Many Doncaster Knights fans will have left Castle Park on Saturday wondering just when the club’s next Championship win will come after their failure to beat fellow strugglers Jersey.
Knights have lost eight successive league games after going down 26-19 against a side which had lost their last eight league and cup games.
“It was a massive game for us and it was a potential ten-pointer which both teams were keen to win,” said club captain Matt Challoner.
“But obviously we can’t afford to play like we did in the first half and expect to win.
“We got off to a good start but then their driving lineout helped put them on top. Our discipline started to go and they kept penning us in our left-hand corner.
“Their scrum-half played the conditions really well and he kept driving us back 50 metres with his kicking and putting us in difficult situations and that is what we had wanted to do to them.
“It didn’t surprise us how they played because we knew that they were a forward-orientated side who had a good scrum and lineout.
“We were obviously disappointed to come in 23-9 because we felt that they’d scored two cheap tries.
“When you are staring down the barrel you can feel sorry for yourself or you can go back out and give it a good go and I felt it was all us in the second half. We had most of the ball and the position but we could only manage one try.
“I’m still confident we can stay up. The squad is strong enough and I just feel we need that win.”