Titans 32 Sheffield 14

Rotherham Titans put in a determined and physical performance to beat local rivals Sheffield 32-14 on a mild afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Rotherham secured the bonus point and outscored the Abbeydale outfit by 5 tries to 2, with dot downs coming from Callum Bustin, JB Bruzulier, Tomasi Tanumi and a brace from Harry Newborn, with Lloyd Hayes adding 7 points from tee.

In this feisty top-of-the-table clash, second placed Rotherham were made to work hard by third placed Sheffield, particularly so in the opening 10 minutes when the visitors took the lead through the division’s leading try scorer Elliot Fisher who finished off nicely following a break from Ryan Burrows.

However, from that point on Rotherham worked themselves into the contest and slowly took charge of affairs.

The home side levelled matters on 26 minutes when Callum Bustin received a smart pass from Loma Kivalu to break through and score under the posts.

Lloyd Hayes converted and then shortly afterwards nosed Titans ahead with a penalty.

With confidence boosted from their success Rotherham stepped up the intensity to score two more tries before the break.

First up, a powerful driving maul from a line out saw Harry Newborn finish off from the tail and then a quick-thinking JB Bruzulier spotted a gap from the base of a ruck to dive over.

Rotherham should probably have secured the bonus point try before the break; unfortunately for them a lack of accuracy meant this would have to wait.

That wait wasn’t a long one. Inside 2 minutes of the restart the bonus point was bagged when Tomasi Tanumi showed great desire to crash over in the corner following a good break from Jack Townend.

Just after the hour mark the match was closed out as a contest when Rotherham scored their fifth try of the game.

This came from man-of-the-match Harry Newborn, who once again was on hand to dot down from the tail of a powerful maul.

To be fair to Sheffield they never stopped trying and inside the final 10 minutes they picked up a second try through former Titan Ryan Burrows, who showed good awareness to break from a free kick.

Nevertheless, Rotherham comfortably saw out the game to register an important win against a good side and maintain their interest at the top end of the table.

The focus will now switch to the Otley game on Saturday and to making sure the preparations are right for that one.

Speaking after the match Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“At times today we performed really well; we came through a tricky first 10 minutes where I think we lost our way and then we really asserted our dominance from that point on.

“We were a bit frustrated we didn’t come away with another score just before half time, but straight off the bat in the second half we did well to take advantage to get the bonus point try.

“We’ve got to go away and look at how we manage the game with the yellow card, but then to see out the game out the way we did against an emotionally charged Sheffield team, I think the players did really well.

“We just want to focus on improving each week and that’s what this team is doing. Each week they are putting in better performances and that’s what we need to keep on doing.

“Our defensive sets were outstanding; it’s an area we’ve been working really hard on. I’m happy with the overall performance, we got the five points and we can go away and be proud of that.”

Referee: Jack Moorhouse

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Parsons (Sheffield) Denman (Titans)

Titans: Newborn (2T), Bustin (T), Bruzulier (T), Tanumi (T), Hayes (2C, P)

Sheffield: Burrows (T), Fisher (T, 2C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tomasi Tanumi, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Dan Rundle (Kivalu 47) (Rundle 55) (Metcalfe 61), 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Rundle 77), 1 Charlie Capps (Capt.), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 47), 3 Loma Kivalu (Denman 30), 19 John Okafor, 5 Matt Smith (Allan 61), 24 Marcus Payne (Cowen-Leak 37), 25 Harry Newborn (Payne 77), 8 Callum Bustin.

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 30 Gareth Denman, 18 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 26 Lewis Allan, 20 Will Metcalfe. 

Sheffield: 15 Ieuan Cooke, 14 James Flint (Flinders 39) (Flint 47) (Hughes 68), 13 Will Smith, 12 Kaj Douglas, 16 Christian Hooper, 10 Callum Posa (West 67), 9 Elliot Fisher, 1 Ben Whitney, 2 Rhodri Campbell, 22 Jake Hicklin (Rogers 58), 4 Archie Crapper (Flinders 58), 5 Dom Parsons (Capt.), 6 Rob Fawdry, 7 Jason Hignell (Adcock 55), 8 Ryan Burrows.

Replacements: 3 George Rogers, 24 Angus Hughes, 23 Charlie Flinders, 21 Matt Adcock, 20 Jonny West.

Photo Credit: Gareth Siddons

Fylde 27 Titans 32

Rotherham Titans put in an outstanding display to beat a talented Fylde outfit 32-27 on a bright afternoon at The Woodlands.

Titans outscored their hosts by 4 tries to 3 with Charlie Capps, John Okafor, JB Bruzulier and Luke Cole all dotting down, with Lloyd Hayes adding 12 points from the tee.

The bonus point victory keeps Rotherham in the hunt at the top of the table, as they continue their pursuit of leaders Leeds Tykes.

However, this game was not a straightforward one and as expected beforehand Fylde pushed Rotherham all the way to the final whistle.

Indeed, had the hosts been more clinical inside the opening 20 minutes they could have raced into a healthy lead.

However, a combination of good defence by Roth, a bit of luck and a deficiency of accuracy from the hosts meant the scoreboard remained tight throughout.

Lloyd Hayes opened the scoring after 3 minutes with a penalty before Fylde’s loosehead prop Corey Bowker showed good pace for a front row forward to gallop home from outside the 22 for a converted try.

Not to be outdone Titans loosehead prop Charlie Capps got in on the act just 3 minutes later when a nice offload from tighthead prop Reece Ward sent him in from 15 metres. Lloyd Hayes added the extras from in front of the sticks.

Despite the home side having the better of things it was Rotherham who scored next to extend their lead.

A dropped ball from Fylde just inside the Rotherham 22 was collected by second rower John Okafor. The big man opened his legs and galloped almost 80 metres with half the Fylde team trying to chase him down, before he dotted down next to the posts in front of the clubhouse. Hayes’ extras extended Roth’s lead to 17-7.

Unfortunately for the South Yorkshire side they suffered two yellow cards inside the final 10 minutes of the half.

During that spell Fylde exploited their numerical advantage by scoring a converted try through centre Scott Rawlings after a good break from second rower Tom Burrows and two penalties from Greg Smith to send them in at the break leading 20-17.

Rotherham improved in the second half and began to exert some control as they stepped up their intensity.

Lloyd Hayes levelled matters on 46 minutes with a penalty before shortly after Rotherham regained the lead when scrum half JB Bruzulier showed great desire to get over in the corner following a great offload from Harry Dunne. Hayes impressively nailed the touchline conversion.

Just before the hour mark Roth secured the bonus point when hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail of a powerful driving maul. The conversion was missed but Roth held a comfortable 32-20 advantage.

However, a Fylde try with 3 minutes remaining from Tane Bentley, converted by Smith set up a nervy finish.

Nevertheless Rotherham held firm to see out the game and secure an important win against a good side.

Speaking after the match Titans Gaz Lewis reflected:

“We’re delighted with the result because Fylde could have been out of sight in the opening 20 minutes. We got the bounce of the ball and they didn’t manage to capitalise on the opportunities they created.

“In the second half the lads put in a superb performance and so to come away with a five point win at a very difficult place is pleasing.

“We suffered a lot of disruption coming into the game; not being able to train on Thursday due to the snow didn’t help and maybe that was a reason why we were a little slow out of the blocks today.

“There was more disruption when we lost out Captain Zak Poole inside the first 30 minutes, but full credit to the boys, they put in a huge shift and worked their socks off for the win.

“We spoke at half time about how to manage the difficult moments in the game and I think in the second half we saw some real character and great leadership.

“Charlie Capps did a superb job leading the team after we lost Zak, Matt Smith really stepped up in the line out, I thought he was first class and JB made a huge impact coming off the bench; his experience really told as he managed key areas and gave us some good field position.                                                   

“So whilst it was a great team performance, there were some outstanding individual performances too.

“I think what turned it in the end was we were able to get some important field position which allowed us to go to work and build our maul. That’s our super-power and when we worked our way into the right areas we were able to utilise that strength.

“We’ll enjoy this result and then quickly switch our focus to Sheffield next week because that is a huge game, they are having a great season and there’s a bit of added interest with the former Rotherham links at the club.”

Referee: George Ounsley

Attendance: 495

Yellow Card: Payne, Townend (Titans)

Titans: Capps (T), Okafor (T), Bruzulier (T), Cole (T), Hayes (2P, 3C)

Fylde: Bowker (T), Rawlings (T), Bentley (T), Smith (2P, 3C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tomasi Tanumi, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Jack Taylor (Bruzulier 40), 10 Will Milner, 9 Will Metcalfe, 1 Charlie Capps, 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 62), 30 Reece Ward (Kivalu 27), 19 John Okafor, 5 Matt Smith, 7 Marcus Payne (Kay 64), 25 Harry Newborn, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.) (Bustin 27).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 18 Rupert Kay, 28 Callum Bustin, 20 JB Bruzulier. 

Fylde: 15 Jordan Dorrington, 14 Adam Lanigan (Reader 57), 13 Sam Stott, 12 Scott Rawlings (Forster 41), 11 Ben Turner, 10 Greg Smith, 9 Will Wootton, 1 Corey Bowker (Brookes 77), 2 Ben Gregory (Capt.), 24 Peter Altham, 4 Oli Parkinson, 5 Tom Burrows, 6 Matt Ashcroft, 7 Tane Bentley (Parker 66), 8 Toby Harrison (Bentley 76).

Replacements: 16 Alex Brookes, 17 Sam Parker, 18 Tye Raymont, 22 Freddie Reader, 19 Tom Forster.

Titans 42 Tynedale 7

Rotherham Titans put in an impressive overall performance to beat a spirited Tynedale side 42-7 on a bright afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored their North East opponents by six tries to one with dot downs from Luke Cole, Loma Kivalu, Zak Poole, Harry Dunne, Tomasi Tanumi and Lloyd Hayes, with the latter also adding 12 points from a perfect afternoon with the boot.

In an entertaining game where 49 points were scored, only 7 were scored in the first half!

Despite Rotherham totally dominating territory and possession and spending long periods inside the Tynedale 22, they found it difficult to cross the whitewash; this was in no small part due to the tenacity shown by the visiting defence.

Indeed it took until the 39th minute before the deadlock was broken by hooker Luke Cole who received the ball five metres out and proceeded to barge his way over close to the posts. Lloyd Hayes knocked over the extras, as he did all game.

Following the half time oranges there was no long wait for the next score as inside 2 minutes Rotherham were on the board again.

Following good work down the right hand side from Tomasi Tanumi the ball was fed back infield and arrived with Loma Kivalu who showed great strength to bulldoze his way over.

The cork was now out of the bottle and five minutes later Roth had their third score when a quick-tap from Lloyd Hayes was fed to skipper Zak Poole for him to dot down.

The bonus point and effectively match winning score was collected on 53 minutes and fittingly it came from centre Harry Dunne on his 100th appearance for the club. Following good work from winger Jack Taylor the ball was eventually fed out by Will Metcalfe to Dunne who showed great desire to crash over in the corner.

Before the hour mark Lloyd Hayes got in on the act when Tynedale fumbled the ball around halfway and Jack Townend hacked on, as the chase entered the try zone the ball bobbled up nicely for Hayes to dot down.

Credit to Tynedale however as they fought back with good endeavour and when prop forward Mike Hughes crashed over following a series of pick-and-goes, it was fully deserved for the teams efforts all afternoon.

Rotherham had the final word though when a catch and drive was finished off unexpectedly by winger Tomasi Tanumi to put the cherry on top of a fine performance.

There’s no match next week, so Rotherham will look to prepare well for their next test which sees them travel to top side Fylde.

Speaking after the game Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“At half time we described it as slow poison, because we knew the pressure we put on them in the first half would tell in the second and you have to give Tynedale a lot of credit for the defensive efforts they put in.

“The change we wanted in the second half was to be more accurate with the pressure and then we knew we would get our scores.

“Coming out at the start of the second half with the speed of ball and the physicality that we showed was the reason we scored 35 points in the half.

“We’ve spoken about the game and where we can control the pitch; we can get territory and possession and then we can go to work and that’s working and we need to try and maintain that.

“In the time I’ve been here that’s the best defensive effort I’ve seen from Rotherham. We are making great strides in that department; if we were to highlight an area where we’ve made a real improvement, I think we saw that today with our defence.

“We need to give a mention to Harry Dunne; what an achievement to play 100 games for the club, that’s impressive. Then to round it off with a score where he had to work for it was very pleasing and we congratulate him for that”

Referee: Sam Yates

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Wearmouth, Haigh & White (Tynedale)

Titans: Cole (T), Kivalu (T), Poole (T), Dunne (T), Tanumi (T), Hayes (T, 6C)

Tynedale: Hughes (T), Parker (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tomasi Tanumi, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne (JB Bruzulier 56), 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner (Dunne 57), 9 Will Metcalfe, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 35), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 56), 3 Gareth Denman (Capps 57), 19 John Okafor, 5 Matt Smith (Allan 67), 25 Harry Newborn, 7 Rupert Kay (Payne 40), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 18 Lewis Allan, 6 Marcus Payne, 20 JB Bruzulier. 

Tynedale: 15 Joe Beaty, 14 Alex Dryden (Nankivell 22) (Rewcastle 31), 23 Euan Forlow, 12 Will Milner (Scott 67), 11 Seamus Hutton (Hughes 52) (Hutton 62), 10 Rob Parker, 9 James Telford (Capt.), 21 Mike Hughes (White 29), 2 Ralph Johnston, 3 Micky Rewcastle (Dryden 25), 4 Chris Wearmouth, 5 Graeme Dunn (Nankivell 71), 6 Jonny Cousin, 7 Henry Wainwright, 8 Owen Vassallo (Hanning 40).

Replacements: 1 Angus White, 17 Ben Haigh, 18 Will Nankivell, 16 Joe Hanning, 20 Ryan Scott.

Photo Credit: Gareth Siddons

Lymm 22 Titans 36

Rotherham Titans ran out 36-22 winners over a spirited Lymm outfit to maintain their push at the top end of the table on a damp afternoon at Crouchley Lane.

Titans outscored the hosts by 5 tries to 3, with Jack Bergmanas bagging a brace and one each coming for Jack Taylor, Harry Newborn and Callum Bustin; Lloyd Hayes added 11 points from the tee.

The win for Rotherham was tainted by what looked like a serious leg injury to second rower Matt Challinor inside the opening 10 minutes and the best wishes of everyone at Clifton Lane go out to him.

The match itself saw Titans dominate for large periods, with once again the pack laying a strong foundation, particularly so with regards to the scrum and maul.

However when Titans opened the scoring after 3 minutes it came through the backs. Lloyd Hayes made a nice break after some smart footwork saw him dart back inside; he then took play up to the 5 metre line before sending in Jack Taylor on the wing. Hayes converted nicely from out wide.

From the restart Lymm responded immediately to level matters when Paddy Jennings finished off some slick handling and Tom Shard converted.

Moments later Rotherham’s Matt Challinor suffered a terrible lower leg injury and the game was held up for 20 minutes whilst the medics, led by Titans David Swift and Chris Myers, treated Matt’s injury.

From the restart Rotherham went back in front when Jack Bergmanas dotted down from the tail of a driving maul.

Shard narrowed the gap with a penalty before Bergmanas grabbed his second try of the match with another dot down from the maul.

Before the half hour mark Rotherham secured the bonus point when flanker Harry Newborn grabbed his first try on his second appearance of the season. This came from a catch and drive close to the line.

Just before the break Titans extended the lead to 29-10 when Hayes knocked over a penalty.

Following the half time oranges Rotherham resumed their dominance and on 50 minutes put the game to bed when back rower Callum Bustin scored from a catch and drive. Hayes conversion made it 36-10.

To be fair Lymm they never stopped giving it a go and two tries late in the game from Andy Williams and Stephen Pilkington was fair reward for their efforts.

Rotherham will now dust themselves down, count up the injuries and switch focus to the next challenge which will come away to Huddersfield next Saturday.

Following the match Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“A five point win away from home - I’m very happy.

“In parts of the game I was really impressed with what our team was doing, with the way they controlled the pitch and territory and don’t underestimate those long defensive sets that we had to put in today, because Lymm were a team that kept on playing and playing and we had to stick with it.

“So I was really delighted with our defensive performance, even though we let in three scores.

“We’ve got to make mention about the adversity though the game. We lost one of our big players in Matt Challinor, after just 7 minutes and the team had to adapt and there was problem solving out there.

“When you lose somebody like Chall you might have some doubts about your maul functioning, but the maul functioned today.

“I think the backs in difficult conditions when they had the opportunities took them.

“We probably missed three opportunities from our set piece to score; we got held up twice and we were defending for our lives when we went down to 13 players at the end.

“To not allow them a bonus point at home and to look at our missed opportunities just shows how much more is still to come from this team.”

Referee: Jack Moorhouse

Attendance: 189

Yellow Card: Tanumi, Milner, Newborn (Titans), Beesley (Lymm)

Titans: Bergmanas (2T), Taylor (T), Newborn (T), Bustin (T), Hayes (4C, 1P)

Lymm: Jennings (T), Williams (T), Pilkington (T), Shard (2C, 1P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tainne Finn, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi, 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 22), 1 Charlie Capps, 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 51), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 59), 4 Matt Challinor (Bustin 8), 19 John Okafor, 7 Lewis Allan (Kay 55), 25 Harry Newborn, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.). 

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Rupert Kay, 28 Callum Bustin, 20 Will Metcalfe. 

Lymm: 15 Jack Reynolds (Beesley 63), 14 Nathan Beesley (Williams 59), 13 Stephen Pilkington, 12 James Kimber, 11 Paddy Jennings, 10 Tom Shard, 9 Cal Morris, 16 Gav Woods (Higgins 51), 2 James Pitcher (Makin 40), 17 Matty Hand (Widdrington 40) (Hand 58), 4 James Yates (Capt.), 5 Ben Thompson, 6 Joe Johnson, 7 Harry Martin, 8 Rhys Lilly (Higginson 53).

Replacements: 1 Joe Higgins, 24 Jordan Widdrington, 18 Rob Makin, 19 Oli Higginson, 20 Andy Williams.

Titans 35 Sheffield Tigers 17

Rotherham Titans ran out worthy 35-17 winners in a full-bloodied South Yorkshire derby on a bright, but cool afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Rotherham outscored the visitors by 5 tries to 2, with their dot downs coming from Charlie Capps, Luke Cole, John Okafor, Harry Dunne and Lloyd Hayes, with the latter also adding 10 points from the tee.

The bonus point win keeps Rotherham in second place and within touch of league leaders Leeds Tykes, with the West Yorkshire side still to visit Clifton Lane later in the season.

The game played out as expected as both sides ripped into each other from the off and although it was a physical contest, it was played in the right spirit.

The competitiveness of the game saw the defences cancel each other out in the opening exchanges and it wasn’t until the 27th minute that the scoreboard was made to work when Titans loosehead prop Charlie Capps picked up from the base to dive over close to the line. Hayes tagged on the extras.

In a low-scoring opening 40 minutes Tigers fly half Will Baker added a penalty to send the teams in at the break with Titans leading 7-3.

All season long Rotherham has demonstrated what a strong second half outfit they are and yet again that quality came to the fore, as after not much more than 10 minutes they crossed the whitewash twice.

First of all hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail of the maul following a catch and drive, then back rower John Okafor finished off a nice move which started off with a nice chip over the top from Lloyd Hayes. Hayes then gathered the fumbled ball and found Matt Challinor in support who in turn shipped on to Harry Dunne before he put in Okafor next to the sticks.

Titans were now rampant as they dominated every aspect of the game; this culminated in securing the bonus point on 66 minutes when centre Harry Dunne showed great strength and tenacity to bulldoze his way over.

The match was wrapped up shortly after when Lloyd Hayes scored a lovely individual try. Hayes collected a pass from Will Metcalfe inside his own half and proceeded to gallop downfield through the Tigers defence unchallenged to dot down under the posts. His conversion made it 35-3.

With the game settled Rotherham can be forgiven for their late lapse in concentration.

Two minutes from time Tigers second rower Dom Santimaria bundled his way over and in injury time winger James Norman collected a kick over the top from Will Baker to run in under the posts and credit to Tigers for never giving up despite the game being long gone.

The win keeps Rotherham actively involved at the top end of the division and they will now switch focus to the next challenge which comes at Lymm next Saturday.

Speaking after the game Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“To be honest I think that was a comprehensive victory; the team controlled possession, dominated territory and fully deserved the five points. However, you could see 3 weeks of rustiness from the Christmas period because we left tries out there in the first half and in the second half we didn’t capitalise on a few opportunities.

“You have to give credit to Tigers; they didn’t give up and that’s where we need to improve and be better, because although the game was over and we’d won it, we’d like to see an 80 minute performance.

“Harry Newborn came in and was exceptional, particularly when you consider he was playing out of position. Everyone tells me he’s a hooker, but he was outstanding at 7 today. He brought energy, physicality and wherever the ball was Harry was and it’s great to have someone like that to call on who wants to give so much for the shirt.”

Referee: George Ounsley

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Hawksworth (Sheffield Tigers)

Titans: Capps (T), Cole (T), Okafor (T), Dunne (T), Hayes (T, 5C)

Sheffield Tigers: Santimaria (T), Norman (T), Baker (2C, P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Tainne Finn, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Tomasi Tanumi, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 57), 1 Charlie Capps, 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 44), 30 Reece Ward (Denman 34) (Ward 75), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith (Kay 67), 19 John Okafor, 7 Harry Newborn (Cowen-Leak 53), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.). 

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Gareth Denman, 18 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 6 Rupert Kay, 20 Will Metcalfe.  

Sheffield Tigers: 15 Sam Wager, 18 Lewis Taylor, 13 Jamie Broadley, 12 Barney Goatley, 11 James Norman, 10 Will Baker, 9 Ryan Holmes (Capt.) (Talbot 67), 1 Will Bennett, 2 Louis Townsend (Licence 60), 3 Nick Bingham (Clark 67), 4 Dan Hawksworth, 5 Dom Santimaria, 6 Connor Scott (Manderfield 72), 7 Joe Fitzsimons, 8 Josh Redfern.

Replacements: 16 Tom Clark, 17 Patrick Licence, 14 Curtis Wilson, 19 Ben Manderfield, 20 George Talbot.

Photo Credit: Gareth Siddons

Titans 33 Wharfedale 7

Rotherham Titans put in a powerful performance to grind out a well-deserved 33-7 bonus point victory over a tenacious Wharfedale side on a mild afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored Wharfedale by 4 tries to 1, with scores coming from John Okafor, Tainne Finn, Charlie Capps and Matt Smith, with Lloyd Hayes adding 13 points from the tee.

Going into the game it promised to be an abrasive affair and that’s exactly how it turned out as Wharfedale got into Rotherham’s faces made them graft hard for the win.

The first half, although extremely competitive, was a low-scoring one as neither side wanted to give an inch in this rasping encounter; however, Lloyd Hayes nudged Rotherham ahead on 10 minutes with a penalty kick.

The only other score in the opening half came as Wharfedale’s Louis Verity took advantage of a lapse in the Rotherham defence; as he picked up unopposed at the breakdown and raced in from 25 metres. Robbie Davidson added the extras to give the Green Machine a 7-3 lead.

The second half saw Rotherham get on top as their power game started to take its toll on Wharfedale and they reduced their arrears to a single point when Lloyd Hayes knocked over his second penalty.

The final twenty minutes saw Titans increase the intensity even more and this resulted in them scoring a remarkable four tries against a tiring opposition.

The first came on the hour mark when Harry Dunne initially made good ground down the left wing before Matt Challinor delivered a crucial offload under pressure for John Okafor to collect and power over.

Hayes added another penalty shortly after before quick ball through the backs, which involved JB Bruzulier, Harry Dunne, Will Milner and Jack Townend culminated in Tainne Finn going over in the corner on debut.

Inside the final ten minutes loose head prop Charlie Capps bulldozed his way over following good work from the pack and in the final play of the match second rower Matt Smith was on hand to collect another fine offload from Matt Challinor to secure the bonus point.

The victory was impressive and important as Rotherham continues their pursuit of leaders Leeds Tykes and with 13 games played and another 13 to go; everything is still to play for in what will be a long season of rugby.

Speaking after the match Titans Gaz Lewis reflected:

“Wharfedale are in the higher echelons of the league for a reason; I thought they were outstanding, particularly in the first half. They made it a real battle at the breakdown and they got under our skin in terms of the set-piece and made our life difficult.

“At half time we spoke about keeping our belief in what we wanted to achieve and to manage the aspects of the game we could control. We spoke about remaining calm and sticking to our processes and in the second half I thought the lads were outstanding, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

“To overcome some difficult periods against a top side like Wharfedale demonstrated the character within this squad; they showed bucket-loads of it to come back and get the bonus point win.

“This league is far from over; it’s a long season and we’re only at the halfway point and we know there’s a lot of rugby still to be played.

“We have a bit of a break now over Christmas and it’s important that the lads get some rest and recuperate and then come back firing in the New Year; it promises to be an exciting second half to the season.”

Referee: Daniel Woods

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Milner (Titans), Baldwin (Wharfedale)

Titans: Okafor (T), Finn (T), Capps (T), Smith (T), Hayes (3P, 2C)

Wharfedale: Verity (T), Davidson (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle (Tanumi 50), 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Tainne Finn, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps, 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 57), 3 Gareth Denman (Kivalu 50), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 6 Zak Poole (Capt.), 7 Rupert Kay (Cowen-Leak 40), 8 Callum Bustin (Okafor 40). 

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 18 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 19 John Okafor, 20 Tomasi Tanumi.  

Wharfedale: 15 Ryan Hodgson, 14 Tom Darwin, 13 James Coulton, 12 Oliver Cicognini, 11 Louis Verity, 10 Robbie Davidson, 9 Ollie Riddiough (Prell 51), 1 Sam Dickinson, 2 Robbie Collinson (Willis 68), 3 Jake Armstrong (Hirst 73), 4 Elliot Stockton, 5 George Hedgley (Capt.), 6 Jack Pinder, 7 Ben Markey (Green 55), 8 Rob Baldwin (Fawcett 73).

Replacements: 16 Jack Hirst, 17 Dan Willis, 18 Rhys Green, 19 Joe Fawcett, 20 Josh Prell. 

Preston Grasshoppers 7 Titans 34

Rotherham Titans put in a dominant forward display to overpower Preston Grasshoppers 34-7 on a wet and windy afternoon at Lightfoot Green Lane.

Titans outscored the hosts by 6 tries to 1, with scores from Callum Bustin, Zak Poole, Charlie Capps, John Okafor, Jack Bergmanas and Rupert Kay, with Lloyd Hayes adding 4 points from the tee.

The result keeps Rotherham in second place in the table and narrows the gap to Leeds to 6 points.

The match was played in awful wintry conditions as the rain lashed down and the wind swept through. It wasn’t a day for expansive rugby; it was always going to be a day where the forwards would dictate the outcome.

Indeed after just six minutes it was Rotherham number 8 Callum Bustin who got the scoreboard ticking over when he dotted down from a maul close to the line. Unsurprisingly Lloyd Hayes’ conversion from out wide was blown off course.

Preston however hit back within five minutes when lock forward Ellis Causey, dual-registered with Sale Sharks, charged down a clearing kick and neatly controlled before diving over to score a converted try. Unfortunately the tall second rower injured himself on landing and he played no further part in the game.

Despite Rotherham have much the better of things there would be only one more score in the first half. This came in the 25th minute when skipper Zak Poole crashed over following some powerful work from the Titans pack.

Rotherham would have gone in at half time frustrated with themselves after a number of errors led to lots of missed opportunities.

However, a more clinical Roth emerged for the second period as they went through the gears in search of the win and a bonus point.

Within 10 minutes of the restart Titans had their third try when Zak Poole fed loose head prop Charlie Capps who in turn charged in from 10 metres to power over next to the posts.

Before the hour mark the win and bonus point was secured when powerful back rower John Okafor dotted down following further good work from the Rotherham pack.

Two tries inside the final ten minutes added the cherries on top when firstly hooker Jack Bergmanas dotted down from a catch and drive and in the final play back rower Rupert Kay showed great tenacity to score following a brilliant 50 metre break from Lloyd Hayes.

All in all Rotherham will have been delighted to have secured a bonus point win in terrible conditions against a tricky side that beat them last season.

Titans will now focus on a huge Yorkshire derby on Saturday when high-flyers Wharfedale come to Clifton Lane for the last game before Christmas.

Speaking after the match Titans Gaz Lewis reflected:

“We spoke about delivering a professional performance in difficult conditions; it needed to be that when you come to places like this. We stuck to the task in hand and although we didn’t quite deliver that in the first half, we did in the second half with the way we imposed ourselves with a great effort from the lads.

“I think it’s a measure of how far we have come in a short space of time, the lads have the ability to problem solve and that’s a sign of the maturity in the team.

“To be fair to Preston they didn’t go away and they stuck to their task the whole game, but we played to our strengths in very difficult conditions and we are pleased to come away with the five points.

“We’ll now switch out thoughts to Wharfedale next week. I think everyone knows Wharfedale are a physical team; they are going to be abrasive and in your face and it will be very competitive.

“Training has been outstanding for us; we are working hard on our conditioning and physicality and it should be a real tough battle. Hopefully we can get a big crowd and create a good atmosphere at Clifton Lane.”

Referee: Dave Charlton

Attendance: 306

Yellow Card: Cowen-Leak (Titans), Williams (Preston)

Titans: Bustin (T), Poole (T), Capps (T), Okafor (T), Bergmanas (T), Kay (T), Hayes (2C)

Preston Grasshoppers: Causey (T), Hunt (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner (JB Bruzulier 77), 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 56), 1 Charlie Capps (Denman 70), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 45), 3 Gareth Denman (Kivalu 45), 4 Matt Challinor (Kay 66), 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Zak Poole (Capt.), 8 Callum Bustin (Cowen-Leak 47). 

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 18 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 27 Rupert Kay, 20 Will Metcalfe.    

Preston Grasshoppers: 15 Jacob Browne (Capt.) (Haigh 76), 14 Ben Haigh (Parkinson 45), 13 Jack Lightowler, 12 Ed Keohane, 11 Tyler Spence, 10 Will Hunt, 9 Rory Brand (Povall 76), 25 Jake Pope, 2 Harry Holden (Williams 73), 3 Wade Williams (Haigh 55) (Gosling 71), 4 Ellis Causey (Naylor 12), 5 Ally Murray, 6 Will Riley, 7 Ben Dorrington (Wilkinson 67), 8 Josh Longson.

Replacements: 16 Cameron Wilkinson, 17 Will Parkinson, 24 Ewan Naylor, 19 Izaak Gosling, 20 Niall Povall.  

Leeds Tykes 26 Titans 20

Rotherham Titans put in a colossal effort before eventually suffering a narrow 26-20 defeat to Leeds Tykes on a cold afternoon at The Sycamores.

Titans were outscored by four tries to two with John Okafor dotting down twice for Roth and Lloyd Hayes adding 10 points from the tee.

Titans’ first defeat of the season was a difficult one to take after such an effort, but they will take heart with over half the season remaining and Leeds having yet come to Clifton Lane, everything is still up for grabs.

The first half of the match saw Rotherham forced to defend for long periods; but this they did with huge intensity as they drove the home side backwards on numerous occasions.

As expected beforehand Rotherham held the upper hand in the forwards, but Leeds always looked threatening with ball in hand.

Titans thought they’d gone in front when winger Dan Rundle ran the length of the field to dot down under the sticks.

However, disappointment struck when the try was disallowed and play brought back 80 metres after the assistant referee adjudged Rotherham had been offside.

The scoreboard finally got a nudge on the half hour mark when Leeds went ahead after Jacob Mounsey ran a kick back from 70 metres and popped an inside pass to Harry Jukes to go in. Peter Lucock added the extras from in front of the posts.

Five minutes before the break Titans went down to 14 men after Gareth Denman was sin-binned for an offence at the breakdown.

Roth tried to ride out the storm until half time, but 2 minutes into injury time Leeds full back Kieran Davies spotted a gap in the line to cut through and run around to score under the posts. Lucock completed the formality of the conversion.

Rotherham came out for the second half rejuvenated and inside 2 minutes got on the board with a Lloyd Hayes penalty.

Shortly after Hayes thought he’d scored in the corner, but unfortunately for him another assistant referee’s decision deemed that he had been held up.

Rotherham finally converted their pressure into points just before the hour mark when John Okafor collected out wide and proceeded to power his way over the line. Hayes converted nicely.

Hayes then narrowed the gap to 14-13 a few minutes later with a penalty kick.

The momentum was now with Rotherham and they went in search of a famous victory.

However that was not meant to be.

Firstly Kieran Davies impressed with his pace as he spotted a gap in the Roth defence and darted through; then Harry Jukes used his pace to race down the line to score under the sticks for the bonus point.

Late on John Okafor scored what could be an important try as he dotted down and Hayes converted for a bonus point.

It was a surprise the game didn’t restart after less than 2 minutes of injury time, but Rotherham can take heart from their performance.

Roth will also know as the long winter months are about to set in, there is a long way to go in the season and importantly Leeds are yet to visit Clifton Lane.

It is expected there will be more twists and turns in the road before the outcome of this league is settled.

Rotherham will now switch their attention to the huge challenge South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Tigers will pose when they visit Clifton Lane on Saturday.

Speaking after the match Titans Harvey Biljon reflected:

“It was a hell of a battle and you have to give Leeds credit, they stuck to what they’ve been all season in the way they play. I think the amount of pressure that Rotherham withstood today without the ball and the effort they put in was exceptional.

“There were some key moments in the game where the outcome swings either way. At 13-14 and then after we scored late on; I thought they may have been time to have restarted the game, but that’s the way it goes.

“To come away from home, put that amount of effort in and to pick up the bonus point, the players can be very proud of themselves.

“We still have things to learn and we are seeing at training the players are stepping up and learning and improving and I’m seeing that each week.

“I’ve said to the players this game won’t define our season. We can’t wait to get back to training and build on today. The performances keep coming and I’m proud of them; let’s see what the coming weeks bring.”

Referee: Daniel Woods

Attendance: 991

Yellow Card: Denman (Titans)

Titans: Okafor (2T), Hayes (2C, 2P)

Leeds Tykes: Jukes (2T), Davies (2T), Lucock (2C), Turagabeci (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi, 11 Harry Dunne, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Metcalfe 72), 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 35) (Capps 58), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 25) (Bergmanas 60), 3 Gareth Denman (Cowen-Leak 43), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Ward 35) (Denman 58), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Callum Bustin, 20 Will Metcalfe.  

Leeds Tykes: 15 Kieran Davies, 14 Jacob Mounsey (Jukes 74), 13 Ben Dixon, 12 Tom Williams (Turagabeci 63), 11 Harry Jukes (Macnab 63), 20 Peter Lucock, 9 Will Hardwick, 1 Toby Williams, 2 Adam Brown (Capt.), 3 Jordan Cordice (Dennis 30), 4 Charlie Friend, 5 Tom Collins, 6 Eddie Brown (Ademakin 30) (Brown 57), 7 Lucas Walsh (Yorke 78), 8 Junior Nu’u (Ademakin 66).

Replacements: 16 Aarin Yorke, 17 Will Dennis, 18 Tobi Ademakin, 19 Henry Macnab, 10 Seremaia Turagabeci.

Titans 28 Hull 9

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their well-deserved 28-9 win over Yorkshire rivals Hull on a blustery afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored Hull by three tries to nil with Will Milner, Charlie Caps and Matt Challinor all dotting down, whilst Lloyd Hayes added 13 points from the tee.

The win keeps Titans unbeaten record intact and sets up nicely this weekend’s trip to fellow unbeaten side and league leaders Leeds.

This game was good preparation for Leeds, as Hull proved to be extremely tough and competitive throughout and Rotherham shouldn’t be disappointed at not claiming the bonus point.

Indeed it was Hull that raced out of the blocks brightly and got the scoreboard ticking over first when fly half Reece Dean knocked over an early penalty.

Rotherham needed to be mentally “on it” for this game and they certainly were as they faced a huge physical challenge from a powerful side, both in the backs as well as in the forwards.

Inside 10 minutes Roth went ahead when fly half Will Milner, after collecting a sharp pass from Will Metcalfe, showed immense strength to power over the line with Hull defenders hanging from him. Lloyd Hayes converted from in front of the sticks.

Before long Hull retook the lead following two more penalty kicks from Dean to make it 9-7, as Rotherham began to lose a little discipline.

Roth regathered themselves as the half wore on and they began to get the upper hand in the match; this led to Hayes knocking over his second penalty to nose his side back ahead.

That advantage was stretched in the final play of the half when loose head prop Charlie Capps barged his way over following a huge pack effort close to the line. Hayes converted to take it to 17-9 and ensured the half time oranges tasted that bit sweeter.

The second half saw Rotherham enjoy lots of territory and possession with Hull seldom threatening the home line; indeed Hull were nilled by an impressive Rotherham display.

Two further penalties from Hayes 10 minutes in made it 23-9, before on the hour mark Rotherham scored their third try when lock forward Matt Challinor barge over.

Try as they might however Roth were unable to add to their tally as Hull showed tremendous determination and spirit to keep them out.

Titans can be mighty pleased with the win over a side that must surely finish inside the top 5 this season and now Roth will switch their attention to the encounter in West Yorkshire this Saturday against Leeds.

Speaking after the game head coach Gaz Lewis said:

“I think we did a lot of things well; we played field position in the second half, we didn’t quite get the detail right around our maul, but I’m not quite sure about the legalities in how they defended it and we’ll have a look at that later.

“However we got the win and we should be proud of that and we’ve continued our winning momentum.

“Will Metcalfe at scrum half on debut played well; I thought he marshalled the game fine, he was sharp around the breakdown and he’s hungry to learn and improve and he has lots of potential.

“The season is building nicely; the game next week against Leeds has been on everyone’s lips and we’ve done well to keep our focus on the job in hand each week.”

Referee: Peter Connor

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Kivalu (Titans), Logavatu (Hull)

Titans: Milner (T), Caps (T), Challinor (T), Hayes (2C, 3P)

Hull: Dean (3P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi (Dunne 53), 11 Jack Render, 10 Will Milner, 9 Will Metcalfe (Bruzulier 50), 1 Loma Kivalu (Cowen-Leak 35), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 55), 30 Reece Ward (Denman 28), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Capps 28), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Charlie Capps, 3 Gareth Denman, 20 Harry Dunne, 23 JB Bruzulier.  

Hull: 15 Jamie Shaul, 14 Ali Heard, 13 Duell Trueman, 12 Bureta Faraimo (Hudson 65), 11 Harrison Astley, 10 Reece Dean, 9 David Davidson, 1 Jamie Major (Beech 40) (Major 76), 2 Mike Jobling, 3 Tomas Bairstow, 4 Paulos Latu (Logavatu 40), 5 Liam Regardsoe, 6 David Halaifonua (Nasilasila 61), 7 Evi Uriburu-Gray (Russell 52), 8 Will Hall.

Replacements: 16 Kym Russell, 17 Charlie Beech, 18 Mosese Nasilasila, 19 Joji Logavatu, 20 Peter Hudson.

Hull Ionians 24 Titans 49

Rotherham Titans put in an impressive performance to run out 49-24 winners over a hard-working Hull Ionians outfit on a bright afternoon at Brantingham Park.

Rotherham outscored the hosts by 7 tries to three as John Okafor and Loma Kivalu helped themselves to a brace of tries, with Charlie Capps, JB Bruzulier and Lloyd Hayes all going over too; the latter also impressed from the tea as he secured a perfect afternoon with 7 conversions.

The victory was well-deserved and maintains Titans unbeaten record this term; it also keeps them within touching distance of league leaders Leeds Tykes.

The game itself played in a combative spirit, saw Ionians take the lead on 3 minutes when Lewis Minikin knocked over a penalty.

Rotherham soon settled however and began to enjoy periods of possession and territory which resulted in the first try, when fly half Will Milner slipped through to send in John Okafor under the posts.

Despite their increasing dominance Rotherham had to wait until just before the half hour mark before their next score.

This time it was scrum half JB Bruzulier with a little pop-pass that sent in loose head prop Charlie Capps.

Just before the break Titans Jack Taylor was yellow carded; the result of which saw Ionians camped on the Titans line for a full five minutes.

This was a huge moment in the game, but Rotherham managed to hold out with some outstanding defending with 14 men.

After the break Roth quickly found their stride and by the hour mark had run in another 3 tries to virtually seal the game.

First up JB Bruzulier spun off the back of a powerful maul to dive over, then Lloyd Hayes collected a pass from Bruzulier and proceeded to cut through the I’s defence to score and finally front row replacement Loma Kivalu picked up from the base of a ruck close to the line to dive over.

Inside the final 10 minutes and with the game gone, Ionians chose to run everything in pursuit of a try bonus point.

Eight minutes from time Lewis Minikin got the ball rolling when he sliced through quite easily for I’s first try.

From the restart Roth responded immediately when John Okafor collected and proceeded to gallop almost half the length of the field for a nice individual try.

Back came the hosts however and with lots of adventure and ambition scored a quick-fire brace of tries through Joe Makin and Lucas Powell.

Nevertheless Rotherham did have the final say when Kivalu collected near the posts to dive over in a frenetic ending to the game.

Other than the final 10 minutes of the match Rotherham would have been delighted with their defensive effort, but more importantly, to come away from a tricky test like Hull Ionians with five points is to be highly commended.

Titans will now turn their attention to and prepare well for their next assignment, when Hull visit Clifton Lane on Saturday.

Referee: Michael Harris

Attendance: 317

Yellow Card: Taylor (Titans)

Titans: Okafor (2T), Kivalu (2T), Capps (T), Bruzulier (T), Hayes (T, 7C)

Hull Ionians: Makin (T), Powell (T), Minikin (T, P, 3C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Tomasi Tanumi, 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Eissa 59), 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 51), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 51), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 40), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith (Cowen-Leak 79), 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Bustin 53), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Callum Bustin, 20 Kareem Eissa.  

Hull Ionians: 15 Lewis Minikin, 14 Sam Wilson (Winch 64), 13 Josh Britton, 12 Will Stowe, 11 Will Yates, 10 Sam Pocklington, 9 Jimmy McDaniel (Hassard 64), 1 Chris Morton, 2 Ally Forth (Edwards 64), 3 Euan Walker (Westwood 46), 4 Joe Makin, 5 Callum Sanderson (Gascoigne 56), 6 Lucas Powell, 7 James Sanderson (Capt.), 8 George Mewburn. 

Replacements: 16 Scott Westwood, 19 Sam Edwards, 21 Declan Gascoigne, 24 Tom Winch, 20 Sam Hassard.

Titans 34 Otley 32

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their narrow, but deserved 34-32 win over a resolute Otley side on a wet afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans outscored the West Yorkshire outfit by five tries to four, with scores coming from Luke Cole, Harry Dunne, Zak Poole and a brace from Jack Taylor, whilst Lloyd Hayes added nine points from the tee.

The victory was far from straightforward with Rotherham having to overcome a first half 25-14 deficit, before mounting a stirring second half effort to run out worthy winners.

Otley started the game brighter showing plenty of emotion and desire to get at Roth; that enthusiasm was converted into points on 5 minutes when full back Jacob Holmes broke through to open the scoring.

Titans bounced back shortly after when a powerful maul pushed the visitors backwards before hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail. Lloyd Hayes impressed with his conversion from out wide on his 100th appearance for the club.

Back came Otley almost immediately as winger Sam Taylor coasted through the Roth defence far too easily to score. Gavin Stead converted and then stretched his side’s advantage to 15-7 a few minutes later with a penalty.

Despite Rotherham enjoying lots of territory and possession and despite their pack completely dominating at the set piece they were unable to add to their tally at this phase of the game.

Eventually however the pressure told on Otley as Harry Dunne crashed over following a lot of hard work inside the 22. Hayes tagged on the extras.

Disappointingly again for Rotherham Otley hit back almost straight way!

This time it was scrum half Rory Gaffney who skipped his way through virtually unopposed from a scrum inside the Roth 22. Stead converted and followed this up with another penalty just before half time to send his side in for the oranges in high spirits.

Trailing 25-14 Rotherham needed to respond and find solutions to overcome a stubborn and determined Otley outfit.

Indeed, the second half saw a different Rotherham to the first as they stepped up their intensity, cut down on the penalties and became more clinical when opportunities arose. This resulted in them scoring three tries inside a 15-minute spell.

Firstly skipper Zak Poole crashed over from a maul, before winger Jack Taylor raced in for two sharp tries in the corner to give his side a 31-25 lead.

Inside the final ten minutes Lloyd Hayes added another penalty to stretch Roth’s lead to 34-25 and crucially to more than one score.

It appeared as if Otley would suffer being nilled in the second half, before two minutes from time centre Gavin Stead went over near the posts following a break in midfield from Louis Martin. Stead dusted himself down to knock over the extras and set up a nervy finish for the Titans.

From the restart however Otley couldn’t get out of their half and when Titans John Okafor induced a penalty with some fine work over the ball, referee Woods blew to end a pulsating encounter.

Once again Titans witnessed how opposing teams find performances against them that belie their league position; and so massive credit must go to the Roth players for matching their opponent’s spirit and determination and for coming out on top and maintaining their unbeaten status this term.

Speaking after the game Titans Rugby Consultant Harvey Biljon reflected:

“Otley were very good and fair play to them; they came here with a game plan and they stuck to it. On the flip side our players adapted very well, they took on the messages at half time and in those conditions they found a way to win.

“From a starting point coming in I think we’ve done well to win today, but there’s a lot of work still to put in.”

Following on from Biljon’s comments, Titans head coach, Gaz Lewis, added:

“Otley clearly tried to upset our rhythm and I think that will be a key theme throughout the season. We had to play territory, we had to control our scrum and our maul and the players listened and adapted and credit to them for finding a way to win.

“We’ve made a few changes in how we want to play, we spoke before the game about taking a breath and understanding there will be things that go wrong at times, but it’s about managing those moments.

The main thing is we found a way to win and we’ll now prepare well for Hull Ionians next week.”

Referee: Daniel Woods

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: None

Titans: Taylor (2T), Cole (T), Dunne (T), Poole (T), Hayes (3C, 1P)

Otley:  Holmes (T), Taylor (T), Gaffney (T), Stead (T, 3C, 2P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Tomasi Tanumi, 12 Harry Dunne (Bustin 50), 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Lloyd Hayes, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 34) (Capps 73), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 50), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 34) (Denman 65), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 6 Rupert Kay (Okafor 50), 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 19 John Okafor, 18 Callum Bustin.  

Otley: 15 Jacob Holmes, 14 Sam Taylor, 13 Gavin Stead, 12 Charlie Metcalf (Martin 55), 11 Clark Wells, 10 Eddie Crossland (Capt.), 9 Rory Gaffney (Eaton 65), 1 George Parker 9 (Bowen 34) (Fontaine 65) (Bowen 76), 2 Leon Mudd, 3 Jason Moss (Baxter 30) (Moss 72), 4 Alex Johnson, 5 Chris Jackson, 6 Nick Fontaine (Gibson 30), 7 Sam Hodge, 8 Ben Waddington.

Replacements: 16 Ryan Gibson, 17 Tom Baxter, 18 George Bowen, 19 Lewis Eaton, 20 Louis Martin.

Sheffield 17 Titans 37

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their deserved 37-17 win over Sheffield on a wet and windy afternoon at Abbeydale Park.

Titans outscored the hosts by 4 tries to 3 and secured the bonus point with dot downs from Dan Rundle, Loma Kivalu, Kareem Eissa and John Okafor, with Lloyd Hayes adding 17 points from the tee.

The win keeps Titans in second place behind Leeds Tykes as the league now goes into a 2-week break, before the resumption with the home game against Otley at Clifton Lane on the 4th of November.

The match itself was a fiercely contested derby with both sides giving everything in what were at times difficult conditions, particularly in the second half when the heavens opened and handling became tricky.

Nevertheless in an entertaining clash it was the Titans who got the scoreboard ticking first when Lloyd Hayes knocked over an early penalty.

Moments later however the home side stormed into the lead when the ball was spun across the backline for centre Charlie Davies to cut through for a try which former Titan Jonny West converted.

Hayes reduced his sides arears on 12 minutes with another 3-pointer, before midway through the half Dan Rundle put Roth ahead with a score in the corner following a sharp pass from Kareem Eissa. It was a lead Rotherham would not relinquish.

Surprisingly for all the attacking intent from both teams there would be no further scores in the half. Indeed it wasn’t until the 56th minute that the scoreboard needed an update when Hayes tagged over his third penalty of the game.

Immediately Sheffield struck back with a fine try that saw the ball move through plenty of hands with some nice offloads for full back Cameron Catleugh to go over. The missed conversion by Elliot Fisher left the game delicately poised at 16-12 to Roth.

Any nerves the Clifton Lane outfit may have had were quickly dispelled as they scored 3 tries in a 12 minute blitz.

Firstly front row forward Loma Kivalu bulldozed his way over from close range, then scrum half Kareem Eissa showed some nifty footwork to dart back inside for a nice score, before John Okafor dived over spectacularly to wrap up the game and secure the bonus point after some impressive work in the build up from Tomasi Tanumi.

Sheffield did have the last word when former Titan Ryan Burrows crashed over in the final play, but ultimately Rotherham deservedly came out on top after putting in a hard-working and resolute performance.

More of these performances will likely be needed throughout the long winter months if Titans are to stay in touch with high-flyers Leeds Tykes.

Speaking after the game Rotherham head coach, Gary Pearce said:

“We are delighted to get the win; I thought the lads were outstanding in the second half and were very dominant. The first half was a bit of a start-stop affair which didn’t allow us to get much momentum, but that changed in the second half.

“We left some scores out there in the first half, but we didn’t panic at half time and we controlled the game in the second half as our pack got on top and we scored a couple of nice tries.”

Referee: George Ounsley

Attendance: 397

Yellow Card: Smith (Titans)

Titans: Rundle (T), Kivalu (T), Eissa (T), Okafor (T), Hayes (4C, 3P)

Sheffield: Davies (T), Catleugh (T), Burrows (T), West (1C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 27 Callum Bustin (Tanumi 61), 11 Lewis Winterbottom, 10 Will Milner (Bustin 75), 9 Kareem Eissa, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 34) (Capps 71), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 47), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 34) (Denman 71), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 19 John Okafor, 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Payne 68), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 18 Marcus Payne, 20 Tomasi Tanumi.  

Sheffield: 15 Cameron Catleugh (West 53), 14 James Flint (Adcock 33) (Flint 40), 13 Charlie Davies, 12 Will Smith, 16 Christian Hooper, 20 Jonny West (Posa 52), 9 Elliot Fisher, 1 Aaron Lonsdale, 2 Rhodri Campbell (Bartlett 40), 22 Jake Hicklin (Rogers 52), 4 Archie Crapper (Adcock 52), 5 Dom Parsons (Capt.), 6 Alex Fawdry (Crapper 75), 7 Jason Hignell (Flinders 52), 8 Ryan Burrows.

Replacements: 23 Reece Bartlett, 3 George Rogers, 24 Charlie Flinders, 21 Matt Adcock, 17 Callum Posa.

Titans 34 Fylde 19

Rotherham Titans maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a dominant 34-19 win over top side Fylde on a warm afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans’ tries came from Matt Challinor, Tomasi Tanumi, Zak Poole and in the final play of the game a penalty try; with Lloyd Hayes adding 12 points from the tee.

The win keeps Titans in second spot in the table, just 2 points behind leaders Leeds Tykes.

Roth’s performance was their best of the season, particularly in the opening 30 minutes in which they outplayed and outmuscled their illustrious opponents.

Indeed the South Yorkshire men raced into a 14-0 lead inside the opening 7 minutes after a blistering start shook their opponents to their boots.

First up Matt Challinor was on hand to dot down under the sticks following some powerful work from the pack, before Tomasi Tanumi showed good strength to touch down near the corner after some slick handling by the Roth backline.

Titans continued to totally dominate and were probably disappointed that their next score didn’t arrive until 2 minutes before the break.

The third score can be attributed the pack, as from a 5 metre scrum they powerfully marched the Fylde forwards into reverse, allowing skipper and number 8 Zak Poole to finish off.

Fylde are a class side and they were always going to provide a response; this came in the final play of the half when winger Adam Lanigan cut back inside to score after receiving a long miss-pass from Greg Smith.

The second half was a more even affair, but surprisingly the next score didn’t arrive until just before the hour mark when Titans Lloyd Hayes knocked over a penalty.

Fylde looked bright and lively with ball in hand and they picked up their second try when centre Jordan Dorrington went over after two zippy passes sent him in.

Roth nibbled further ahead through a second Lloyd Hayes penalty after which in the final minutes Fylde picked up a third try.

This came through dual-registered Premiership prop forward Tye Raymont, who powered his way over from close range to reduce his sides arrears to 27-19 with Smith’s conversion.

However, if the final play of the match Rotherham secured the bonus point when aptly the pack were awarded a penalty try after a maul was deliberately collapsed on the line. Fylde’s Corey Bowker was yellow carded for his part in the misdemeanour.

The result was an impressive and fully deserved one against a class side and Rotherham can take confidence in the knowledge they can compete and beat the best sides in the division.

The challenges as always come thick and fast; the next game sees a South Yorkshire derby against Sheffield at Abbeydale and again Roth will need to be at their best if they are to give themselves an opportunity to get a result.

Speaking after the match Titans head coach, Gary Pearce, said:

“We knew it was going to be a competitive game; Fylde finished runners-up last year and they are a good side who play good rugby. They’re always there at the end and we knew it was going to be a big game and we prepared accordingly.

“We were on fire in the first half and if we had gone in at half time 50 points up I don’t think anyone could have complained; we just didn’t take our chances and we had so many of them.

“We were dominant, we were powerful and we are progressing as a team. We talk every week about improving, but we let ourselves down a little bit sometimes because we are not clinical enough.

“However, if we can put a performance like that together for longer periods and take the chances we create, then we are going to blow sides away and we will be a very difficult side to beat.

“Defensively we did really well and we were excellent in the first half, but they are always going to have their 10 minutes because of how they play the game and because they have good players, there is no doubt about that. They’ve probably got 4 of the best players in the league in their side and we respect that.”

Referee: Henry Pearson

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Bustin (Titans), Bowker (Fylde)

Titans: Challinor (T), Tanumi (T), Poole (T), Pen Try, Hayes (3C, 2P)

Fylde: Lanigan (T), Dorrington (T), Raymont (T), Smith (2C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Jack Render, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne (Bustin 37), 11 Tomasi Tanumi, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 27) (Capps 75), 2 Jack Bergmanas (38), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 27) (Denman 70), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith (Okafor 63), 6 Rupert Kay (Smith 70), 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 19 John Okafor, 27 Callum Bustin.  

Fylde: 15 Sam Carleton, 14 Ben Turner, 13 Jordan Dorrington, 12 Tom Carleton, 11 Adam Lanigan, 10 Greg Smith, 9 Ben Gould (Wootton 62), 1 Corey Bowker (Brookes 33) (Bowker 70), 2 Ben Gregory (Capt.), 3 Peter Altham (Raymont 23), 4 Matt Ashcroft, 5 Ethan Hall-Lyon, 6 Toby Harrison, 7 Tane Bentley (Garrod 48), 20 David Fairbrother (Parker 4).

Replacements: 16 Alex Brookes, 18 Tye Raymont, 23 Matt Garrod, 17 Sam Parker, 19 Will Wootton.

Tynedale 19 Titans 33

Rotherham Titans were made to work hard for their 33-19 win over Tynedale on a drizzly afternoon at Station Road.

The win keeps Titans unbeaten start to the season in tact as they shared 6 tries in a competitive clash in the North East.

Roth’s 3 tries came from skipper Zak Poole, winger Dan Rundle and hooker Luke Cole, with Lloyd Hayes adding 18 points from the tee.

Hayes’s match tally saw him go past 500 points for the club; it’s a notable achievement and he’s to be congratulated for his outstanding effort.

The match itself saw Roth charge out of the blocks and race into a 13-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes, following a sniping try up the blindside from Zak Poole and two penalties from the reliable boot of Lloyd Hayes.

Indeed the first 30 minutes saw the South Yorkshire side totally dominate and had they taken all the opportunities created, the game would have been done and dusted by that point.

However, credit to Tynedale, as after keeping Roth out in what must have felt like the Alamo at times, their reward came when the momentum of the game shifted in the final 10 minutes of the half.

Two tries from lively winger Ben Riley, one converted by Josh Leslie reduced the home side’s deficit to 13-12.

However, during the half time interval Rotherham reset and regathered focus on the job in hand.

The second 40 minutes saw them again dominate throughout, particularly with their pack holding the upper hand.

Following two more penalties from Hayes, Roth’s Dan Rundle, a former Tynedale player, stretched the lead further when he collected on the left wing and raced through for a nice score.

Five minutes from time Rotherham sealed the game when hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail of a driving maul.

Disappointingly for Roth however, a lapse of concentration from the restart allowed centre Joe Lilley to go over for a smart try.

And whilst Rotherham did go in search for the bonus point Tynedale managed to keep them at bay.

Nevertheless, five wins from 5 games see Roth sit nicely in second place just 2 points behind league leaders Leeds Tykes.

Attention will now turn to the weekend and the challenge that top-end side Fylde will bring to Clifton Lane.

Speaking after the match Titans head coach, Gary Pearce, said:

“It’s always tough up here; they brought a couple of quality players back in this week and we are delighted to have got the win.

“I thought our lads came out really strong in the first 25 minutes and then we got on the wrong side of the referee and he gave them a few decisions which led to good field position for them and they took advantage of that.

“We addressed that at half time and to be fair to our lads we dominated the second half and we are a bit disappointed to have not come away with the bonus point.

“We left a few points out there, but overall I’m really pleased to come away from home and remain unbeaten and we now move on.”

Referee: Nathan Howarth

Attendance: 385

Yellow Card: Milner & Challinor (Titans), Milner (Tynedale)

Titans: Poole (T), Rundle (T), Cole (T), Hayes (3C, 4P)

Tynedale: Riley (2T), Lilley (T), Leslie (1C), Rodgers (1C)

Titans: 15 Lloyd Hayes, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Tomasi Tanumi (Townend 44), 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Jack Taylor (Tanumi 68), 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 30) (Capps 66), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 44), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 30) (Denman 66), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith, 6 Rupert Kay (Okafor 39), 7 Laurence Cowen-leak (Kay 68), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 19 John Okafor, 20 Jack Townend.  

Tynedale: 15 Rob Parker, 14 Ben Riley, 13 Joe Lilley, 12 Will Milner, 11 Seamus Hutton, 10 Josh Leslie (Rodgers 59), 9 James Telford (Douglas 54), 1 Angus White (Rewcastle 56), 2 Louis Frankland (Oliver 70), 3 Oscar Caudle (Haigh 39) (Caudle 63), 4 Chris Wearmouth (Capt.), 5 Will Nankivell, 6 Graeme Dunn, 7 Jacob Oliver (Wainwright 51), 8 Joe Hanning.

Replacements: 16 Micky Rewcastle, 17 Ben Haigh, 18 Henry Wainwright, 22 Ben Douglas, 20 Jake Rodgers.

Titans 43 Huddersfield 15

Rotherham Titans made it 4 wins on the spin as they out-muscled a physical Huddersfield outfit 43-15 on a warm, but windy afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Roth outscored their Yorkshire rivals by 6 tries to 2, with Luke Cole, Loma Kivalu, Harry Dunne, Zak Poole, Kareem Eissa and Jack Taylor all going over, whilst Will Milner added 13 points from the tee.

In a typically gritty and full-blooded Yorkshire derby, Rotherham had to match the intensity of the visitors to earn the right to eventually ease away in the second half.

Indeed it was Field who set the tempo at the start and nosed ahead inside 5 minutes with a George Collins penalty.

Roth levelled soon after with a Will Milner penalty and then went ahead when hooker Luke Cole dotted down from the tail of a maul.

However, a spirited Field outfit were up for a battle and midway through the half, after some hard yards were made by the forwards, the ball was fed out across the line for winger Fin Stewart to score in the corner.

The game had an edge about it as both sides looked to secure the upper hand and gain dominance.

Eventually the arm wrestle was won by the Titans as they met the challenge head on.

This resulted in two quick fire tries late in the half, as firstly prop forward Loma Kivalu broke the line and galloped home from 20 meters, before in time added on a lovely long miss-pass from JB Bruzulier enabled Harry Dunne to go over in the corner.

The second half, whilst competitive, saw the home side ease away as they added a further 3 scores.

Before the hour mark the game was effectively wrapped up and the bonus point sealed when skipper Zak Poole barged his way over next to the sticks.

The Roth wingers then got in on the act as Kareem Eissa dotted down in the left corner following a skilful offload in contact from Jack Townend, before the full back then sent in Jack Taylor in the opposite corner.

Just as it appeared Huddersfield would be nilled in the second half, Ed Barber popped up in injury time to avert that disappointment.

Overall Rotherham will be delighted to have overcome such a rugged outfit as Huddersfield and to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

The focus will quickly shift now onto the next game and another tough challenge away at Tynedale.

Speaking after the match Roth’s head coach, Gary Pearce said:

“Huddersfield came here with a bit of physicality, but our lads got stuck in and we played some good rugby as well.

“I don’t think the scoreline reflects the game, I think we left a few points out there; but we were after a performance and I think we got a high-tempo one from the lads, particularly in the second half. I was really pleased with the lads.

“Huddersfield looked to take us on up front and I think that suited us; we always come through at the end. We were the dominant side and our defence was strong, I think we’ve taken a step forward today against probably the toughest opposition we’ve faced this year.

“You have to give them credit, they fronted up well; they’re a big, heavy bunch and they gave us a good contest.

“I was pleased with all our lads today, we showed a bit of spirit, a bit of heart and a bit of commitment and we played at a higher tempo which is much better for us.

“We’ll now switch our focus onto Tynedale; it’s always a tough place to go. They’ve not had the greatest start to the season, but at home they always make it difficult for the opposition.

“But we’ll just concentrate on ourselves and on our own preparations and we look forward to the challenge next week.”

Referee: Peter Connor

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: Eissa (Titans), Barber (Huddersfield)

Titans: Cole (T), Kivalu (T), Dunne (T), Poole (T), Eissa (T), Taylor (T), Milner (5C, 1P)

Huddersfield: Fin Stewart (T), Barber (T), Collins (1C, 1P)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle (Eissa 59), 13 Tomasi Tanumi, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Jack Taylor, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier (Rundle 71), 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 26) (Capps 49), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 46), 30 Reece Ward (Denman 26) (Ward 73), 4 Matt Challinor (Cole78), 5 Matt Smith, 6 Marcus Payne (Allan 46), 7 Rupert Kay (Payne 71), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Loma Kivalu, 3 Gareth Denman, 27 Lewis Allan, 20 Kareem Eissa.  

Huddersfield: 15 Kian Stewart (Nicholson 63), 14 Fin Stewart, 13 Lewis Workman, 12 Ed Barber, 11 Max Horsfall, 10 George Collins, 22 Josh Walker, 1 Callum Thompson (Capt.) (Rollins 51), 2 Ethan Myers (Moore 57), 3 Harry Whitfield (Rollins 26) (Whitfield 40), 4 Alex Dawson (Haywood 19) (Dawson 26), 5 Thiu Barnard (Myers 68), 6 Lewis Quinn, 7 Ross Thornton, 8 Billy Hammond (Haywood 51).

Replacements: 16 Andy Rollins, 17 Harry Moore, 18 Kieran Nicholson, 19 Tom Haywood, 9 Simon Wilson.

Titans 33 Lymm 10

Rotherham Titans beat a spirited Lymm side 33-10 in a stop-start game on a windy afternoon at Clifton Lane which keeps them unbeaten after three games.

Titans’ tries came via JB Bruzulier, Zak Poole, Reece Ward, Dan Rundle and Laurence Cowan-Leak, with Lloyd Hayes adding 6 points from the tee and Will Milner 2.

It wasn’t the Titans at their best, but when you’re having an off-day if you end up winning with the bonus point, that as they say in Yorkshire – “Will do.”

Rotherham to be fair pretty much dominated throughout the game and got the board ticking on 12 minutes when scrum half JB Bruzulier sold a dummy close to the posts before diving over.

Lymm’s Cormac Nolan did notch a 3-pointer to reduce his side’s arrears, before Titans skipper Zak Poole scored a nice try in the corner after peeling round the blindside from a line out.

Before the break prop forward Reece Ward powered over following more impressive work from the Titans pack.

Two minutes into the second half Dan Rundle wrapped up the bonus point when he dotted down in the corner after receiving a crisp pass from Bruzulier.

Before the hour mark Roth extended their advantage when Cowan-Leak scored after more good work from the pack, which saw Lymm bullied off their own scrum close to the line.

However, rather than the home side going on to rack up a notable score in the final quarter, the only points scored from thereon came when Lymm’s Cal Morris touch down after some smart work from the scrum half.

Rotherham will now focus on preparing for the visit of Huddersfield to Clifton Lane on Saturday, where they will hope a more polished performance can be achieved.

Speaking after the game Titans head coach, Gary Pearce, said:

“I’m a bit disappointed to be honest, I thought we were a bit off at times, but you also have to give Lymm some credit because they tackled well and they got stuck in.

“But we had a lack of control with the ball at times and that was a bit disappointing; but we got the 5 points and the lads are entitled to have an off-day.

“Although we scored five tries, it could have been ten; but we’re only three games in and I’m sure our performances will improve.”

Referee: Gavin Jones

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: None

Titans: Bruzulier (T), Poole (T), Ward (T), Rundle (T), Cowan-Leak (T), Hayes (3C), Milner (1C)

Lymm: Morris (T), Nolan (P, C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes (Eissa 48), 12 Harry Dunne (Payne 76), 11 Tomasi Tanumi, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Alex Pleasants (Capps 27), 2 Luke Cole (Bergmanas 48), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 33) (Denman 52) (Ward 76), 19 John Okafor (Challinor 33), 5 Matt Smith, 6 Marcus Payne (Okafor 52), 7 Laurence Cowan-Leak, 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Charlie Capps, 30 Reece Ward, 4 Matt Challinor, 20 Kareem Eissa.  

Lymm: 15 Cormac Nolan, 14 Joe Senior (Jennings 78), 13 Stephen Pilkington, 12 James Kimber (Reynolds 71), 11 Paddy Jennings (Stride 61), 22 Jack Reynolds (Shard 54), 9 Cal Morris, 17 Gav Woods (Higgins 52) (Woods 71), 2 James Pitcher (Stewart 67), 3 Matthew Hand (Widdrington 33) (Hand 52), 4 James Yates (Capt.), 5 Ali Sutherland, 6 Sean Callender, 7 Joshua Hadland, 8 Rhys Lilly.

Replacements: 24 Jordan Widdrington, 16 Joe Higgins, 18 Alex Stewart, 19 Tom Shard, 20 Jack Stride.

Photo Credit: Gareth Siddons

Wharfedale 19 Titans 34

Rotherham Titans recovered from a 14-3 half time deficit to stun Wharfedale 34-19 on a roasting hot afternoon at The Avenue.

Both sides scored 3 tries each with Rotherham’s dot downs coming from Matt Challinor, Jack Townend and Harry Dunne; Lloyd Hayes added 19 points from the tea.

On a sapping-hot afternoon it was the home side that scored first after just 3 minutes, when despite their scrum going backwards apace they managed to get the ball out and break quickly, allowing centre James Coulton to go in under the sticks.

Lloyd Hayes got Roth on the board soon after with a penalty, but Wharfedale extended their lead before the half hour mark to 14-3 when second rower Elliot Stockton crashed over following a period of forward pressure close to the line.

Roth had lots of possession during the first half but a combination of errors on their part and resilient defending by Wharfedale ensured they wouldn’t add to their tally.

No doubt during the half time oranges there would have been some stern words spoken in the Roth dressing room.

The second period saw a rejuvenated South Yorkshire side and with the benefit of the slope it took only 8 minutes for Roth to get their first try through Matt Challinor, after a number of pick-and-goes close to the line. Hayes’ conversion made it 14-10.

Titans’ confidence was boosted by their success and they enjoyed long periods of possession which provided some dominance in the game.

During this spell Lloyd Hayes demonstrated his accurate kicking skills by adding a further 3 penalties before full back Jack Townend showed good pace to cut through for an important try. Hayes converted the try and five minutes from time slotted a fifth penalty to effectively seal the game.

However, in injury time there was still time for each side to add a third try.

Replacement back Omari Kaup-Samuels showed great pace to dot down for the home side, whilst in the final play Titans’ Harry Dunne popped up on the right wing to touch down in the corner after collecting from Matt Challinor.

Titans will have been delighted to secure the win at such a difficult place as Wharfedale and they will now switch their focus to the visit of Lymm to Clifton Lane this week.

Speaking after the match Titans’ head coach, Gary Pearce, said:

“We were very good in the second half, we were very powerful and we looked like we’d got loads of energy left in us at the end.

“Our fitness was good; our bench was good and they made a significant impact when they went on and upped the tempo and that’s what you want to see.

“It was tough up the slope in the first half; we were a bit disappointed with some of the points we conceded and even more so with the chances we created but didn’t take; we could have gone in at half time with the lead.

“But this is what happens when you come to places like Wharfedale, they are a dogged side and they make it hard for you and we knew that was going to be the case.

“I thought the lads played well in the second half; Laurence carried really well, John Okafor did the same when he came on and everyone in the front row was outstanding.

“JB had a good game and put us in some really good positions with his kicking and so overall we are really pleased with the outcome.”

Referee: Jack Moorhouse

Attendance: 525

Yellow Card: Gaudie (Wharfedale)

Titans: Challinor (T), Townend (T), Dunne (T), Hayes (2C, 5P)

Wharfedale: Coulton (T), Stockton (T), Kaup-Samuels (T), Davidson (2C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend (Bustin 76), 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 28 Callum Bustin (Dunne 30), 11 Tomasi Tanumi, 10 Will Milner, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Charlie Capps (Kivalu 27) (Capps 74), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 36), 3 Gareth Denman (Ward 27) (Denman 61), 27 Matt Challinor (Okafor 51), 5 Matt Smith, 6 Rupert Kay (Challinor 61), 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Bergmanas 74), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 30 Reece Ward, 25 John Okafor, 12 Harry Dunne.

Wharfedale: 15 Ryan Hodgson, 14 Rob Davidson (Mallinson 40), 17 James Coulton, 12 Oliver Cicognini, 11 Beau Verity (Omari Kaup-Samuels 23), 10 Louis Verity, 9 Sam Gaudie, 16 Sam Dickinson (Collinson 67) (Armstrong 71), 2 Robbie Collinson (Beesley 52), 3 Jake Armstrong (Altham 48), 4 Elliot Stockton, 5 George Hedgley (Capt.), 6 Jack Pinder (Green 27), 7 Ben Markey (Pinder 55), 8 Rob Baldwin (Markey 68).

Replacements: 23 George Altham, 17 Matt Beesley, 18 Rhys Green, 19 Omari Kaup-Samuels, 20 Toby Mallinson. 

Titans 52 Billingham 24

Rotherham Titans began their season in style as they outscored new boys to the division Billingham by 52-24 on a warm and sunny afternoon at Clifton Lane.

Titans’ eight tries came via Rupert Kay, Laurence Cowen-Leak, Jack Townend, Jack Bergmanas, Luke Cole, Tomasi Tanumi and a brace for Lloyd Hayes who also added 12 points from the tee.

It took Rotherham just 3 minutes to score their first points of the season, when flanker Rupert Kay collected a nice popped-pass from Jack Bergmanas before breaking through to side-step the fullback to dot down under the sticks.

Billingham however responded quickly and within 6 minutes scored a penalty and then went into the lead when centre Luke Wilson intercepted inside his own 22 and proceeded to gallop the length of the pitch to score.

With their enthusiasm in tact Rotherham mounted a blitz which saw them score three tries inside a 6-minute spell to give them a 28-10 lead and secure the try bonus point.

Firstly Laurence Cowen-Leak showed his power to smash his way over; he was followed by full back Jack Townend who finished off nicely after Lloyd Hayes had ghosted his way through the defence and hooker Jack Bergmanas dotted down from a catch and drive.

Again though Billingham demonstrated their eagerness to not roll over and they too scored a couple of quick tries before the half hour mark.

Fly half Peter Evans skilfully chipped through for Luke Wilson to collect for his second try under the posts and then adventurously from deep inside their own half Billingham played the ball across the backline allowing winger Joe Ross to race home from 60 metres.

The two quick-fire tries narrowed the visitor’s deficit to 28-24 and the possibility of a shock opening-day win was becoming a possibility. However, those points would be the last scored by Billingham!

Either side of half time Lloyd Hayes showed his class with a brace of dot downs to calm the home side’s nerves and two more tries were added when Luke Cole touched down from the tail of a maul and Gareth Denman found Tomasi Tanumi as an extra man out wide to finish things off.

All in all it was a good opening day effort from Rotherham and whilst there will always be things to work on, scoring 8 tries and 50 points is never considered a bad day at the office.

Speaking after the game Titans head coach, Gary Pearce, said:

“I think at times we got lulled in to trying to play a bit too much rugby and we made a too many errors for my liking, but we scored lots of tries, put 50 points on them and nilled them in the second half, so it’s not all bad.

“We were disappointed to give them some of their points because we are better than that, but credit to Billingham they never stopped coming at us.

“We scored some entertaining tries ourselves and we got the five points and that’s the main thing.

“We know next week at Wharfedale will be a different test; it’s always one of the toughest places to go and try and get a result and we’ll give them our upmost respect.”

Referee: Dave Charlton

Attendance: 250

Yellow Card: K Clark (Billingham)

Titans: Kay (T), Cowen-Leak (T), Townend (T), Bergmanas (T), Cole (T), Tanumi (T), Hayes (2T, 6C),

Billingham: Wilson (2T), Ross (T), Evans (P, 3C)

Titans: 15 Jack Townend, 14 Dan Rundle, 13 Harry Dunne (Milner 49), 28 Callum Bustin (Cowen-Leak 71), 11 Tomasi Tanumi, 10 Lloyd Hayes, 9 JB Bruzulier (Eissa 63), 1 Charlie Capps (Denman 68), 2 Jack Bergmanas (Cole 49), 3 Gareth Denman (Kivalu 40), 4 Matt Challinor, 5 Matt Smith (Dunne 65), 6 Rupert Kay (Okafor 40), 7 Laurence Cowen-Leak (Kay 66), 8 Zak Poole (Capt.).

Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Loma Kivalu, 25 John Okafor, 19 Kareem Eissa, 20 Will Milner.  

Billingham: 15 Elliott Husband (Capt.), 14 Joe Ross, 13 Peter Youll (Groark 59), 12 Luke Wilson, 11 Jonny Horner, 10 Peter Evans, 9 Connor Foley (Heron 57), 1 Adam Brown (Clark 68), 2 Jordan Foulds (Graham 65), 3 Kieran Clark (Spoors 57), 4 Ben Walton, 5 Mike Walton, 6 Tom Campbell (Burns 49), 7 John Padley (Campbell 63), 8 Anthony Jackson.

Replacements: 16 Ed Graham, 17 Joe Spoors, 18 Dan Burns, 19 Sam Heron, 20 Louie Groark. 

Photo Credit: Gareth Siddons

Titans 22 Durham University 19

Rotherham Titans were made to work exceptionally hard for their 22-19 win over BUCS side Durham University on a warm evening under the lights at Clifton Lane.

The hard-fought victory was fully deserved and it served to complete Roth’s pre-season preparations ahead of the visit of Billingham next Saturday for the start of the National 2 North season.

Titans outscored Durham by 4 tries to 3, with a brace coming for Luke Cole and one each for JB Bruzulier and Charlie Capps; Lloyd Hayes added a conversion.

Full credit must be given to Durham who threatened continuously throughout the game and as expected looked bright and lively as they attacked Roth whenever the opportunity arose.

It wasn’t the Titans finest performance to be fair; the South Yorkshire outfit gave away far too many penalties and too often made mistakes at crucial times in promising positions.

However, what was commendable was the spirit they displayed to find a way to get the win and hopefully that same spirit will give them great optimism for the new campaign ahead.

Two Luke Cole catch and drive tries cancelled out dot downs from Toby Tyson and Jake Spurway for the visitors, as the sides went in at the break level at 12-apiece.

Durham skipper Pat Bishop gave the Uni outfit the lead again just 7 minutes into the second half as he converted his own try; all of which kept the pressure on the home side.

Replacement scrum half JB Bruzulier narrowed the Titans deficit with an unconverted try five minutes later and on the hour mark loosehead prop Charlie Capps nosed his side ahead to make it 22-19.

But rather than kicking on Roth struggled to break the shackles of the north east side, but to be fair the visitors never really had an opportunity to take home the spoils.

So Rotherham ended their pre-season run with a perfect 3 wins from 3 and now their focus will be fully tuned in for the visit of Billingham on Saturday.

Guernsey Raiders 12 Titans 35

Rotherham Titans continued their fine pre-season form with an impressive 35-12 win over Channel Islands based side Guernsey Raiders, on a baking summer’s afternoon at Footes Lane.

Rotherham outscored their hosts by 5 tries to 2, with Laurence Cowan-Leak, Harry Dunne, Gareth Denman, Charlie Capps and Lewis Allan all crossing the whitewash; whilst Lloyd Hayes enjoyed a perfect afternoon with 5 conversions.

The match demonstrated the Titans pack strength throughout a keenly contested affair and one they hope, will stand them in good order for the new season ahead in 2 weeks time.

However it was the hosts who scored first when a clearance kick from Roth was charged down inside their own 22; and following a number of subsequent phases second rower Lewis Hillier bundled his way over.

Indeed Rotherham had to wait until the 21st minute before they got on the board and when it came it did so by way of some powerful work by their impressive pack which saw back rower Laurence Cowan-Leak crash over.

Ten minutes later and Roth extended their lead when this time Harry Dunne joined the pack-party to finish off from close range.

The second half saw Roth increase their superiority and advantage when tight head prop Gareth Denman finished off some more forward dominance.

One the hour mark loose head prop Charlie Capps got in on the act as he too added to his sides tally.

Ten minutes from time Guernsey scored the try of the game through Hugo Culverhouse, when from turnover ball inside their 22 they quickly moved play downfield through a number of hands to dot down.

However, Rotherham had the final say four minutes from time when second rower Lewis Allan was on hand to go over following more good work from the pack.

Titans will now look ahead to finishing their pre-season preparations by welcoming Durham University to Clifton Lane on Friday evening for a 7:30pm kick-off.

Then 7 days later the National 2 North season gets underway with the visit of newly promoted Billingham to Clifton Lane.