Bristol 28 Rotherham 12: Titans come unstuck against leading lights

Rotherham Titans' Sean Scanlon, who helped set up his team's first try at Bristol. Picture: Scott Merrylees.

Winger Ben Rath’s first-half try had given Rotherham the lead, but Olly Robinson hit back, before Bristol grabbed a 28-5 lead in the second half through Gaston Cortes, a further Robinson score and Jack Tovey’s bonus-point-clinching try.

Replacement Darran Harris powered over for the Titans in the dying seconds – to underline the visitors’ determination and positive attitude – but it was too little, too late for Mark Jones’ side.

That said, there were plenty of encouraging signs for Rotherham, who had an early chance to take the lead, only for Jordan Davies’s 45-metre penalty to fall short.

On 16 minutes the visitors went in front from their first real attack when Bristol flanker Robinson coughed up possession in midfield, Sean Scanlon bamboozled the home defence and sent Rath sprinting clear to score.

Will Goodwin missed the conversion, meaning five additional points had gone begging in the first half, and those proved costly at half-time as Bristol grabbed a 7-5 lead.

Tovey spurned a glorious chance to score when he knocked on from Henson’s pass, before Robinson was driven over from a line-out, with Henson converting.

Bristol were sharp after the break, with prop Cortes scoring following good work from Robinson and Mitch Eadie, and flanker Robinson – son of Bristol boss Andy – again being driven over. When Tovey sliced over, and Henson again converted for a 100 per cent record, it was 28-5.

But the visitors’ heads did not drop – and replacement hooker Harris summed up the Titans’ endeavour when he found a gap, after an initial attack had been repelled, to score in stoppage-time. Ross Jones converted.

Bristol: A Slowik (A Jarvis 62); T Varndell, J Tovey, N Carpenter, R Edwards; G Henson, W Cliff (C Hampson 56); E Genge (K Traynor 56), M Jones (capt; M Crumpton 64), G Cortes (J Ford-Robinson 62), B Glynn, G Townson (J Joyce 68), N Koster (J Phillips 64), O Robinson, M Eadie.

Rotherham Titans: S Scanlon; B Rath, J Davies, W Owen, C Wilson; W Goodwin (R Jones 58), A Davies (L Carter 68); R Hislop (L Thiede 74), C Maddison (D Harris 68), M Tampin (M Cromie 58), T Holmes (capt; J Redfern 31-37), B Maddison, M Argyle, A Birch, T Calladine (J Redfern 62). Unused replacements: G Oram.

Referee: C Maxwell-Keyes. Att: 4,560.