Raiders not going to be 'cotton wooling' anyone against Knights

Championship outfit Doncaster Knights finished last season fourth in the second tier of English rugby, making them the 16th best club in the country, and they are making their first visit to the island this weekend as part of a growing link with the Guernsey Rugby Club which began through local resident and Knights co-owner Steve Lloyd.

They will hold an open training session at Footes Lane this afternoon and there will also be coaching for the Vikings and Guernsey Ladies squads ahead of the main event, the pre-season match against Raiders on Saturday.

Although Raiders head coach Jordan Reynolds will be without several of his first-team squad such as Cameron Craine, Luke Jones, Matt Thomas, Sam Whitehead and Blair Campbell, he will be utilising up to 24 players including new signing Doug Horrocks and some upcoming colts.

'As we've seen in the past against the Cornish Pirates and Jersey, our guys love the challenge of these games and this will be our major hit-out before the season, so we are not going to be "cotton wooling" anyone,' Reynolds said.

'We have got four weeks after this until our first league game and we know how good Doncaster are, but it's still a great challenge for our guys to see where we are in our season preparations.'

Today's open training session, which is free for members of the public to watch, is from 4.15-5.30pm at Footes Lane. On Saturday, the Guernsey Rugby Academy will put on a curtain-raiser match at 1pm before Guernsey Raiders take on Doncaster Knights at 3pm. Entry is free for Guernsey Raiders members and under-16s, while non-members can pay £7 for entry on the gate.

• More in Thursday’s Guernsey Press.