Doncaster Knights to face Saracens and Ealing in pre-season tournament
Doncaster Knights will tackle Championship heavyweights Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders in a pre-season tournament.
The Trailfinders Challenge Cup, a round-robin competition which will begin on Saturday, January 16 and last for six weeks, will bridge the gap to the start of a truncated conference-style Championship season on March 6.
Each team will play each other home and away, while the action will be streamed live for supporters.
Knights missed out on facing three-time European champions Saracens in the Championship after they were drawn in separate conferences.
Steve Boden, Knights’ director of rugby, said: “We are really excited to be playing rugby again and especially looking forward to the chance to test ourselves against such high-quality opposition.
“After just seven weeks of training, this competition will be a huge challenge for us, but one that will provide plenty of learning opportunities for our young group and showcase the quality and talent within the Greene King IPA Championship.”
Trailfinders Challenge Cup fixtures:
Saturday, 16th January – Ealing Trailfinders v Saracens (3pm)
Saturday, 23rd January – Doncaster Knights v Saracens (3pm)
Saturday, 30th January – Doncaster Knights v Ealing Trailfinders (3pm)
Saturday, 6th February – Saracens v Ealing Trailfinders (1pm)
Saturday, 13th February – Saracens v Doncaster Knights (4.15pm)
Saturday, 20th February – Ealing Trailfinders v Doncaster Knights (3pm)