Cambridge Rugby Club’s director of rugby Richie Williams left with mixed feelings after RFU Championship defeat at Doncaster Knights

While the scoreline read 29-19 in favour of Doncaster Knights, the performance showed the big strides that Cambridge have taken in the RFU Championship of late.

Cambridge had already faced the Knights twice this season – once in the Premiership Cup and also in the reverse league fixture. And from those two encounters they had shipped 99 points, while scoring just 25 of their own.

But on Saturday it was a much more competitive affair, one that saw only three points scored via a Doncaster penalty in the second half.

Two tries from Jamie Benson and one courtesy of Nahum Merigan had Cambridge level at 19 points apiece at a certain juncture, but the Knights took a seven-point advantage into the break – one they would extend to 10 after the restart.

“I feel a little bit flat,” Cambridge’s director of rugby Richie Williams told the Riche & Jacko Podcast. “To put ourselves in a really good position to win that game at half-time, and then to not score any points, is very disappointing. We were architects of own downfall today. On a couple of occasions we got into the 22 in the second half but individual errors have cost us.

“But the big message is how much we’ve closed that gap from the last time we played these guys. We can’t move too far away from that fact. On the surface we’re all very disappointed but if you compare this result to where we were a few months ago, the gap has most definitely closed.”

Cambridge next play on 24 February at home versus leaders Ealing Trailfinders.