Doncaster Knights 24 Coventry Rugby 21: Cov - a 'decent' side who didn't deserve to lose' and Coffeegate 'exposed'.
- 1874tsmith
- Nov 30
- 8 min read
...the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin' how, everybody's chokin' now
The clock's run out, time's up, over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, oh, there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad
But he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have it
He knows his whole back's to these ropes
Lose Yourself - Eminem
The report of the game in today's The Rugby Paper acknowledges that Cov are a 'decent rugby side who didn't deserve to lose'...
A generous remark, considering it's customary for reports to be written by a local reporter who typically favours the home team in such situations.
Overly generous, really.
While I'm certain many Cov supporters, whether watching the game at Castle Gate or at home on ClubberTV, might feel that Cov were unlucky to lose given they were leading until the final play, I actually believe that, in the end, we probably got what we deserved.
I'm a firm believer in the old adage that in sport you make your own luck or, put another way, you rely on your own skills and abilities to capitalise on opportunities that present themselves during the course of a game. If you're skills fail you, then often that's when the bad luck comes into play - anything else is an excuse.
The harder you practice, the luckier you get...
Had the result of the game hinged on just one incident, then yes, perhaps we could feel a little aggrieved that the result didn't go our way but this just wasn't the case. Over the course of the game, there was a litany of mistakes, mistakes that either cost us points on the board or handed Doncaster the momentum from which they then scored.
In the first half alone, we'd wasted three gilt-edged chances to cross the whitewash and had looked really vulnerable under the high ball, something Donny exploited to good effect. Going into half-time tied at 14 all, I was uncharacteristically quite confident given that we'd had the territorial advantage for much of the first 40 minutes and had squandered those three good scoring opportunities.
And whilst things improved a little in the second half, Cov were still far too profilgate at key moments and even going into the final 5 minutes with a four point lead, Cov hadn't put themselves far enough in front to ensure that a further lapse wouldn't prove as costly as it ultimately did.
On 76 minutes, Cov had an eminently kickable penalty to the left of the posts from 30-35 metres out. Tommy Mathews has been in tremendous form off the tee in all the games he's played so far this season and the three points would all but have ensured at least two points from the game.
The call from the coaches just to our left in the main stand was to take the points but the on field decision was to go to the corner, perhaps to keep the ball down in the Donny 22 and provide a good opportunity of the bonus point for a fourth try? In the end though, hindsight suggests it was the wrong call.
We knocked on and Donny took full advantage, showing a little of the enterprise and skills that had let us down at times over the previous 79 minutes to score a well worked try that gave them the win with the final play of the game.
If the supporters found it difficult to accept, then it was evidently even more challenging for the players. Unsurprisingly, the disappointment resulted in some pushing and shoving at the final whistle, with Jordon Poole visibly upset with the referee.
Guy Williams, the TRP reporter mentioned at the beginning of this post, described Cov as a 'decent side' which is clearly true. Facing yet another group of very large and powerful Donny forwards, Cov maintained the advantage for much of the game, with both set pieces performing well. This provided a solid foundation for the backs, who often made significant progress when the ball was spread wide. However, due to the conditions, there was inevitably a lot of kicking, and once again this season, it was an aspect of the game where we fell short with far too many fumbles.
There's no lack of effort on the part of the squad as far as I can see and I firmly believe that results will improve, but inevitably questions will be asked and answers expected, beginning with the game against Scottish this coming weekend.
I've read elsewhere that this season is about consolidation and regrouping after losing over 20 players at the end of last season. I completely agree that integrating so many new players was always going to require time and have said as much in previous posts. However, who’s to say another player exodus won’t happen again in May or June?
We might end up labeling every season as one of 'rebuilding'.
At some point, we must recognise that due to the transient nature of professional rugby players today, this will always be the case, and we can't continue using the same justifications for what have been some pretty lackluster performances this season so far.
Castle Park is one of the better grounds in the league in terms of facilities. It's modern and has a large main stand not unlike the one at Cov, other than the seating capacity which is a good deal less. It has the march on the BPA though in that both the bars and food areas provide quick service and the food and drink is, on the whole, a little less expensive than at most Champ grounds, certainly non-alcoholic drinks anyway.
Doncaster doesn't offer the range of food available at many other clubs, but the quality is always good and the Cow Pie is probably the best know 'scran' at any of the Champ grounds.
My rather strict dietary requirements these days prevent me from partaking in most rugby club fayre, so it was left to Josh's mum to review the Donny offering on Saturday for the blog's Unofficial Champ Food Watch 2025/26. Josh isn't a great pie lover, so it was only right that he handed over the reins to someone with an equally discerning and refined palate.
Having heard a great deal about Donny's Cow Pie, Holly felt obliged to opt for it, together with chips, mushy pieces and gravy - all for a very reasonably £8.50 (Josh chose the sausage roll).
She was very impressed by both the price and portion size. Although she managed to finish everything, it was clearly a challenge, and her refusal of a brownie afterward was evidence of that (if any were needed), especially since she is so fond of them as a dessert. Even though she thought the mushy peas looked somewhat anemic, they were surprisingly rich in flavour, and the pie was well filled and topped with a crusty pastry. A very large portion of chips lay a little heavy and left her struggling by the end, but Holly, always willing to tackle any worthy endeavour, was more than ready to sacrifice her own comfort for the sake of such important culinary research.
Her score of 8.0 reflected both the size of the meal and it's relative value compared to other sporting stadia she's attended and as a result places Doncaster at the top of the Unofficial Champ Food Watch league as it currently stands:
The Unofficial Champ Food Watch - 2025/26
Doncaster Knights 8.0
Chinnor 7.5
Worcester Warriors 7
Richmond 7
Coventry Rugby 6.5
If past performance is any indication, Caldy in two weeks could offer genuine competition to the top three clubs. Meanwhile, Cov might have the chance to enhance its current standing as we head indoors at the BPA next weekend to experience the widely advertised 'Pie and a Pint' option.
Now, let me reveal the details and 'uncover' the scandal known as the infamous 'Coffeegate incident of Castle Park' (yes, that's the name we've given it) which left us all embarrassed and buzzing like (de)caffeinated squirrels on the drive back from Donny last night.
Holly, our resident coffee connoisseur, can't resist a post-meal caffeine fix. So, when she spotted a coffee van stationed near the clubhouse, she made a beeline for it...
I've always been in awe of baristas and their flair for 'latte art.' We've all oohed and aahed over those intricate hearts and flowers floating atop our frothy brews. But yesterday at Castle Park, folks, the artistry reached a whole new, eyebrow-raising level...
It wasn't until she'd strutted away that Holly spotted the artistic masterpiece on her coffee—a perfectly crafted phallus! This wasn't just a random splash of milk or an accidental wrist wobble, if you catch my drift.
Nope, this was definitely intentional. Holly had a good laugh and appreciated the humour in the situation, but let's face it, it might not be the most suitable art choice when the two baristas in the van were both men around Holly's age, and she was flying solo.
It definitely got some laughs, and who knows, maybe it's a trend up there—create your own naughty image! If it takes off, it might open up a whole new category to critique next season along side the regular Food Watch reviews.
Ultimately, the outcome was disappointing, particularly since we controlled the opposition for extended periods. I was impressed with the pack throughout much of the game, and as it progressed, the scrum appeared increasingly strong. Our defence of the line was also commendable at times, and after Benz-Salomon received a yellow card following a series of penalties on our line, we did an excellent job of holding out and preventing Donny from scoring. We now have front rows capable of starting any game, and the switch around 50-55 minutes seems to be very effective.
Not to concede during those 10 minutes was a great effort from all 14 players but it was especially true of the forwards.
Even after the plethora of unforced errors in those first 70 minutes, we still led by four points going into the last 10 minutes. I'm sure there were plenty of tired bodies out there at that point, but the game management from thereon in was probably an area that the coaches would be a little concerned about. By and large, the discipline was really good - just 11 penalties (according to the TRP - and 8 from Donny) conceded in the whole 80 minutes was encouraging given the conditions - but we did look vulnerable when Donny box kicked, with several players spilling the ball in situations where normally they wouldn't.
Greasy ball, wet hands - yes, but even so...
Watching was frustrating, especially since Cov had worked so hard to get back into the game, making the last few minutes even more disappointing. Despite being 9th in the table, Cov's season hasn't felt like bottom-four rugby. It's often a 15-20 minute lapse that has cost us rather than the entire 80-minute performance. However, with only 3 wins from a fully professional team in this league, there is cause for concern. Cov will need to improve to prevent critics and doubters from becoming more vocal, as they are already starting to emerge.
With results impacting directly on attendances, crowds will continue to remain down, and down by a long way, if Cov fail to deliver on the pitch. And a big decline in gate receipts and match day revenues would be bad news for any club these days. I maintain that Cov will soon turn the corner, both the coaching staff and the squad are far better than our current league standing suggests, but in order for that upturn to happen, everyone needs to get behind them.
Starting with the visit of London Scottish on Saturday.
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad
But he won't give up that easy, no, he won't have it
He knows his whole back's to these ropes
No (they) won't have it...
Up the Cov!
I have to agree with the comment about game management. It's a game we lost, rather than a game Knights won. It was down to that very strange decision, Tommy had been kicking very well in the conditions, even if he had missed, ball back from the 22 drop out, stick it up your jumper, job done.
Tim , my MoM was Tom Bacon who, in my opinion, was outstanding in dealing with the high kick barrage and looks better and better the more times I have seen him play. Looks a quality signing.
Still, London Scottish and , hopefully, back on track. See you.
For sure, attendances have fallen across the board, Clubber TV a big impact, I'm not sure? It would be interesting to see how many people Country wide actually log into the TV service.
Fortunately for international Rugby the support is growing, however this does seem to have an impact on "league" Rugby where attendances are falling.
No simple answer, and with the proposals for a world " North south league" basically a secondary World cup competition is going to be a further demise of league Rugby.
Prem players playing international Rugby basically full time and not playing for their local teams.
The future looks bleak.
4pts ahead with 3 minutes to play. A kick able penalty given to Cov, we get it, we are a converted try ahead with maybe 90 seconds remaining, Donny kick off and the ball comes back to us, we see out the rest of the game to collect a win.
But no, game management was absolutely shocking and needs to be called out, the reason we lost the game was due to a terrible on field decision by deciding to go for touch and not the posts.
All the Cov supporters close to me were screaming, take the points, Donny fans were celebrating that we didn't.
And hey ho, they won the match with the last play of the game.