10/04/2026
๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ - ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐:
Rotherham Titans are back at home this weekend for what is a crucial clash against Rams Rugby in round 24 of National 1; kick-off at Clifton Lane on Saturday is 2pm.
There is still a buzz around Clifton Lane following Titans epic win over Plymouth Albion last time out.
The fiercely fought contest against Albion was sensationally settled with the final kick of the match when Lloyd Hayes calmly slotted over a drop goal in front of the clubhouse.
The kick not only sealed a dramatic victory but also extended Rotherhamโs lead at the top of National 1 to four points.
Indeed, Titans had the chance in the final play to secure a try bonus point, but fair play to Albion, they just managed to prevent a breakaway from scoring under the posts.
So, whilst Rotherhamโs destiny is in their own hands going into the final three games of the season, they are under no illusions as to the severity of the challenge that Rams will bring on Saturday.
The Berkshire-based sideโs last outing perfectly demonstrated the threat they possess when they hammered Leicester Lions 71-38, running in an impressive 11 tries!
The reverse fixture earlier in the season at Old Bath Road was a closely fought affair in which Titans ran out narrow 35-31 winners and another tight tussle is expected.
And so, itโs no surprise that in the 5 previous meetings between the clubs the overall head-to-head is close too, with Rams holding a slender 3-2 advantage.
Going into this weekโs game, Rotherham have made two changes to their starting XV, with one coming in the backs and one in the forwards.
In the front row ho**er Morgan Veness will be flanked by Alastair Donkor at loosehead prop with Andrew Foster at tighthead.
In second row Curran Maguire comes in for the injured Frankie Gascoigne, and heโll link up with Harry Gilson-Fox, whilst in the back row John Okafor is at blindside, with skipper Harry Newborn on the openside and Callum Bustin at number 8.
The backline sees a half back combination of JB Bruzulier at scrum half and the return from injury of Rob Povey at fly half.
Poveyโs return sees Lloyd Hayes give up the 10 shirt as he returns to his familiar role at outside centre. Heโll be joined in midfield by Mitchell Lacey-Babalola, who moves to inside centre for the injured Travis Gordon.
The back three is made up with Jackson Barling on the right wing, with James Norman on the left wing, and Isaac Shaw at full back.
Speaking ahead of the match Harvey Biljon said:
โThe players have been able to have a bit of a reset before the run-in following two big games which took a lot out of them against Blackheath and Plymouth.
โWhat was so great about the Plymouth game was to go down to the very last second in front of our own supporters.
โOur supporters could see the players effort, desire and want all the way through and we talked about playing right up until the end and thatโs what we saw.
โDespite the game being dramatic I think there was a fair bit of composure. The players were very good from a discipline point of view, we only gave away 6 penalties, but their fly half was very accurate with his goal kicking and when you look at their try, it came against the run of play from a charge-down.
โI think there was a couple of big moments in the game; particularly the try we got before half time from Jackson Barling which kept us in it and then building ourselves into the game where we were just one score away and then getting that to level things up.
โThen at the end we were just concentrating on how we were going to get the ball back, how we were going to get field position and how we would take the opportunity. The senior players really stepped up in those big moments and delivered.
โOur focus since has firmly been on our preparation for Rams, the Plymouth game has been and gone and training this week has been aimed at shaking off the rust and to have no illusions that Rams are coming here to spoil a party.
โThey are a proud team, theyโve been up at the top previously and they come here off the back of a good result against Leicester Lions, and theyโll want to back that up. So, letโs not get ahead of ourselves, letโs make sure our preparation is on point and we focus on our performance.
โRams are a dangerous side who have worked hard on their midfield target with their pick and go to build momentum, theyโll play from everywhere and they are clearly encouraged to offload, and weโll have to be on it defensively.
โI think the Rams pack is one of the dominant packs in the league, both from a scrummaging and mauling point of view and if you look at the calibre of player across their pack and backline, theyโre a very good team.โ
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐:
15 Isaac Shaw,
14 Jackson Barling,
13 Lloyd Hayes,
12 Mitchell Lacey-Babalola
11 James Norman,
10 Rob Povey,
9 JB Bruzulier,
1 Alastair Donkor,
2 Morgan Veness,
3 Andrew Foster,
4 Curran Maguire,
5 Harry Gilson-Fox,
6 John Okafor,
7 Harry Newborn (Capt.),
8 Callum Bustin.
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
16 Luke Cole,
17 Calvin Mitchell,
18 Xavier Valentine,
19 Jack Baldry,
20 Sinjin Broad.
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