Moseley 29 Rotherham Titans 30: Titans in stunning survival fightback

At the end of a second half of relentless high drama in Birmingham, Rotherham, who had been losing 26-10 and 29-10, had not only fought back to earn an astonishing win but had taken a significant step forward towards retaining their Championship status.

Outplayed before half-time having conceded four tries to a side that had beaten them twice this season, Rotherham were heading rapidly to a third defeat.

The remarkable and unexpected recovery was launched by the pack, which began to control possession and territory, and with the advantage of a strong wind, Rotherham spread the ball and attacked to score tries on 50, 69 and 75 minutes.

Enterprising tries by scrum-half Neil Chivers, created by a break from No 8 Ryan Burrows, winger Jon Feeley, his 100th in league rugby, and hooker Ross Batty, charging down the touchline, transformed the contest.

Within 25 minutes, Rotherham, seemingly dead and buried, were within reach of claiming a victory which had been unimaginable.

Moseley's lead had been slashed to 29-17, 29-22 and then 29-27 as Rotherham collectively delivered an explosive turnaround that shocked the opposition, and went on to clinch the Titans' second five-point victory in the play-offs.

As the closest of games reached its climax and with the outcome still uncertain, two incidents on 80 and 86 minutes twisted the result decisively in Rotherham's direction.

First, fly-half Michael Whitehead, keeping calm when it mattered most, put over a penalty to provide Rotherham with a one-point lead, but although they now led, they needed to survive eight minutes of stoppage time.

To add to the tension, Moseley launched several raids towards the line and were rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts with two minutes left.

Moseley kicker Tristan Roberts, the Championship's top points' scorer with a success rate of more than 75 per cent, was presented with a straightforward kick to win the game but he missed, prompting the touch judges to glance at each other to see if they had flagged correctly.

Moseley: Roberts, Bressington, Keys, Reay, Mensah-Coker, Borgen,Taylor, Williams (Sigley 44), Caves, Gilding, Evans (Rowland 69), Stott, Mason, Pennycook, Wilson.

Rotherham Titans: Hunt, Feeley, Maggs, Gidlow, Henderson, Whitehead, Chivers, O'Donnell, Batty (Conroy 69), Prescott (Voisey 10), Challinor (Barnes 40), Hayter, Swindall, Kleeberger (Du Plessis 43), Burrows.

Referee: A Taylorson (RFU).