By Paul Smith 
The Blue-and-Whites extended their winning sequence against the Knights to five games through first-half scores from Obinna Nkwocha, Ryan Hutler and David Opoku to which Tommy Mathews added nine points from the kicking tee.
Doncaster responded through Maliq Holden and Zach Kerr’s first-half tries, Harry Dovey’s 75th-minute effort plus two penalties and a conversion from Russell Bennett.
But the Knights’ no.10 was crucially unable to split the uprights with a third penalty opportunity from the last kick of the game which would have snatched the win.
The Blue-and-Whites played most of the opening 15 minutes inside Doncaster’s half during which they created three half-chances without getting across the visitors’ line.
And when the hosts did finally open their account it came from an unexpected source when Nkwocha reacted fastest to dive on the Knights’ loose lineout tap to register a try that Mathews upgraded.
However Cov’s joy was short-lived as the visitors quickly hit back with a pair of opportunist tries in as many minutes.
Former Leicester full back Telusa Veainu created the first of these with a fine break and chip ahead and although he was brilliantly tackled by Charlie Robson, Holden went over for a score that Bennett converted.
And Doncaster quickly confirmed their attacking threat by recovering Daf Tiueti’s chip ahead and two passes later sending centre Kerr racing 50 metres to the line for a thrilling counter-attack score.
However their lead was short-lived as Mathews – who had posed the Knights plenty of defensive questions during the opening half-hour – made a half-break before finding Hutler on his shoulder to apply a fine angled finish.
Opoku went close to claiming Cov’s third try when he narrowly failed to hold Jimmy Martin’s scoring pass with the line beckoning.
And the Blue-and-Whites’ homegrown winger almost immediately made amends by forcing his way over after Tiueti recovered Doncaster’s ambitious chip ahead inside their own 22.
This left the hosts holding a nine-point interval advantage which Mathews soon extended to 12 with a well-struck penalty.
Cov then opted not to kick at goal from 30 metres only to turn possession over from the ensuing lineout.
And Doncaster hauled themselves back into contention early in the fourth quarter through a pair of 40-metre Bennett penalties.
Cov took a six-point lead into the closing stages but when they conceded a penalty inside their own half the visitors quickly went to the corner from where they eventually worked replacement winger Davey into the left corner.
Bennett’s touchline conversion drifted narrowly to the left of the home posts and when the Knights won a last-gasp scrum penalty on Cov’s ten-metre line to the relief of a good-sized Butts Park Arena crowd their no.10’s potential match-clincher met with a similar fate.
Coventry: Richman (Robson 10); Opoku, Hutler, Tiueti, Martin (Hitchcock 71); Mathews, Barton (Maunder 61); Trinder, Poole (Biggs 67), Salt (Scharink 65); Nkwocha, Tyas (Green 75); Ball, Hinkley (Owen 65), Nayalo
Replacements: Warren
Doncaster Knights: Veainu; Olowofela (Davey 62), Kerr, Edwards, Holden; Bennett, Fox (Dolly 60); Turner (Davidson, 43), Davies (Roberts, 49), Jones (Thiede 60); Murphy, Hopkinson (Williams 71); Smeaton, Tait (Ramasibana 79), Strong
Replacements: Bunting
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Half-Time: Coventry Rugby 21-12 Doncaster Knights
Attendance: 3033
Scorers and times:
Coventry:
Tries: Nkwocha (16) Hutler (24) Opoku (35)
Conversions: Mathews (17) (25) (36)
Penalties: Mathews (42)
Doncaster Knights:
Tries: Holden (19) Kerr (21) Davey (76)
Conversions: Bennett (19)
Penalties: Bennett (61) (64)
