Rotherham Titans maintained their perfect start to the season with a powerful 40-15 win over a committed Clifton outfit on a wet afternoon at Station Road.
Titans bonus point win, their third of the season, was built on solid pack foundations combined with the ability of their backs to finish off opportunities.
A keenly fought first half saw Titans hooker Morgan Veness open the scoring after being driven over by his pack, with centre Lloyd Hayes landing the first of four conversions.
The hosts too enjoyed their moments and they were rewarded when back rower Jay Evans barged his way over for an unconverted score.
As half time approached Rotherham’s frustrations were somewhat lifted when Jackson Barling finished off in the corner after play was spread the width of the field.
The second half saw Titans burst out of the blocks to extend their advantage when Isaac Shaw danced his way over for a fine score, before adding a second shortly after to secure the bonus point and effectively seal the match.
A penalty try followed as Rotherham’s pack was deservedly rewarded for their dominance.
To their credit however the home side stuck to their task and collected a second try late on through front row forward Tom Anderson.
Before the referee blew for time Jackson Barling stormed in for his second and Titans sixth, before the hosts finished off as former Titan Ricky Cano went over near the corner.
Reflecting after the game Titans Harvey Biljon said:
“We had lots of challenges today, it was a tough travel in terms of we were on the coach for over 3 hours, the conditions were greasy, and the wind is sometimes more difficult to play in than the rain.
“And then you have the opposition to contend with; you could clearly see how much it meant to them, they were emotionally charged, and they came at us until the very end.
“We had some key moments where some players stepped up, we had some great defensive sets where we were challenged, and we had some magic moments from some individual players.
“I was pleased with our physicality in defence against a team that wanted to play, and I think we’re starting to find some balance in our game.
“With a minute to go before the break we were able to maintain possession in key areas, we looked composed and that enabled us to take a score which was a big moment for us, and it also had an impact on them.
“That score took a bit of sting out of them; we did start well but that last 25 minutes of the half they put us under a lot of pressure. So, overall I’m pretty chuffed with the outcome.”
Titans: Barling (2T), Shaw (2T), Veness (T), Penalty Try, Hayes (4C)
Clifton: Evans (T), Anderson (T), Cano (T),
Yellow Card: Okafor (Titans) Hutchinson (Clifton)
Attendance: 552
Referee: Callum Watson
Assistant Referees: Adam Carpenter & Emmerson Wood
Titans: 15 Isaac Shaw, 14 Jackson Barling, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Travis Gordon, 11 Mitchell Lacey-Babalola, 10 Rob Povey, 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 64), 1 Alastair Donkor (Toerien 58), 2 Morgan Veness (Cole 60), 3 Xavier Valentine (Foster 53), 4 Frankie Gascoigne, 5 Fraser Hastie (Baldry 53), 6 John Okafor, 7 Harry Newborn (Capt.), 8 Ellis Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Zach Toerien, 18 Andrew Foster, 19 Jack Baldry, 20 Will Metcalfe.
Clifton: 15 Harry Johnson, 14 Matty Jones, 13 Matt Smith, 12 Dylan Power, 11 Ollie Harris, 10 Tom Quinlan (McKinney 58), 9 Mitch Spencer (McCarthy 58), 1 Ricky Cano, 2 George Davey (Anderson 40), 3 Pat Ratumaisese (Buckley 40), 4 Toby Hutchinson (Capt.), 5 Shay Sainsbury (Myatt 14), 6 Brad Talbot, 7 Jay Evans, 8 Harry Hone.
Replacements: 16 Jake Buckley, 17 Tom Anderson, 18 Freddie Myatt, 19 Max McCarthy, 20 James McKinney.
