Doncaster Knights sign London Welsh hooker

The 24-year-old helped the Exiles finish fifth in the Championship and win the British & Irish Cup.

He started his career at Saracens and has made five Premiership appearances.

“Joining Doncaster is a really exiting opportunity for me which I feel gives me the platform to kick on and further my career,” Allen told Knights’ official website.

“It’s a really exciting time to be a Doncaster Knights player with the team performing so well in the league and with the club putting in developments to be a force for the foreseeable future.”

Meanwhile, Knights director of rugby Clive Griffiths knows “expectations will be high” in 2016-17 following this season’s remarkable exploits, but fully expects his squad to develop further.

He said: “Expectation will be high, that’s the first thing. Everyone will expect us to get in the play-offs again.

“We’ve retained the nucleus of the team and I think augmented that with some good signings.

“We’re probably going to sign a few more, too, but won’t need to do too much, just tweak a few things here and there.”

Stand-off Simon Humberstone, whose season was disrupted by a shoulder injury, has signed a new one-year contract with the Knights.