Post by Jamie Crawford on Dec 22, 2015 10:41:24 GMT
After three weeks away from Championship action the Knights resume the league campaign against Nottingham. Doncaster Knights are SECOND and Nottingham are fifth in the Championship with eight league points or two wins separating them. Nottingham however are equal third by one game in the away league table and they’ve played an extra away game than either Bristol or us as the top two. Both sides have won five try and three losing bonus points. The points-scored difference is an average of 5.3 points scored in the Knights’ favour. That difference is just over one try per game in points but Nottingham have scored the fourth highest number of tries in the Championship with 36, the Knights have scored four fewer with 32. It is evidently courtesy of having the top points-scorer in the Championship, Dougie Flockhart’s boot.
On the flip side, Nottingham have conceded five more tries than the Knights, so a net advantage of just one try for the Knights over eleven games played. The issue for the Knights is that Nottingham’s try-scoring has been roughly a 60:40% split away:home, normally more tries are scored at home. In fact Nottingham are the only team to have scored more tries away than at home in the Championship so far this season. Better news is that tries conceded are roughly 65:35% split away:home, so more tries are scored and conceded away from home. Perhaps Nottingham play a more expansive game away from home and keep the ball tighter with the Forwards at home?
Of the tries scored and conceded; Nottingham’s try-scoring is fairly consistent throughout the game but they start strong and loosen their grip towards the end with tries conceded. Over twice as many tries have been conceded in the last quarter compared to the first quarter.
Nottingham’s Kiwi Back Row Paul William Grant is the Championship’s top try-scorer after scoring one more try than our own Latu Makaafi in the league. Grant is an ex-New Zealand Sevens International who has scored one more try away compared to home this season. Latu has scored twice as many at home rather than away.
The stats have the teams very similar with a slight advantage to the Knights but not enough to account for three league positions. A difficult, hard-fought game is ahead for both teams in this fairly local derby and we know that you can throw the form book out the window in local derbies. Nottingham will be eager to overcome the Knights in the last game of 2015, especially after the Knights beat them 36–30 at Lady Bay. It is a result that Nottingham must have thought was theirs for the taking after being up 23-21 at the break.
It was yet another game that the Knights won but Nottingham won two bonus points with their loss. That seems to be a recurring theme against Nottingham on the occasions that the Knights have the upper hand.
Can Nottingham even the honours and beat the Knights away or can the Knights do the double over the Green & Whites?
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
On the flip side, Nottingham have conceded five more tries than the Knights, so a net advantage of just one try for the Knights over eleven games played. The issue for the Knights is that Nottingham’s try-scoring has been roughly a 60:40% split away:home, normally more tries are scored at home. In fact Nottingham are the only team to have scored more tries away than at home in the Championship so far this season. Better news is that tries conceded are roughly 65:35% split away:home, so more tries are scored and conceded away from home. Perhaps Nottingham play a more expansive game away from home and keep the ball tighter with the Forwards at home?
Of the tries scored and conceded; Nottingham’s try-scoring is fairly consistent throughout the game but they start strong and loosen their grip towards the end with tries conceded. Over twice as many tries have been conceded in the last quarter compared to the first quarter.
Nottingham’s Kiwi Back Row Paul William Grant is the Championship’s top try-scorer after scoring one more try than our own Latu Makaafi in the league. Grant is an ex-New Zealand Sevens International who has scored one more try away compared to home this season. Latu has scored twice as many at home rather than away.
The stats have the teams very similar with a slight advantage to the Knights but not enough to account for three league positions. A difficult, hard-fought game is ahead for both teams in this fairly local derby and we know that you can throw the form book out the window in local derbies. Nottingham will be eager to overcome the Knights in the last game of 2015, especially after the Knights beat them 36–30 at Lady Bay. It is a result that Nottingham must have thought was theirs for the taking after being up 23-21 at the break.
It was yet another game that the Knights won but Nottingham won two bonus points with their loss. That seems to be a recurring theme against Nottingham on the occasions that the Knights have the upper hand.
Can Nottingham even the honours and beat the Knights away or can the Knights do the double over the Green & Whites?
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
