Despite a much improved second half performance, Ampthill suffered defeat in their opening match of the 2024/25 RFU Championship season, losing to Doncaster Knights at Castle Park.
The hosts scored the opening try of the match after less than one minute, with Doncaster full-back Jordan Olowofela running straight through a gap in the Ampthill defence before crossing the whitewash with ease.
The Knights fast start continued just 8 minutes later, with a dominant rolling maul finished off by hooker George Roberts. Following a first successful conversion of the day by fly-half Russ Bennett, Doncaster held a 12-0 lead after 10 minutes.
The game became error-strewn for most of the first half, but importantly Ampthill scored their first try to reduce the deficit to 5 points in the 27th minute. Having built the attack from just inside their own half, the ball eventually found its way to the left touchline through quick hands and left winger Benji Joseland with the simple task of diving over the tryline.
Despite The Mob fighting their way back into the game, Doncaster scored two quickfire tries at the end of the first half to create a big margin between the two sides. Whilst playing with a penalty advantage, Flanker Rhys Tait managed to force his way under the Ampthill defence in the 36th minute. With the last play of the first half, following a smart interchange of passes on the left hand side, Russ Bennett had plenty of open space to run into, and after evading a last-ditch attempt to stop him on his way to the try line, he dotted underneath the posts. With both conversions successful from Bennett, the Knights held a 26-7 lead at the break.
Following a cagey start to the second half, the hosts managed to extend their lead to 26 points in the 49th minute, after scoring their 5th try of the afternoon. A cross-field kick from Russ Bennett was brilliantly claimed by Olowofela, who had no one left his path before strolling across the try line.
Despite seemingly having an impossible task of pulling back the deficit, The Mob displayed great resilience to score two tries in the space of 3 minutes. Hooker James Isaac superbly grounded the ball in the 54th minute despite almost being held up by the Doncaster defence, and after a handling error by Olowofela on his own 22, Ampthill punished the error after spreading the ball to Vereimi Qorowale, who smartly finished the move in the left corner.
The hosts responded to the double setback in the 60th minute, with a sustained period of attacking pressure resulting in the ball being recycled to Jordan Olowofela, who completed his hat-trick with another simple finish. Following a missed conversion by replacement fly-half Morgan Bunting, Doncaster led 38-17 with 19 minutes remaining in the match.
Once again The Mob showed their character by securing the try bonus point in the 71st minute. After dominating the possession following Olowofela’s hat-trick try, captain Josh Barton delivered a perfectly weighted grubber kick in the path of vice-captain Fraser Strachan, who managed to ground the ball underneath the sticks.
Just as the game looked to be heading towards a low-key conclusion, Ampthill scored their 5th try of the afternoon in the 77th minute, which put them within losing bonus point territory. An outsanding 50:22 from Benji Joseland put The Mob in great field position, and after making a line break from the resulting lineout, Joseland offloaded to Barton, who had the time and space to stroll across the try line. After Barton converted his own try, the hosts led 38-31 with 2 minutes left in the match.
Doncaster controlled the remaining part of the game expertly, but a moment of incredible fortune denied Ampthill a losing bonus point in the last play of the match. The Knights attempted a penalty to extend their lead to 10 points, however Morgan Bunting sliced his kick well wide, but r in doing so remarkably it allowed winger Semesa Rokoduguni to chase, catch and dot the ball across the whitewash.
Speaking after the loss, Ampthill Head Coach Paul Turner said “I’m pleased with a lots of our effort, because we’re a new squad and we’ve only just come together over the last two weeks, but you can’t win rugby games if score one and then give one away, and score one give two away. I’ve told the boys I’m pleased with certain aspects but I’m livid about some of our other basic aspects, and if we get some of those things right then we’ll have a reasonable season”.
Ampthill Points Scorers
Tries: Joseland 27, Isaacs 54, Qorowale 56, Strachan 71, Barton 77
Conversions: Barton 29, 72, 78
Player of the Match: Kennedy Sylvester
