HT 12-7 FT 12-12
Attendance 1,120
Star Player – Ruaridh Dawson (Cambridge)
The spoils, in the end, were shared at Grantchester Road as a late score from Doncaster Knights’ Zach Kerr robbed Cambridge of their first win of the season. That win looked odds-on for most of the second half after the hosts had deservedly gone in 12-7 up at the break and looked far better than the Champ table would suggest.
Head Coach Craig Newby was proud of his side’s efforts on a strength-sapping pitch, saying “Despite the losses, we know exactly who we are, exactly what we’re trying to do and we’re raising the bar every week in terms of expectations. We’re proud of that. The players executed what I wanted them to do, even if it didn’t go perfectly. We’ve got a heartbroken group. We know how close we came today. In terms of Doncaster, they’ve clearly had a difficult week off the field and disjointed preparation and I feel for them. They went to their strengths, especially in that second half, and ground out a result. They’re physically strong and we couldn’t break them down after half-time.”
The visitors bossed the early exchanges and went ahead through back row Adam Hopkinson off a winning line out 6 minutes in. Russell Bennett added the extras, and the home support probably feared the worst.
Cambridge, though, flew back into the game with a beautifully worked score, Levi Reweti taking a sleight-of-hand pass from Otu Mausia to dot down, after a move that began in their own 22. The conversion was despatched by the Tongan fly half in his best game for the club. Mausia and scrum half Ruaridh Dawson kept the game flowing and ticking over, and an eventual second score from Eli Caven out wide on the right was well deserved for the lead at the break. Had Dawson’s cheeky drop goal attempt not hit the post, their position would have been even stronger.
Doncaster fought back well in the second half, Cambridge rebuffed pretty much everything that was thrown at them and didn’t get the rub of the green on decisions or in attack. The visitors, who stuck to their guns, managed to work the ball back out wide for Kerr to finish in the corner after another winning line out with four minutes left. And Bennett missed a penalty which would have take the game with the final play.
Knight’s Head Coach Darren Fearn wasn’t sure either side deserved to win. “It was just a scrap. There was nothing in it. We could have won it. Cambridge could have won it. Neither team looked after the ball particularly well and we have to be better next week against Pirates at Castle Park”.
Newby’s side go to London Scottish in what could be a season-defining fixture after 14 games without a victory.
Cambridge
Currie 7, Qaniuci 7, Reweti 7, Rokodrava 7, Caven 7 (Robson 38 7), Mausia 8, Dawson 9; Ellwood 7, Doorey-Palmer 7 (Irvine 54 7), Walker 7 (Boal 57 7), Fulford 7 (Lawrence 48 7), McCay 7, Adams (C) 8, Eckersley 8, Timpson 8 (Thomas 70)
Not used – Masoe, Thompson, Sorrell
Doncaster Knights
Veainu 6, R Olowofela 6 (Cross 57 6), Margetts 6, Edwards 6 (Bunting 66), Kerr 7, Bennett 7, Dolly 7; Davidson 7 (Rewcastle 57 6), Davies 7 (Chapman 66), J Jones 7 (Mulipola 51 6), M Jones 7, Ehizode 7, Hopkinson (C) 7, Bainbridge7, McGuire 7
Not used – Tait, Viliamu, Nordli-Kelemeti
Scorers
Cambridge
Tries – Reweti 11, Caven 28
Conversion – Mausia 29
Doncaster Knights
Tries – Hopkinson 6, Kerr 76
Conversion – Bennett 7
Scrums Won 6/4
Scrums Lost 0/0
Line Outs Won 12/10
Line Outs Lost 5/1
Penalties Against 7/12