Rotherham Titans are back at home this Saturday in round 10 of National 1 where they’ll take on high-fliers Blackheath; kick-off at Clifton Lane is 2pm.
This top-of-the-table clash promises to be a thriller as second placed Titans and third placed Blackheath battle it out for the spoils, as they look to stay in touch with leaders Rosslyn Park.
Titans go into the game on the back of a tough, but well-deserved 33-15 win over Birmingham Moseley and although Rotherham didn’t pick up the bonus point, any win at Billesley Common must be regarded as a good one.
Indeed, Titans opponents Blackheath came unstuck there last month when they were beaten 32-19 and returned home without any reward for their endeavours.
Blackheath’s only other defeat after nine games was a narrow one to Rosslyn Park, where at one stage they held a 13-point lead, before being overhauled in the second half.
The Londoners have impressed with some outstanding results this term including away wins at Clifton, Leicester Lions and Titans conquerors Dings Crusaders.
Following those results they have hammered Tonbridge Juddians 40-0, gone to Rams and beaten them 26-7 and last weekend beat a very physical Plymouth Albion outfit 40-28.
It’s reasonable to say Rotherham won’t underestimate Blackheath on Saturday!
The sides have previously met on 11 occasions with the overall head-to-head standing at 7-4 in favour of the Titans. However, Blackheath have had the better of things in recent times having won 3 of the last four games.
Going into the match Rotherham have made 2 changes to their starting XV, with one coming in the forwards and one in the backs.
In the front row hooker Morgan Veness will be flanked by Alastair Donkor at loosehead prop and Andrew Foster at tighthead.
The second row sees Frankie Gascoigne link-up again with Harry Gilson-Fox, whilst in the back row, alongside John Okafor at blindside, Jack Baldry comes in on the openside for Harry Newborn, Ellis Thomas starts at number 8.
Along the backline, a new half back combination sees JB Bruzulier come in at scrum half for Sinjin Broad and he’ll partner Lloyd Hayes, whilst in midfield Travis Gordon is joined again by Mitchell Lacey-Babalola.
The back three sees Sinjin Broad replace Luckas Sableman-Blue on one wing with Jackson Barling on the other and Isaac Shaw at full back.
Looking ahead to the game Titans Harvey Biljon said:
“We were delighted to have got the win at Birmingham Moseley in what turned out to be one hell of a game of rugby.
“We weren’t disappointed at not picking up the bonus point however, as our focus was on just trying to win a difficult game against a good side. Our players stepped up to the heavy, physical battle that Moseley presented, and they showed a fair bit of composure and control, although we did come away feeling like we missed one or two opportunities.
“I was immensely proud of the performance, we looked organised and controlled, and I was impressed with the team’s discipline and our defensive sets inside our 22; we’ll need more of the same against Blackheath.
“Last season I enjoyed both fixtures against Blackheath, up here in those horrible conditions and down there towards the end of the season in the sunshine; but seeing some old friendly faces across both games was great.
“I think Blackheath are going under the radar at the moment; they’re putting in some strong performances and they’re getting some big results. They’ve had outstanding results against Rams and Plymouth Albion, and they’ve got to be one of the contenders. There’s a lot of rugby still to be played this season, but they are proven and they are going to be up for the challenge.
“They have a new coach in Tom Stradwick, and I think what happens when a new coach comes in there’s lots of enthusiasm and excitement. Any coach coming in brings his own flavour and brings some changes and I think that’s probably coming through in the way they play at the moment; and from the footage we’ve seen they’ve got threats out wide and they have an abrasive pack.
“We just need to continue where we are; we’ve got a great understanding of our framework, our discipline has been very good this season, and we are at Clifton Lane - don’t forget the Clifton Lane effect!
“We’ve trained hard all week, and we have prepared well for the game, we’ll respect the opposition and do our due diligence, and we’ll be ready to put in a performance. If we can get all that right the result will take care of itself; win or lose we will have put our best effort forward.”
Titans: 15 Isaac Shaw, 14 Jackson Barling, 13 Mitchell Lacey-Babalola, 12 Travis Gordon (Capt.), 11 Sinjin Broad, 10 Lloyd Hayes, 9 JB Bruzulier, 1 Alastair Donkor, 2 Morgan Veness, 3 Andrew Foster, 4 Frankie Gascoigne, 5 Harry Gilson-Fox, 6 John Okafor, 7 Jack Baldry, 8 Ellis Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cole, 17 Zach Toerien, 18 Xavier Valentine, 19 Cory Teague, 20 Corben Ollivent.
