Rotherham Titans keep pressure on Leeds Tykes with victory over Sheffield Tigers

The second placed club effortlessly dismantled South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Tigers in a 35-17 victory at Clifton Lane on Saturday, to put them within six points of their title rivals.

Poole told The Yorkshire Post: “We’re nearly there. It was about 70 to 75 minutes of being in the position we want to be in.

“I wouldn’t say it was 80 minutes of execution but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

“For the first game back since the Christmas break, we controlled the game massively and I couldn’t be happier with the lads for staying in it.”

Fly-half Lloyd Hayes was Rotherham’s star of the show against the visitors, registering 15 points via five conversions and one try.

The former Doncaster Knights player currently stands as the highest points scorer in the division with an incredible 175.

Such performances are something Poole and his teammates now expect from their talisman.

“Lloyd has always got that in the bank,” he added. “It doesn’t shock me when he does it.

“He really does glide, and it was a top-class performance from him.

“He must’ve had three weeks all bottled up ready for this game.”

The Titans’ performances at Clifton Lane show it is turning into a real fortress for the former Premiership side.

Saturday’s bonus-point victory over the Tigers was their eighth as hosts in the 2023/24 season, and they lead the way in home points in National League Two North, with 292 now recorded.

As such, it is easy to look towards Leeds’ visit to Rotherham in March as the showdown fixture in what has been a thrilling title race so far.

Poole, however, is having none of it.

He said: “We will just keep going and keep building – nothing changes for us.

“We keep doing what we’re doing, not worrying about anyone else.

“We can only control what we do.”

For Sheffield Tigers director of rugby Jack Howieson, Saturday’s defeat – which meant they remain in seventh – was not too disappointing.

He said: “(Rotherham) are just a class team, really.

“They’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of players that have played at a high level.

“In both halves they kicked at the right time, and we spent most of the time trying to come out of our own half, so they just managed the game a lot better than we did.

“I can’t really fault our lads if I’m honest. They worked really hard, and we’ve got some young lads who have done themselves proud.

“There are lots of positives to take from it.”

Now their attention turns towards next weekend’s visit of Otley, as the Tigers look to revive their top-half hopes.

Before a pre-Christmas loss to arch rivals Sheffield, the Dore-based club were fourth. With their present form being one win in five, Howieson hopes this dip in performance is not long-lasting.

“We’re only won one game from the last five, which is noticeable,” he added.

“We just need to concentrate on ourselves and get back out there, get some good performances in and hopefully get the win to get us back into it.”

Despite the game’s early stages threatening a scrappy affair, Rotherham took control of the match when tighthead prop Charlie Capps finished off a mauled drive and Hayes converted.

The Tigers duly responded minutes later through talisman Will Baker, who excellently dispatched a right-sided penalty after a high tackle to make the score 7-3 at halftime.

The hosts then enjoyed a lightning restart as hooker Luke Cole crossed and Hayes delivered a conversion to extend their lead.

A quickfire move from the Titans allowed them to further this breathing space when Harry Dunne linked up with former Harlequins player John Okafur, who smartly touched down before Hayes again converted.

The hosts could smell blood and placed insufferable pressure on the Tigers, eventually resulting in Dunne breaking through to secure the bonus point and allow Hayes his fourth conversion.

Clifton Lane’s favourite fly-half then enjoyed a try of his own when he danced through a huddle of yellow shirts on the halfway line and glided under the posts.

But, after Hayes’ final conversion made the score 35-3, the visitors made the most of a satisfied Rotherham XV.

A long spell in the hosts’ 22 allowed Dom Santimaria to cross for a consolation try before Baker enabled the Tigers to achieve a double-digit score.

This late rally saw the visitors score again just before full-time through James Norman after a sharp kick over a thin Titans defensive line.

Despite Baker’s subsequent conversion, Rotherham’s dominance proved telling on the scoreboard by the final whistle.