Rams 30 Titans 19

Rotherham Titans put in a huge physical effort against a good Rams side before ultimately falling to a 30-19 defeat on a mild afternoon at Old Bath Road.

Rams outscored the Titans by 4 tries to 3 with Rotherham’s dot downs coming from Travis Gordon, Tomasi Tanumi and Ronnie Du Randt.

The outcome of the game could have been very different had Rotherham finished off some good opportunities and the bounce of the ball been more favourable for the South Yorkshire side, but some days just don’t go your way and that’s rugby.

Rams took the lead as early as the third minute when Rotherham, who looked to be going close themselves just 5 metres away from the Rams line, threw a pass that went astray; the home side hacked downfield before a foot rack saw full back Zach Clow hacked on again and a nice bounce enabled him to crash over.

Rams scored two further first tries in the first half that Rotherham would have been disappointed to have conceded.

Missed tackles on both occasions saw firstly hooker Max Hayman crash over from close range before scrum half Ollie Hodgson dotted down under the sticks.

One thing that can never be questioned with this Rotherham side is the heart, determination and the desire they have to keep battling for the full 80 minutes.

Before the break they gained some reward for their efforts with a superb try from back rower Travis Gordon, who after receiving a nice pass from Jamie Cooke 40 metres out, showed good pace and awareness to dot down.

Coming out for the second half and trailing 17-5 Rotherham would have hoped to have scored first.

However, that was not to be as another bouncing ball fell favourably for the home side and former Titan Sam Boxhall was on hand to go over next to the posts for his side’s bonus point try.

Rams advantage was extended to 27-5 shortly after when Fraser Honey knocked over a long-range penalty.

Rotherham continued to graft hard however and secured their second try with a nice move through the backs which saw Tomasi Tanumi finish off for a lovey score.

Rams kept the scoreboard ticking over with another Fraser Honey penalty, but Rotherham narrowed the gap again late on when JB Bruzulier fed a pass out wide for winger Ronnie Du Randt to score.

Although the game had gone now, one more try for Rotherham would have seen them grab a well-deserved 2 points from the game.

Unluckily for them however, when Lloyd Hayes broke through at the death to seal the fourth try, referee Jamie Parr blew to bring play back, as he explained he had got in the way.

Reflecting after the game Harvey Biljon said:

“It was helluva game, you could see the desperation in the Rams team and how energised they were for the game and give them credit, they came out and played.

“For us I think it was a game of moments because we scored three great tries, but we also left three or four tries out there that would have also been brilliant scores.

Sometimes you are just struggling to get those over the line and for whatever reasons today we just didn’t get the bounce of the ball.

“There were two opportunities before half time in which one of them we were held up and then with 20 minutes of the game to go we had another two outstanding opportunities. If we get those scores we’re probably looking at a different outcome.

“The underlying point however is Rams deserved their win on the day and it gives us opportunity to go away and look at some areas of the game where we can get better and as a team we need to adapt to what’s going on out on the field.”

Titans: Gordon (T), Tanumi (T), Du Randt (T), Hayes (2C)

Rams: Clow (T), Hayman (T), Hodgson (T), Boxhall (T), Honey (2C, 2P)

Yellow Card: Gilson-Fox (Titans)

Attendance: 803

Referee: Jamie Parr

Assistant Referees: Henry Lowis & Ben McNamara

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Ronnie Du Randt, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Jamie Cooke, 11 Luckas Sableman-Blue (Tanumi 52), 10 Rob Povey, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps © (Toerien 52), 2 Harry Newborn, 3 Andrew Foster (Logavatu 74), 4 Zak Poole © (Kivalu 64), 5 Harry Gilson-Fox, 6 John Okafor, 7 Travis Gordon, 8 Callum Bustin (Maguire 38).

Replacements: 29 Loma Kivalu 17 Zach Toerien, 19 Joji Logavatu, 27 Curran Maguire, 20 Tomasi Tanumi.

Rams: 15 Zach Clow, 14 Jack Rampton, 13 Solodrau Radianirova, 12 Joe Pannese, 11 Axel Kalling-Smith, 10 Fraser Honey, 9 Ollie Hodgson (Boxhall 41), 1 Scott Kirk (Harris 48), 2 Max Hayman ©, 3 James Baker (Barry 74), 4 Nile Dacres, 5 Robbie Stapley (Duda 59), 6 Harry Stone, 7 Ben Atkins, 8 James McRae.

Replacements: 16 Nick Barry, 17 Patrick Harris, 18 Mikey Duda, 19 Andrew Lamb, 20 Sam Boxhall.

Titans 38 Sedgley Park 29

Rotherham Titans kept the pressure on at the top of the league with a well-deserved 38-29 win in a high-scoring thriller on a bright afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored Park by six tries to four with dot downs coming from Luckas Sableman-Blue, Harry Gilson-Fox, Callum Bustin, Morgan Veness, Zach Toerien and Lloyd Hayes, with the latter also adding 8 points from the tee.

Titans had the better of the first half and secured the bonus point inside the opening 35 minutes, with Park’s only score coming from a try for winger Rhys Henderson midway through the half.

Titans stormed into the lead as early as the third minute when winger Luckas Sableman-Blue finished off after receiving a sharp pass from fly half Rob Povey.

Despite Park narrowing the gap Rotherham soon restored their advantage with two quick tries inside three minutes.

Firstly, Lloyd Hayes was on hand to intercept and charge home from 40 metres and then some slack work from Sedgley in clearing their lines saw second rower Harry Gilson-Fox exploit the opportunity to crash over under the sticks.

Callum Bustin showed good awareness to power over with a quick tap close to the line which extended the lead further before the break.

If anyone thought Sedgley Park might roll over in the second half they would have been badly mistaken.

Inside the opening 10 minutes centre Nathan Pope popped up to narrow the gap with an arching run, with full back Oliver Glasse converting. Glasse reduced his sides arrears further shortly afterwards with a smart 3-pointer.

The game was developing into a more open affair with each side prepared to take a few more risks.

The next score came after a lovely break from Lloyd Hayes, with Jamie Cooke in support which took play up to the Sedgley line. The ball was recycled out for hooker Morgan Veness to crash over.

However, moments after the restart Sedgley bounced straight back with a sharp try from scrum half Matt Sturgess which kept Rotherham on edge as they knew their opponents were not about to go away.

Inside the final 10 minutes Titans nerves were calmed somewhat when replacement prop forward Zach Toerien bulldozed his way over after James Naylor slip him in close to the line.

But those stubborn Sedgley boys just refused to go away and 3 minutes from time replacement forward Adam Mallinson was driven over to secure a deserved bonus point for his side.

Deep into injury time Park had two long range penalty efforts slide wide of the mark which would have given them a second bonus point, but unfortunately for them it wasn’t to be.

Rotherham will enjoy their hard-earned victory, but the focus will quickly switch to their next task when they travel to Rams next Saturday.

Commenting after the game Titans Harvey Biljon said:

“I don’t think we could have asked for anymore, we got the five points and at times we really looked like we were in our rhythm, and we scored some really good tries.

“Then there was a couple of moments where our defensive sets were exceptional.

“We came up against a team that is known for their attacking intent and it really stood out that we could weather the storm at times, that helped us just to interrupt any momentum they could get.

“Sedgley Park did score some good tries, and we’ll give them credit for those, but I think if you look at the steps through the middle of the park, that was something I was pretty impressed with from our players.”

Titans: Sableman-Blue (T), Gilson-Fox (T), Bustin (T), Veness (T), Toerien (T), Hayes (T, 4C)

Sedgley Park: Henderson, (T), Pope (T), Sturgess (T), Mallinson (T), Glasse (3C, 1P)

Yellow Card: None

Attendance: 250

Referee: Henry Pearson

Assistant Referees: Peter Connor & Brendan Fitzmaurice

Titans: 15 Ronnie Du Randt, 14 Luckas Sableman-Blue (Barrett 70), 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Jamie Cooke, 11 Calum Barrett (Townend 58), 10 Rob Povey, 9 JB Bruzulier (Naylor 58), 1 Charlie Capps © (Toerien 58), 2 Morgan Veness, 3 Andrew Foster (Harrison 59), 4 John Okafor, 5 Harry Gilson-Fox, 6 Travis Gordon ©, 7 Harry Newborn (Maguire 65), 8 Callum Bustin.

Replacements: 16 Curran Maguire 17 Zach Toerien, 18 Eoin Harrison, 19 Jack Townend, 20 James Naylor.

Sedgley Park: 15 Oliver Glasse, 14 Rhys Henderson, 13 Nathan Pope, 12 Cameron Scanlon, 11 Albert Bradshaw, 10 Warren Seals (Riley 30), 9 Matt Sturgess, 1 John Blanchard (Downham 58), 2 Ben Gregory (Mallinson 68), 3 Danny Rylance (Blanchard 73), 4 Bob Birtwell ©, 5 Will Connor (Cox 58), 6 Connor James (Deans 68), 7 Lewis Bradley, 8 Tom Ailes.

Replacements: 16 Austin Downham, 17 Adam Mallinson, 18 Isaac Deans, 19 Luke Cox, 20 Matt Riley.

Photo: Gareth Siddons

Plymouth Albion 23 Titans 20

Rotherham Titans put in a huge physical effort before ultimately falling short as they went down 23-20 to Plymouth Albion on a grey afternoon at Brickfields

The sides shared 6 tries in this attritional encounter with Titans dot downs coming from Morgan Veness, Callum Bustin and Ronnie Du Randt, with Lloyd Hayes adding 5 points from the tee.

Titans were under the pump from the off with Albion starting the game much the brighter.

Indeed, Rotherham seldom got out of their own half inside the opening 20 minutes, and it was testament to their defensive resilience that the home side led by just 3 points at this stage: a Tom Putt penalty being the only reward for their dominance.

When Rotherham finally got inside the Albion half they wasted little time in prospering from their visits, as they scored two tries inside five minutes.

Firstly, hooker Morgan Veness finished off from the tail of a powerful maul and then Callum Bustin collected and showed good pace and power as he charged in from distance to score. Hayes converted the latter to give Rotherham a 12-3 lead.

A visit to Brickfields is notoriously a difficult place to go and get a result and there are various reasons for that.

However, the fact they have a very good team is the main reason and Albion quickly bounced back with a converted try from centre Archie Hill.

Just before half time the home side retook the lead when Tom Putt knocked over a 3-pointer.

With the wind now in Titans favour they wasted little time in retaking the lead when Lloyd Hayes slotted a nice 3-pointer from distance.

The lead was short lived however as Albion stormed back and following a period of forward pressure inside the Titans 22, hooker Harry Wilkinson barged his way over for a try to nudge his side 18-15 ahead.

Before the hour mark however, disaster struck for Rotherham as captain Zak Poole received a second yellow card for a high tackle and was red carded, leaving Titans with 14 men for the remainder of the game.

Encouraged, Albion stepped up their intensity as they looked to make their numerical advantage count.

As the game went into the final 10 minutes the pressure finally told on Rotherham’s defence as Albion’s loose head prop Ethan Burger went over for his side’s third try, to stretch the lead to 23-15.

To their credit Rotherham never gave up and late on in the game their endeavours were rewarded when Ronnie Du Randt dotted down in the corner.

Trailing now by just 3 points but with time quickly running out, Rotherham went in search of a fourth try that would have given them the bonus point win.

Unfortunately for them however, Albion’s defence stood firm as they held on for the win which keeps them in contention at the business end of the table.

Rotherham will now rest a few bumps and bruises before switching their focus to the visit of Sedgley Park to Clifton Lane on Saturday, as they continue their pursuit of Richmond at the top.

Reflecting afterwards Titans Harvey Biljon said:

“What a helluva game to be part of; to come all the way down to Plymouth and come away with a point is a great result for Rotherham Titans.

“We need to put this into context; Rotherham absorbed a huge amount of pressure through the beginning of that game. I think we did get a score against the run of play, but that kept us in it.

“But you have to understand you can’t play the game away from home with 14 players for over 45 minutes, but I don’t want to focus on that.

“The key thing we should be focused on is the resilience we showed with 14 men to stay in the game and then to still be playing at the death trying to win the match.

“That for me shows great character and how great is it going to be, to be part of this run-in through the back end of the season.”

Titans: Veness (T), Bustin (T), Du Randt (T), (Hayes (1C, 1P)

Plymouth Albion: Hill (T), Wilkinson (T), Burger (T), (Putt 1C, 2P)

Yellow Card: Newborn (Titans)

Red Card: Poole (Titans)

Attendance: 1542

Referee: Matt Sharpe

Assistant Referees: Peter Dixon & Dave Philpot

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tomasi Tanumi (Okafor 59), 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Jamie Cooke, 11 Ronnie Du Randt, 10 Rob Povey, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Zach Toerien (Capps 30), 2 Morgan Veness (Maguire 69), 3 Eoin Harrison (Foster 30), 4 Zak Poole ©, 5 Harry Gilson-Fox, 6 Travis Gordon, 7 Harry Newborn, 8 Callum Bustin.

Replacements: 16 John Okafor, 17 Charlie Capps ©, 18 Andrew Foster, 27 Curran Maguire, 21 James Naylor.

Plymouth Albion: 15 Tom Putt (Dart 59), 14 Shae Cornish, 13 Israel Akinrowo, 12 Archie Hill, 11 Bobby Wigginton, 10 Harry Legg, 9 Jack Oulton ©, 1 Ethan Burger (Boughton 71), 2 Harry Wilkinson (Williams 62), 3 Jenson Boughton (Dan Pullinger 48), 4 Joel Broadhurst (Burger 75), 5 Jake Clemson, 6 Jago Sheppard, 7 Jake Bond (Mead 65), 8 Ben Moa (Clarke 62).

Replacements: 16 Rhys Williams, 17 Torin Clarke, 18 Dan Pullinger, 22 Gabe Mead, 20 Frankie Dart.

Titans 28 Birmingham Moseley 27

Rotherham Titans had to work their socks off to beat a physical Birmingham Mosely outfit 28-27 on a bright, sunny afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans had to overcome a big, powerful Moseley side head-on to earn the right to win this attritional clash, as each side crossed the whitewash three times.

Rotherham’s dot downs came via a brace from number 8 Callum Bustin and one for winger Calum Barrett, with Lloyd Hayes adding 13 points from the tee.

This hard-fought but well-deserved win helps keep the South Yorkshire side hot on the heels of leaders Richmond and despite the bonus point not being collected, Titans are only 3 points behind in second spot.

Nonetheless, inside the opening half hour it looked as though the home side would secure the extra point as they raced into a 19-3 lead following 3 quick tries.

Callum Bustin got the scoreboard moving early when he crashed over following a catch and drive close to the line.

Soon after Titans had their second score when following a good break by prop forward Charlie Capps, the ball was flung out wide by JB Bruzulier to Jamie Cooke, who in turn found Travis Gordon and he drew the last man before sending in winger Calum Barrett for a nice try in the corner.

Scrum half Jack Jolly got the visitors on the board with a penalty before Callum Bustin popped up again, this time in ‘Plants Corner’, to finish off from a catch and drive.

If the Clifton Lane faithful thought this was going to be a walk in the park from here on in, then they would’ve been badly mistaken.

In the final ten minutes of the first half Moseley demonstrated once again they are a side that just never gives up or goes away, and to prove it they ran in two converted tries through Aquile Smith and Will Safe.

The tries sandwiched a Lloyd Hayes penalty and Rotherham went in at the break holding a narrow 22-17 lead.

Ten minutes after the interval Moseley took the lead for the first time when a kick from inside their own half bounced kindly for centre Ollie Allsopp, who juggled to gain control, before racing through to score in the corner under pressure.

The conversion from near the touch line was impressively nailed by Jack Jolly to give his side a slender 24-22 lead.

The game became tense and edgy as both sides looked to gain the advantage.

The lead switched repeatedly as first Hayes bagged a penalty, then Jolly and then Hayes again.

With 20 minutes to go Rotherham enjoyed the lion’s share of territory and possession and went in search of securing the win and bonus point.

Indeed, inside the final five minutes they had good opportunities to do so as they camped on the line, but credit to Moseley, their determined defensive efforts managed to keep the Titans out.

Nevertheless, the win was an important one and now Rotherham will look to rest a few bumps and bruises before embarking on the longest trip of the year to Plymouth Albion.

Reflecting after the game Titans Harvey Biljon said:

“That was a heck of a squad performance; don’t underestimate the adversity that we are going through with injuries and people having to play out of position.

“However, for about 25 minutes of the game we looked on fire, but what was unusual for us is we went off task; and when we did Moseley got into the game and that’s what happens when you come up against good teams.

“Give Moseley credit, they stayed in the battle and that’s what it’s going to be like for us, there’s not going to be any easy games, and we’ll have to continue to push in terms of our performance.

“I said to the players before the game we would need to stay in every moment, and you could see today that we probably missed a couple of those moments.

“But it’s a win and we are delighted with that and we’ll try to keep it going.”

Titans: Bustin (2T), Barrett (T), Hayes (2C, 3P)

Birmingham Moseley: Aquile Smith (T), Safe (T), Allsopp (T), Jolly (3C, 2P)

Yellow Card: None

Attendance: 250

Referee: Ben Rayner

Assistant Referees: Matt Daubney & Jason Garrick

Titans: 15 Ronnie Du Randt, 14 Tomasi Tanumi, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Jamie Cooke, 11 Calum Barrett, 10 Rob Povey, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps ©, 2 Loma Kivalu (Logavatu 47), 3 Andrew Foster, 4 Zak Poole ©, 5 Harry Gilson-Fox, 6 Travis Gordon, 7 Harry Newborn, 8 Callum Bustin.

Replacements: 16 Oliver Fretwell, 17 Zach Toerien, 18 Eoin Harrison, 19 Joji Logavatu, 20 James Naylor.

Birmingham Moseley: 15 Freddie Painter, 14 Dan Brough, 13 Aquile Smith, 12 Ollie Allsopp, 11 Tuoyo Egodo, 10 Tighe Maxwell-Whiteley (Taylor 70), 9 Jack Jolly ©, 1 Ethan Priest (McNulty 16) (Priest 21), 2 Ryan Roach (Pogson 79), 3 David Langly (McNulty 53), 4 Harry Barnes, 5 Harry Butler (Smith 69), 6 Will Safe, 7 Morgan Dawes, 8 Adam Peters.

Replacements: 16 Ben Pogson, 17 Josh McNulty, 18 Fin Smith, 19 Santiago Edwards, 20 Tommy Taylor.

Photo: Gareth Siddons