Round 20 of National 1 this weekend will see Rotherham Titans entertain old rivals Birmingham Moseley at Clifton Lane; kick-off on Saturday is 2pm.
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Rotherham will go into the game on the back of an impressive 68-34 victory at Esher, where a remarkable fightback saw them overcome a 31-7 deficit after just 33 minutes, to run out worthy winners.
Titans scored 10 tries at Molesley Road as they recorded their biggest win of the season, in a pulsating clash against an enterprising Esher outfit.
Old rivals Moseley will provide the test this week and they will arrive at Clifton Lane with confidence having demonstrated all season their ability to beat any team on their day.
Notable results for the Midlanders this term have included wins over Dings Crusaders, Bishop’s Stortford, Blackheath and Rosslyn Park; but the real eye-catching result was a couple of weeks ago when they beat Rams 19-0.
With a résumé of results like that Moseley are an obvious threat and Titans will accord the visitors the respect they deserve.
Having played each other in the league on 40 occasions dating back to 1996 and most of which took place at Championship level, the clubs have shared a long history.
The vast majority of games have always been keenly fought affairs with very little between the sides. The overall head-to-head stands in Titans favour at 28-12.
In the reverse fixture at Billesley Common back in October Rotherham edged a very competitive game 30-19, with tries from Jamie Cooke, Ronnie Du Randt and Callum Bustin, with Lloyd Hayes adding 15 points from the tee.
Going into this week’s match Rotherham have made three changes to their starting XV.
In the front row on loan hooker Morgan Veness has been recalled by Cambridge, so Loma Kivalu is drafted back in following injury, and he’ll be flanked by props Charlie Capps at loosehead and Andrew Foster at tighthead.
The second row is unaltered and sees Harry Gilson-Fox partner skipper Zak Poole.
In the back row Harry Newborn comes in for the injured Ellis Thomas on the blindside, with Travis Gordon on the openside and Callum Bustin at number 8.
Across the backline JB Bruzulier replaces James Naylor at scrum half and he’ll accompany Rob Povey in the half backs
The midfield remains the same, as it has done for much of the season, as Lloyd Hayes and Jamie Cooke link up again.
The back three is also unchanged as Ronnie Du Randt stays at full back with Tomasi Tanumi and Calum Barrett on the wings.
Looking ahead to the game Harvey Biljon said:
“The big positive we can take from the first half is, we only had the ball three times in their half, and we scored on two of those occasions and the try just before half time was crucial for us as took us to 31-12. That gave us the opportunity to just show a bit of composure in the dressing room and it allowed us to get across some specific messages that would help build us back into the game and ultimately, hopefully go on to win it.
“But what stands out is, the players made the adjustments, we had another gear to go into, which is crucial, and we then stepped up and followed through and actioned what we wanted to do, which turned that second half around and that takes a lot of character.
“But, as I’ve said to the players, we’re not always going to have the luxury to turn that around; we did on this occasion, but let’s make sure moving forward we’re prepped from the start of the game and not have to wait until minute 36 to get a score and then kick ourselves into the second half.
“We know we have another challenge ahead when we face Birmingham Moseley. When we played them earlier in the season, we found out they were a tough team that didn’t go away. They scored against us in the last minutes of the game, and they are a team that just never give up. We also know that they are a very physical outfit and what they’ve shown is they can beat teams at the top of the table.
“Once again do not look at the table and underestimate your opposition; this team got a great result against Rams, but not only did they win that game, they nilled a team that’s known for its attack. So, we have to prepare for what’s going to be a very tough game.
“Moseley are a team that has threats across the park, both up front and in the backline and we cannot underestimate the challenge ahead, but it’s a challenge that we are looking forward to.”
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, 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.
