooker Ben Hunter was outstanding and Bomber Hislop did well and the back-row never stopped working,” he said. “Jack Roberts looked to be getting back to himself and second-rower Matt Smith was outstanding on his first game back.”