Bester’s men show their mettle to put an end to Nottingham jinx

Rotherham’s record at Meadow Lane in recent seasons has been unproductive, so much so that this victory was their first at Nottingham since the 2006-07 season.

Their recruitment in the close season by coach Andre Bester appears successful – not least in the forwards where forceful efforts by new signings Rory Pitman, Alex Rieder, Ross Davies and Latu Makaafi stood out

Rieder, the ex-Leeds Carnegie flanker, and Makaafi, formerly at Doncaster, who came on as a replacement in the back row, fought like tigers to prevent Nottingham breaking through late in the second half.

Rotherham’s defence may well have conceded a try on 79 minutes as winger Rhys Crane shot through a gap in the Titans’ 22 but apart from that error, Rotherham’s tackling and organisation were on the whole exemplary.

Their self-belief and sharp tackling stopped Nottingham putting together their fluent game plan, and as Rotherham’s forwards increased their control, Nottingham’s new director of rugby Martin Haag exploded furiously at regular intervals.

Careless mistakes disallowed them exploiting home advantage, so instead Rotherham calmly and purposefully established their authority as one of the Titans most accomplished away performances for several seasons unfolded.

Rotherham’s success, which should have been by a greater margin if at least three scoring opportunities had been taken, owed much to the accurate goal kicking of fly-half James McKinney, recruited from Ulster.

Penalties on five, 18, 23, 65 and 69 minutes continued to stretch Rotherham’s lead.

Arguably though, the breakthrough which was thoroughly deserved thanks to the commitment of the pack – flanker Carl Kirwan also threatened impressively – was achieved just after the hour.

The forwards, camped close to Nottingham’s line, destroyed their opposite numbers, forcing them to infringe. Eventually, the referee could not tolerate any more of Nottingham’s tactics and awarded a penalty try against them. McKinney’s simple conversion put the Titans in front by 16-9. Three minutes later, Rotherham’s growing authority was increased by McKinney’s fourth penalty (19-9).

The Titans had provided themselves with a probable match-winning position; this good fortune turned into reality in the 70th minute when Nottingham fly-half James Arlidge – a New Zealander who represented Japan in the 2011 World Cup – made a foolish error which was surprising for a player of his experience.

Remarkably, Arlidge lost control of the ball behind his posts after Rotherham full-back Michael Whitehead had put through a kick causing havoc in Nottingham’s defence.

As the fly-half fumbled the ball winger Eamonn Sheridan spotted his chance and instantly seized it. The Leinster man burst through and managed to embarrass Arlidge who had had sufficient time to clear the danger.

The Irishman beat the Kiwi to the ball and suddenly Rotherham were celebrating a 27-9 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Predictably, Nottingham strove to cut into Rotherham’s advantage during the climax. Wholehearted defence by Rotherham’s pack, notably by Rieder and Makaafi, kept their line intact until Crane’s late try.

Rotherham’s coach Bester, delighted with the win, is not a romantic rugby figure and certainly will not become too excited with the result, however excellent.

He can, though, be highly satisfied with the four changes he made to the side which drew 
38-38 with Bedford.

All made positive contributions, none more so than scrum-half Joel Gill.

The former Otley and Wharfedale player – aggressive, ambitious and tough – started a Championship game for the first time. Gill rose to the challenge, took on Nottingham and distributed the ball intelligently.

Gill had made an impact in the previous games against London Scottish and Bedford, but at Meadow Lane, his confidence grew and in Gill and McKinney, Rotherham possess a young half-back partnership which will mature and develop promisingly.

Having produced a solid exhibition at Nottingham, a side of strong standing in the division, Rotherham must not ruin this good result by showing any complacency on Saturday at Clifton Lane against Jersey.

Rotherham’s fans will be expecting a bonus-point victory against the team which is bottom of the league after three defeats.

Nottingham: Savage, Jackson, Streather, Munro, Crane, Arlidge, Romans, Holford, Duffey, Montague, Rouse, Cooper, Wilson, Shaw (Calladine 66).

Rotherham Titans: Whitehead, Homan, Blackett (Law 45), Nonu, Sheridan, McKinney, Gill (Williams 56), Cahill (Kilbane 49), Stagg (Baines 49), Davies, Patrick (Sanderson 70), Maddison, Rieder, Kirwan, Pitman (Makaafi 72).

Referee: S Lee (RFU).