INTERVIEW | Richard Horne reacts to close South Yorkshire encounter

Doncaster RLFC coach Richard Horne couldn't fault his side's effort but knows they will rue some chances they didn't take throughout Sunday's 22-18 defeat to Sheffield Eagles.

Tries from Alex Sutcliffe, Ben Johnston, and Joe Lovodua were not enough as the hosts lost the South Yorkshire derby in a spirited effort at the Eco-Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In Horne's eyes, the Dons played with plenty of energy but understood the areas of their game that need to improve moving forward. Speaking after the game, some of his side's attacking sets impressed the head coach, but he explained why some of the Dons' work without the ball and why discipline needs to tighten up. 

"It had a bit of everything that game," said Horne. "We had to play with energy; we made 12 errors and did a lot of defending. That's going to add pressure against a quality team like Sheffield. We dug in and had a chance to win it at the end there.

"We know we can post points, but se let two soft tries with. We will have a really good look at that in review. They tried really hard, but we weren't smart enough. Not finishing sets and turning the ball over halfway. For large periods, our try-line defence was good, but you can only do it for so long." 

Proving a brief injury update ahead of next week's trip to Widnes Vikings in the Challenge Cup, Horne mentioned the five changes made this week and what

"Some changes were forced, nothing serious, just some hamstrings pulling up, and we didn't want to risk some boys when we have depth. It was great to see Tyla Hepi back after 17 months without playing. He will be better for it. It was great for us today to see the level we are at, and some boys will know they need to step it up for round one."

To watch the full interview click the video above.