Titans face stern test against Richmond

Rotherham Titans will look to build on their impressive start to the Elior Champ Rugby season when they travel to the Athletic Ground on Sunday to face Richmond, with kick-off at 4pm and the game being broadcast live on Blaze.

For Titans supporters unable to make the trip to the capital, the match will also be shown live at the Clifton Lane Clubhouse, where the bar will open at 3.30pm.

Rotherham head into the fixture full of confidence following a hard-fought but thoroughly deserved 41-26 victory over Caldy under the Friday night lights at Clifton Lane last week.

Titans produced a scintillating first-half display to establish a commanding 26-0 advantage at the interval, putting themselves firmly in control through a combination of attacking ambition, clinical finishing and defensive solidity.

However, Caldy showed considerable character after the break, mounting a determined fightback that threatened to make life uncomfortable for the home side. Rotherham were forced to dig deep as the visitors fought their way back into contention, but the South Yorkshire outfit ultimately weathered the storm to secure an impressive third victory of the campaign.

That resilience will be an important asset as Titans prepare for another challenging away assignment against a Richmond side who, despite still searching for their first win of the season, should not be underestimated.

The London club have been highly competitive throughout their opening four fixtures, with three of those encounters coming against teams who finished in the top five last season. Those demanding tests have included meetings with reigning champions Worcester Warriors and ambitious Ealing Trailfinders, providing Richmond with a difficult introduction to the campaign.

While results have yet to go their way, their performances suggest they possess the quality and determination to trouble most sides in the division. There is little doubt that Richmond will view Sunday’s encounter as an excellent opportunity to get their season up and running, particularly on home soil.

Titans will therefore need to be at their best to maintain their momentum. Having demonstrated their attacking capabilities against Caldy, they will be keen to reproduce the intensity and accuracy of that first-half performance while ensuring they remain composed when Richmond apply pressure of their own.

The previous meetings between the clubs suggest another closely contested encounter is in prospect.

The sides have met 12 times in league competition, with Richmond holding the historical advantage, having won eight of those fixtures compared with Rotherham’s four.

Indeed, victories at the Athletic Ground have proved particularly elusive for Titans, who have won there on just two occasions. Their most recent success came during the 2016/17 Championship season, when tries from Will Thomas and Will Goodwin helped secure a hard-earned 18-8 victory.

With Titans seeking to extend their winning run and Richmond desperate to register their first win of the season, both sides have plenty riding on Sunday’s contest.

All the signs point towards another keenly fought and potentially tight affair, with Titans needing to maintain their standards for the full 80 minutes if they are to return to South Yorkshire with another valuable victory.

Going into the game Titans have made two changes from last week’s starting XV, with one in the backs and one in the pack.

An unchanged front row sees Zac Nearchou at loose head prop, and he’ll be joined there by Morgan Veness at hooker, with Corrie Barrett at tight head.

John Okafor maintains his spot in the second row, and he’ll be accompanied again by Curran Maguire.

A reshuffled back row sees Ellis Thomas come in at blind side, moving Lekima Ravuvu to number 8 for Callum Bustin, with Travis Gordon captaining the side from the open side.

Across the back line there’s continuity in the half back positions with scrum half JB Bruzulier and Russell Bennett linking up again.

In midfield Ali Mgijima comes in for Mitchell Lacey-Babalola at inside centre and alongside him at outside centre is Lloyd Hayes.

Titans have retained the same back three of Ben Cambriani and Jackson Barling on the wings, with Isaac Shaw at Full Back.

Titans: 15 Isaac Shaw, 14 Jackson Barling, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Ben Cambriani, 10 Russell Bennett, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Zac Nearchou, 2 Morgan Veness, 3 Corrie Barrett, 4 Curran Maguire, 5 John Okafor, 6 Ellis Thomas, 7 Travis Gordon (Capt.), 8 Lekima Ravuvu.

Replacements: 16 Dewald Kotze, 17 Andrew Foster, 18 Tom Bairstow, 19 Louis Guthrie, 20 Harry Stone, 21 Callum Bustin, 22 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti, 23 Mitchell Lacey-Babalola.