Titans 26 Hull Ionians 10

Rotherham Titans put in an attritional performance to wear down Hull Ionians in tough conditions, as they ran out worthy 26-10 winners at a wet and very blustery Clifton Lane.

The victory saw the South Yorkshire side secure what could be at the end of the season a vital bonus point for scoring four tries, although the fourth dot down didn’t arrive until the 80th minute.

The game was never going to be a high-scoring affair as the rain lashed down and gusts of winds in excess of 60 km/h whipped across Clifton Lane.

Indeed, playing into the conditions in the first half Rotherham put in an awesome display to go in at the break actually leading 7-3.

Titans’ points came via winger Ben Robbins who hacked on from a wayward pass from Ionians fly half Tom Stephenson 60 metres out, he then won the foot race to touch down under the sticks. Hollingsworth tagged over the extras from in front.

Ionians sole success in the opening period came from the tee when full back Max Titchener slotted over a penalty to reduce his side’s gap to 4 points.

Titans came out for the second half full of confidence with the elements now in their favour. However, it took them up until just before the hour mark before their next score.

This came following a period of forward dominance, when finally the ball was flung out to the backs, before ultimately arriving with Tom Bacon who drew the last defender to send in Ben Robbins for his and Titans second try.

Unexpectedly however, Ionians bounced back shortly after when scrum half Sam Crane picked up a loose ball around halfway and made ground right up to the Titans line, before second rower Joe Makin collected to crash over from close range. Titchener’s conversion reduced the visitor’s deficit to 12-10 with fifteen minutes remaining.

Titans however held their nerve to score two late tries through skipper Zak Poole on 71 minutes from a pick and go and then on 80 minutes from replacement loose head prop Toby Williams, when he used his significant power to bulldoze his way over for the crucial bonus point try.

With Birmingham Moseley’s game against Sale FC lost to the weather, Rotherham are now just 6 points adrift of the Midlanders in the relegation race and they will look forward to a weekend off now before they go again in two weeks-time.

Speaking after the game Titans Martin Jenkinson said, “We said today with the weather conditions and it being a Yorkshire derby, everything was about doing the job and getting the result. Pre-match we talked about how it didn’t matter how we got there, as long as we got there and that’s what happened today.

“Some people may look at it as a foregone conclusion that Rotherham should have won the game; nothing could have been further from the truth. Ionians are a good team and there are no easy games in this league and the boys went out there and did a good job.

“We would have preferred better conditions and we would have backed our boys to have played the better rugby had there not been the wind and the wet conditions, but it’s the same for both teams and you have to play whatever it is and by and large I thought the boys played the right sort of game in those conditions.

“The game was probably won in the first half; to go in at the break in front in those conditions was a very good effort. Yes we had a breakaway try, but I thought we deserved that reward for causing that mistake from the pressure that we applied.

“Overall we are delighted to get the bonus point and that’s been a recurring theme during our recent renaissance in that we are taking points out of every game and we are taking all the points that we can get at times in certain games. Today could have been a four point day, but the lads made sure it was a five point day.”

Referee: James O'Brien

Attendance: 491

Yellow Card: Dunne (Titans)

Titans: Robbins (2T), Poole (T), Williams (T), Hollingsworth (3C)

Hull Ionians: Makin (T), Titchener (1C, 1P)

Titans: 15 Tom Bacon, 14 Ben Robbins, 13 Tom Bullough, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Tom Benjamin, 10 Sam Hollingsworth, 9 Connor Dever, 1 Harry Whitfield (Williams 49), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Newborn 62), 3 Will Dennis (Stout 49), 4 Dan Preston-Routledge (Maka 49), 5 Kieran Frost, 6 Lewis Wilson 7 Zak Poole (Capt.), 8 Kieran Curran (Preston-Routledge 69).  

Replacements: 16 Harry Newborn, 17 Toby Williams, 18 Rikki Stout, 19 Anthony Maka, 20 Sam Boxhall.

Hull Ionians: 15 Max Titchener, 14 Alfie Beadle, 13 Lewis Minikin (Kirk 24), 12 Duell Trueman, 11 Callum Smith, 10 Tom Stephenson (Whyte 69), 9 Sam Crane, 1 Dave Laverick (Capt.), 2 Ben Stephenson, 3 Ben Bell (Peace 57), 4 Joe Makin, 5 Tyler Heelas, 6 George Mewburn, 7 James Sanderson (Choudhury 17) (Sanderson 20) (Choudhury 36), 8 Ed Brown (Sanderson 46).

Replacements: 16 Josh Peace, 17 Harry Butler, 18 Ben Whyte, 19 Rahat Choudhury, 20 Charlie Kirk. 

Richmond 52 Titans 20

Rotherham Titans overcame a poor first half display to storm back in the second half to pick-up a well-deserved bonus point, in their 52-20 defeat to league leaders Richmond at the Athletic Ground.

Titans collected the point for scoring four tries, although at the break it was difficult to envisage that such a feat could be achieved after a lacklustre first half on their part and a rampant effort from the hosts.

Indeed, Richmond ran in six tries during the opening 40 minutes, which in effect wrapped-up the game.

The only highlight in that opening period for the South Yorkshire side came on 23 minutes when winger Ben Robbins finished off nicely in the corner, after Tom Bacon made an excellent break down the right hand side.

However, as well as Richmond played, a high number of errors from the Titans certainly made the home side’s task easier than it should have been. Their line-out in particular caused them distress and a number of one-up missed tackles also hurt them badly.

So for the transformation which took place in the second half, the Rotherham players should be given a massive amount of credit as they outscored the league leaders by three tries to one.

Following Titans’ ‘old boy’ Charlie Mulchrone adding to the hosts tally on 47 minutes, Rotherham pretty much dominated events from there on in.

On 68 minutes Ben Robbins scored his and Titans second try when he just managed to squeeze through in the corner following a huge amount of pressure from the pack.

Then, as the game went into injury time Titans added their third try after two significant breaks in the build-up. Firstly Connor Dever made 30 metres in midfield with an arching run, then number 8 Anthony Maka showed good footwork and hand skills to pop a pass to Jamie Cooke for him to dot down in the far corner.

The crucial fourth try was secured in the final play of the match. From the base of a ruck inside the Richmond 22, the ball was flung across the backline from Dever to Bacon, who in turn fed replacement full back Sam Allan for a well-worked score.

From what had appeared a desolate position at the break, the fight Rotherham displayed in the second half not only secured a crucial bonus point, but offered realistic hope that they could yet clamber out of the relegation spot come the end of April.

Speaking after the game, an upbeat Titans Director of Rugby, Martin Jenkinson, explained, “The boys showed massive heart and massive courage in those final few minutes; we asked the boys for a reaction at half time and we got that.

“To come down here - and it is a long way to travel - against the league leaders in the first half was a washout. But at half time we sat in the dressing room and we said as a group “let’s take a look at ourselves,” and we asked “what do we want to achieve?”

“I just said to the boys in the post-match huddle, the second half could have gone one of two ways; it could have been an absolute disaster or it was what we got, which was a response with all heart and character and to score the final try at the end feels like we’ve won the game.

“The boys were absolutely fantastic and the reaction they gave in the second half was fantastic and I’m massively proud of them.

“It’s important now that we win our home games and keep picking up at least the bonus points away from home.

“Since the turn of the year we seen a massive improvement and we have to keep building on that to get us out of the relegation tussle. It’s a dogfight at the bottom and we will continue to fight right up until the end.”

Referee: Veryan Boscawen

Attendance: 545

Yellow Card: Dever & Ward (Titans), Parker (Richmond)

Titans: Robbins (2T), Cooke (T), Allan (T)

Richmond: Lynagh (2T), Mitchell (T), Mclean (T), Graham (T), Grimstone (T), Mulchrone (T), Hodgson (6C, P), Dennett (1C)

Titans: 15 George Castledine (Allan 75), 14 Ben Robbins, 13 Jamie Cooke, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Tom Bacon, 10 Morgan Bunting (Boxhall 75), 9 Connor Dever, 1 Harry Whitfield, 2 Harry Newborn (Bergmanas 55), 3 Rikki Stout (Dennis 40), 4 Dan Preston-Routledge, 5 Elliott Ward (Waddington 53), 6 Ben Waddington (Frost 40), 7 Zak Poole (Capt.), 8 Anthony Maka.

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Will Dennis, 18 Kieran Frost, 19 Sam Boxhall, 20 Sam Allan.

Richmond: 15 Louis Lynagh, 14 Dan Kelly, 13 Cameron Mitchell (Capt), 12 Ronnie Mclean, 11 Hamish Graham, 10 Tom Hodgson (Mulchrone 40), 9 Jamie Gibbs (Dennett 40), 1 Timmy Walford (Litchfield 69), 2 Ross Grimstone (Torpey 52), 3 Jimmy Litchfield (Banfield 52), 4 Byron Hodge, 5 Chris Allman (Bibic 40), 6 Tom Pashley, 7 Andrew Boyce, 8 Jake Parker.

Replacement: 16 Alex Bibic, 17 David Banfield, 18 Callum Torpey, 19 Lewis Dennett, 20 Charlie Mulchrone.

Titans 24 Chinnor 42

Rotherham Titans managed to secure what could be a crucial bonus point for scoring four tries in their 42-24 defeat to high-flyers Chinnor at a windswept Clifton Lane.

In what turned out to be a barmy game of rugby, Titans new boy Tom Benjamin, in on loan from Nottingham, bagged a brace of tries, with scrum half Connor Dever and winger Ben Robbins also crossing the whitewash; Sam Hollingsworth added four points from the tee.

Winning the coin toss and electing to play with the high winds in the first half was always likely to prove critical, as a half time lead was virtually guaranteed.

So when Chinnor ‘took the wind’ in the first half and Titans suffered three yellow cards in the opening 40 minutes, there was little surprise to see the South Yorkshire go in at the break trailing 35-5.

The only bight moment for Rotherham in that first period came on the half hour mark when full back Tom Benjamin raced in down the right hand side to finish off nicely, after Tom Bullough made a break to send him in from 40 metres. Sam Hollingsworth’s effort from the tee in the difficult conditions missed its target.

The second half however would have given Rotherham some crumbs of comfort and not least because they won the half 19-7 and scored 3 further tries to secure a vital bonus point, but mainly because of the spirit and character they displayed which will give all at Clifton Lane hope that the great escape is still possible with 9 games remaining.

In essence Rotherham pretty much bossed the majority of the second half, but it took then until just before the hour mark until they added to their tally, but when they did, they scored 2 very nice tries in the space of three minutes.

First up was scrum half Connor Dever who collected from the base of a ruck and then looked to dummy, before racing through a gap to dot down from inside the 22. Then Dever was involved again shortly after, as he collected a loose ball and fed it out wide for winger Ben Robbins to race in to score.

The momentum was now truly with the home side and hopes of a miraculous comeback were just beginning to enter the consciousness, as what had been 35-5 was now 35-17.

However, within five minutes those hopes were dashed when replacement back rower Matt Marley barged over for Chinnor to wrap up the game.

Nonetheless Rotherham continued to battle forward and show tremendous resilience and character. This they were rewarded for at the death when Sam Hollingsworth made a half break before off-loading to Tom Benjamin on his shoulder, for the debutant to run in and score under the sticks and secure a well-deserved try bonus point for the home side.

Commenting afterwards Titans’ Martin Jenkinson said, “It’s a difficult one as we have to be careful in what we say; however, things happen in games and the opening sequence in the first 10 minutes was rugby as we don’t recognise it and lots of people have to take responsibility for that.

“The first half was the first half; what we have to take from the game is how our boys reacted at half time. At the break we could have completely capitulated and we could have completely downed tools, but we didn’t.

“We came out and we won the second half and we started to get some decisions and at the end to get a point against a top-end side could be crucial in saving us at the end of the season.

“In the huddle just now we have said to the boys that we need to take ownership of the first 40 minutes and not to look elsewhere to lay the blame; and we do take ownership of it.

“We have to take the positives from the game and we must stay positive in our approach and the second 40 minutes gave us plenty of reasons to do so.”

Referee: Harry Walbaum

Attendance: 464

Yellow Card: Benjamin (Titans), Preston-Routledge (Titans), Wilson (Titans)

Titans: Benjamin (2T), Dever (T), Robbins (T), Hollingsworth (2C)

Chinnor: Penalty Try, Worrall (2T), Selway (T), Goss (T), Marley (T), May (5C)

Titans: 15 Tom Benjamin, 14 Ben Robbins, 13 Jamie Cooke, 12 Tom Bullough, 11 Dan Leake (Dunne 46), 10 Sam Hollingsworth, 9 Connor Dever, 1 Harry Whitfield (Newborn 49), 2 Jack Bergmanas, 3 Will Dennis (Stout 60), 4 Dan Preston-Routledge (Ward 60), 5 Kieran Frost, 6 Lewis Wilson, 7 Zak Poole (Capt.), 8 Ben Waddington.

Replacements: 16 Harry Newborn, 17 Rikki Stout, 18 Elliott Ward, 19 Sam Boxhall, 20 Harry Dunne.

Chinnor: 15 Will Harries, 14 Kieran Goss, 13 Sam Yawayawa, 12 Jason Worrall (Capt.), 11 Josh Hodson (Watson 16) (Kirwan 65), 10 Laurence May, 9 Ed Hoadley (Watson71), 1 Josh Pieters (Fidler 40), 2 Nick Selway, 3 Jo Rees (McNulty 37), 4 Jack Ramshaw (Thomas 53), 5 Joe Dancer, 6 James Tyas, 7 Carl Kirwan (Marley 58), 8 Willie Ryan.

Replacements: 16 Tom Fidler, 17 Josh McNulty, 18 Ben Thomas, 19 Matt Marley, 20 Callum Watson.