Rotherham Titans have named their 20-man squad to take on Sale FC this weekend; the National 1 fixture at Clifton Lane kicks-off at 2pm on Saturday.
Following last week’s defeat to Rosslyn Park, where Titans performance offered promising signs for the season ahead, the South Yorkshire side have made 3 changes to their starting XV.
The changes all come along the back line as at full back Sam Allan comes in for Tom Bacon, in the centre Harry Dunne comes in for Tom Bullough and on the wing Conner Field is given the nod over Dan Leake.
Reflecting on last week’s result and looking ahead to the visit of Sale FC, Titans DOR, Martin Jenkinson explained, “Whilst ultimately the result at Rosslyn Park last week was disappointing there were lots of positives to take from the day. Most DOR’s would agree that a visit to ‘The Rock’ first up would probably be the last fixture you would choose, particularly with the squad they have recruited and the synthetic pitch.
“Overall however I thought that we handled the day well when you consider that we had 15 new starters in our match day 20. We coped well with the physicality of the game and individually our players were a match for theirs. Considering Rosslyn Park had two International props on duty it was pleasing that our scum held up well and maybe had the better of the day.
“Ultimately we lost however and we must learn that the old adage, “You only play in the right areas,” is as true today as it ever was. The result at Rosslyn Park will not determine our season but whether we learn from it will.
“Looking forward to this week we welcome Sale FC back to Clifton Lane. It was a massive shock to see Sale’s reversal to Cinderford at home last week and we will be ‘all out’ to make sure we do not suffer the rebound. Sale have recruited well in the summer. Jarad Williams signed from Bedford has added huge presence to an already impressive back row.
“Likewise we all remember the former Titans favourite Fergus Mulchrone who has returned to the North West from London Irish. Notwithstanding last week’s result Sale are a fancied team this year and we will need to be ‘up for the fight’ if we are to be on the right side of the result.”
Titans: 15 Sam Allan, 14 Ben Robbins, 13 Jamie Cooke, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Connor Field, 10 Sam Hollingsworth, 9 Connor Dever, 1 Toby Williams, 2 Harry Newborn, 3 Will Dennis, 4 Elliott Ward, 5 Kieran Frost, 6 Lewis Wilson, 7 Zak Poole (Capt.), 8 Anthony Maka.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Defelitto, 17 Harry Whitfield, 18 Reece Ward, 19 Keifer Laxton, 20 Morgan Bunting.
