mens
championship-rugby
After two near misses, Blackheath FC celebrated their first Tier 2 win in the English league system in 27 years when they beat Doncaster Knights 33-26 at the Elior Champ at The Utilita, Well Hall on Sunday.
Blackheath, the oldest rugby union club in the world, dropped bonus points in their first two games in the Championship, after falling behind against Nottingham (31-38) and Caldy (24-28) in the opening two weekends.
The determined Doncaster players, now managed by the formerEngland No.8 Dean Richards, was always going to be a tough proposition with talents like Semesa Rokoduguni and Telusa Veainu in their ranks.
But Blackheath, led by their extraordinaire whore Sam Harding, showed the togetherness and spirit that saw them earn promotion from National League One to hold on for a famous victory, which was broadcast live on free-to-air channel Blaze TV.
The Knights took an early 12-0 lead but their indiscipline and tries from Luke Pollock and Archie Holland and seven points from Morley’s boot ensured the ‘Club’ were only two points behind (17-19) at the break.
Having lost captain Veainu to a yellow card in the first half, Doncaster had two more players sin-binned in the second period and Blackheath took advantage.
Monitoring Jordan Burns’ try converted shortly after the restart, Morley kicked three more penalties to keep the visitors within reach.
Veain’s late try gave Doncaster a chance to level the game but Blackheath’s defense stood firm and forced a turnover.
Interviewed after the match by Blaze chief commentator Sam Roberts, Blackheath head coach Tom Stradwick said: “I thought the bravery of the players was outstanding. You could see how tired they were on the pitch at the end. Huge, huge credit to them.”
“Every time the Jackals had an opportunity, they slowed the ball down, got right on them and closed down the space. I’m really proud of the boys’ performance.”
Before the win over Doncaster, Blackheath’s last win at this level was 27-26 against Fylde, on 1 May 1999, in what was then known as the Allied Dunbar Premiership 2.
By then, Blackheath’s relegation was sealed, but it is hoped that this latest victory will see the south-east London club, which dates back to 1858, cement their place in the Championship.
Getting the long-awaited win was also timely, with Blackheath playing last season’s top three finishers in their next block of fixtures – Coventry, Ealing and the defending champions Worcester Warriors.
“We’ve got a five-day turnaround before we go into the Coventry game on Friday night, so recovery will be really important, so we’ll make sure we get the bgame plan right for that,” added Stradwick.
