Blackheath ended a 27-year wait for a victory at Level 2 of the English league system by beating Doncaster Knights 33-26 in the Elior Champ at The Utilita, Well Hall.
The south-east London side had opened their return to the division with narrow defeats against Nottingham and Caldy, collecting losing bonus points in both matches. Their contest with Doncaster again demanded resilience, but Blackheath recovered from an early 12-0 deficit to earn a result of far greater immediate value than those near-misses.
The match was televised live by Blaze. Doncaster, managed by former England number eight Dean Richards, had Semesa Rokoduguni and Telusa Veainu in their ranks, underlining the test for a Blackheath side promoted from National League One. The victory followed two opening matches in which Blackheath had been close enough to take a point, but had not converted either performance into a win.
Blackheath had not won at this level since their 27-26 victory over Fylde on 1 May 1999, when the competition was known as Allied Dunbar Premiership 2. The club, which dates from 1858 and is described by RugbyPass as the world’s oldest rugby club, had been promoted from National League One before this campaign.
Blackheath recover after difficult opening
Doncaster arrived with considerable second-tier experience and with former England number eight Dean Richards as their manager. Their squad also included Semesa Rokoduguni and Telusa Veainu, and the visitors established the early advantage by moving 12 points ahead.
Blackheath gradually found a route back into the match. Tries from Luke Pollock and Archie Holland, alongside seven points from Morley’s boot, helped reduce the half-time gap to two points, with Doncaster leading 19-17 at the interval.
Discipline became a significant factor. Veainu, Doncaster’s captain, was sin-binned in the first half. The visitors then had two further players shown yellow cards after the restart, creating an opportunity that Blackheath used.
Jordan Burns scored a converted try shortly after the interval to put Blackheath in front. Morley subsequently kicked three more penalties, which kept Doncaster at a distance during a tense second half and proved crucial to the final margin.
Doncaster remained in contention until the closing stages. Veainu crossed late to give the Knights a chance to level the match, but Blackheath’s defence held out and forced a turnover to close out the 33-26 success.
Defence earns Stradwick’s praise
Blackheath head coach Tom Stradwick told Blaze, which showed the match live, that he had been particularly impressed by the players’ determination at the end of the game. He said their fatigue had been evident, but credited them for their effort and their work around the breakdown.
Stradwick said Blackheath had taken opportunities to compete for the ball, slow Doncaster possession and close down space. His assessment underlined that the result was built not simply on the points gained after the interval, but also on the defensive stand which denied Doncaster a late equaliser.
The win gives Blackheath an early marker in a season where consolidating their status in the Champ appears to be the immediate objective. It also changes the tone after two fixtures in which they were close enough to take bonus points but unable to complete a victory.
There is little time for the side to dwell on the result. Stradwick said recovery and preparation would be important before a Friday-night trip to Coventry, with only a five-day turnaround. Blackheath then face Ealing and defending champions Worcester Warriors in their next block of fixtures, following matches against the three teams who finished in the top three last season.
Those games will provide a demanding measure of the promoted side’s progress. For now, though, Blackheath have turned a sequence of encouraging but losing performances into a win that ends a long wait at this level.