Rotherham Titans know a big test awaits them this Saturday when they travel to the west of the county to take on Yorkshire rivals Otley in round 11 of Nat 2 North; kick-off at Cross Green is 2pm.
Following a disappointing home defeat to Sheffield Tigers last time out – a result which saw the departure of Titans head coach, Adam Byron – Roth will have to be at their best if they are to come away with any type of result.
The nature of derby games means there is a lot of pride and passion on show and as this game will be Roth’s seventh out of what will be 14 Yorkshire derbies this term, they are becoming accustomed to the demands that each one presents, as too are Otley.
The sides last met in what is now the Championship back in April 2009. On that occasion at Cross Green the South Yorkshire outfit ran out 39-7 winners, with Roth’s tries coming from Jon Feeley, Brad Hunt, a brace from Errie Claassens and a penalty try; whilst Mike Whitehead added 14 points from the tee.
Saturday’s game however will be quite different as Otley current sit 4th in the league, one place above Rotherham.
A quick glance at the Otley roster shows 6 former Titans on the books, including Luke Cole, Callum Irvine, Dan Preston-Routledge, Ben Waddington, Reece Ward and Henry Roberts and whilst it will be good to catch-up with old friends, Roth know the quality of these players and their ability to hurt teams.
Going into the game Titans have made 2 changes to their starting XV.
Across the backline Jack Taylor returns from injury and comes in at outside centre, moving Lloyd Hayes into fly half for Corben Ollivent. Whilst in the pack Lewis Allan comes into the second row for Theo Nwosu-Hope.
A notable addition on the bench sees a return to action for hooker Harry Newborn.
Speaking ahead of the game Titans forwards coach, Matt Smith said:
“It was massively disappointing against Sheffield Tigers for the club, the players, the coaching staff and the supporters.
“The biggest thing was the lads just didn’t turn up and we all have to take that as a squad; that’s not just the players, it’s on the coaches, the back room staff and on everybody.
“But the one thing that I didn’t see was a commitment and a work rate that I believe every player should have when they pull on a Roth shirt. I think it’s what the supporters deserve; when the full time whistle goes they know the players have played their hearts out.
“So yes it was very disappointing and we have re-focussed over the last 2 weeks coming into the Otley game.
“We know it’s another Yorkshire derby and these games are always highly competitive as everyone wants the bragging rights.
“What we have to do is to go out there and make sure we raise our game to the occasion as much as they will. What can’t happen going forwards is we can’t get out-enthused by any team because they want it more.
“Otley have a good pack of forwards, they have a good line out and a solid scrum. They can also attack you from all areas and they are confident. That’s a big thing, the confidence they have is a big attribute; they had a great season last year and got promoted and they’ve carried on that form in the majority of games.
“So we know they have threats all over the pitch and we have to try and nullify them and implement our own game plan onto them.
“The big thing we need from the lads this week is we just want to see a performance of 20 lads going out there, caring, having a desire to win, having a toughness about them and to be really disciplined, but also with enthusiasm and a smile on their faces playing a great game against a good Yorkshire rival.”
Titans: 15 Sam Veall, 14 Jack Hedley, 13 Jack Taylor, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Luckas Sableman-Blue, 10 Lloyd Hayes, 9 Sam Boxhall, 1 Charlie Capps, 2 Jack Bergmanas, 3 Gareth Denman, 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Lewis Allan, 6 Callum Bustin, 7 Marcus Payne, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).
Replacements: 16 Harry Newborn, 17 Danny Rylance, 18 Rupert Kay, 28 Theo Nwosu-Hope, 20 Kai Ramrattan.
