Rotherham Titans boss Harvey Biljon on why promotion is not on the agenda for National One high-fliers
ROTHERHAM TITANS sit five points off top spot in National One with 12 wins racked up from 15 games - yet director of rugby Harvey Biljon is steadfastly refusing to accept they are in a promotion race.
The wily Channel Islander is very much a disciple of the ‘play what’s in front of you’ mentality and will not allow the men from Clifton Lane to get carried away with thoughts of titles, promotion or celebration.
They’ve enjoyed that once under his tenure, after hunting down Leeds Tykes and overhauling them in pursuit of the National Two North title last season.
But as National One newcomers, five points shy of Richmond and four adrift of Rams, Rotherham might be third, but according to Biljon, they are not in the equation.
What muddies the water further is the fact the Rugby Football Union are to remodel the second tier those three clubs are aiming for next season.
Rotherham are one of many teams to have applied, and while Biljon hopes justice is served and whoever wins the third tier be granted promotion, it is just another external topic he is not troubling himself with.
“We don’t even discuss it if I’m honest. We have somehow got ourselves caught up in a promotion race that is not on our agenda at all,” said Biljon, who described their 23-17 comeback win over Sale last Saturday as ‘workmanlike’.
“If you talk to our players we just want to make sure we make any improvements and learn each week.
“We’re not in control of what other teams are doing, but what we can do is continue in the way we have.
“We focus on the next night’s training session, we put a plan together and we try our best to go and execute that plan at the weekend.
“We’ve probably had those two or three key moments this season that we’ve not got right, which has either meant missing out on a bonus point or it’s cost us a game like it did down at Richmond in the last couple of minutes.
“So what I want is this squad to be in a place where in six months time, 12 months, 18 months, they have learned from those moments and will be in a position where they can make better decisions.”
Keep winning though – including this Saturday at Dings Crusaders on their 4G pitch – and promotion talk will become inescapable.
So will his mindset, or that of his players, change if there is an opportunity to be seized?
“I suppose it’s a replication of last season when we got promoted,” Biljon told The Yorkshire Post.
“I definitely don’t want promotion to be a focus, I want performance, learning, team spirit, all of those to continue to be our focus.
“But everyone realises and recognises any time you get an opportunity to play for silverware or anything like that it’s important.
“But we’re so far away from that. Our next focus is the next night’s training session before we go to Dings for a really tough game on a 4G surface.
“We won’t be any different to what we’ve been all season, we’ll give our set-piece the same focus, our kick strategy the same focus and then our defence and attack will just unfold.”