Steve Boden quits Doncaster Knights out of the blue

The 41-year-old, who joined the Castle Park outfit during the Covid summer of 2020 as their head coach, informed the club on Monday he would be standing down with immediate effect.

It is a bolt from the blue for a club that has been a beacon of stability in Yorkshire’s rugby union circles.

Under Boden’s stewardship they finished third, second and sixth in the Championship, and were fourth this season.

It is unclear at this time why Boden has stood down, but over the last 12 months the former Leeds Carnegie player has become increasingly vocal about his frustrations with the direction the game is heading, with the Rugby Football Union marginalising the clubs in the second-tier Championship and making it increasingly difficult for teams, like Doncaster, to try and win promotion to the Premiership.

A brief statement on the club’s website read: “Doncaster RFC and Steve Boden, director of rugby, have parted company with immediate effect, for Steve to pursue other opportunities.

"The Board of DRFC wish Steve the very best for the future.”