Harvey Biljon expects Rotherham Titans rivals to be targeting him
Three years have passed since Harvey Biljon orchestrated a surprise Championship title success for Jersey Reds.
But just days into planning for the Premiership, the club collapsed financially and the top-flight dream died for the Channel Islanders and their South African director of rugby.
A few months later he pitched up at Rotherham Titans in National Two North.
On Saturday he returns to the second tier after taking Rotherham on a joyride of two promotions in three years. Much has changed in the three years he has been out of the division, not least the name, now Champ Rugby, and the amount of teams, up from 12 to 14.
Typically, though, Biljon does not want to make Saturday’s home opener against Coventry, or the season as a whole, about him.
“I look at it in the way that I’d talk to my players about it; that they’re in a position where things don’t always go your way, so I tell them to be ready when that opportunity presents itself to show your resilience,” said Biljon. “I’ve gone away and remained active, continued to win rugby games and that resilience has come through, it’s nice to be back in this position.
“I’m pretty sure there’s a few coaches that want to turn that on me now that I’m back.
“But on the whole, I’m looking forward to the competition. I’ve consciously made an effort not to get too caught up in the past or the future, trying to stay in the present, and not look past Coventry, because it will distract us from the challenges.”
Rotherham are much bigger underdogs than Jersey were four seasons ago, but is there anything from that campaign that could prove useful at Clifton Lane this term?
“It wasn’t so much the experience of winning the competition, it’s more the experience of transitioning a team from a semi-pro club to a full-time professional club, building that club and seeing the steady progression of eight, nine, 10 years, and of going from last to first,” said Biljon. “That is the bigger picture.
“The competition has moved on while I’ve been out of it and there’s going to be learnings for myself, but there’ll be key moments, good and bad, that we’ve got to make sure we don’t get carried away with.”