Rotherham Titans urged to stay true to their identity ahead of exciting Champ Rugby return

Rotherham are back in the second tier of English rugby for the first time in nine seasons, piloted there by their South African director of rugby, Harvey Biljon, a coach who could have the pick of jobs outside the Prem who remains loyal and invested in the project at Clifton Lane.

There are no lofty proclamations about getting back into a top flight that a quarter of a century ago nearly killed the club, but a tangible belief that the second tier – now known as Champ Rugby – is where they belong. The odds are stacked against them as a newly-promoted team without a sizeable budget or a partnership with a Prem club that ensures players are parachuted in for random gamedays.

Which is why Biljon believes Rotherham must stay true to their identity: hard working, fully prepared, wearing their heart on their sleeve and representative the fans in the stand.

“We need to focus on ourselves,” said Biljon, “and make sure we enjoy this. We’ve come a long way, there’s a lot going on at the club.

“We can all see the facilities changing, the infrastructure, all those things going on, so let’s remind ourselves about what we’re about, that we still break away from work to come here and enjoy the game of rugby.

“Trying to win games, obviously, but we’re realistic and understand the challenges ahead.”

Regulars returning to Clifton Lane on Saturday afternoon for a home opener against last season’s Champ play-off semi-finalists Coventry will instantly notice the pitch has been rotated 90 degrees.

Each time they come this year, punters should notice little bits of improvement that eventually will see three new stands, a TV tower and new changing rooms in the old cricket pavilion. Two promotions in three seasons under Biljon have driven standards across the club.

“Let’s look at it a moment from the club’s perspective,” he added. “We’re back in the Champ after a long time (2018), that is a fantastic moment to be a part of.

“There’s a big core of players that have never been exposed to Champ Rugby, some of them were with us when I arrived here in National 2, what a journey. This is a big occasion and a milestone for all those players.

“We will need to draw on emotion at times, but we will also need to draw on preparation, on training scenarios, on finding ways to deal with pressure from the opposition, alongside all the other things that go on. There are going to be injuries, we’re going to have to problem solve all the time and adapt to different situations. We need to keep our identity.”

On the subject of dual-registration, Biljon is frustrated but not overly concerned.

“There’s two different angles,” he said, knowing Rotherham themselves send players to Yorkshire teams further down the pyramid.

“You’ve got Bedford who have an established relationship with Northampton. Those are regular players.

“Then you’ve got Ampthill, where the 12 games they won last year was when they had 10 Saracens players. What we don’t know is when those Saracens players will be in the team.

“I would never turn down a Prem player, but what we have at Rotherham is unique because everybody buys into it.

"The players go above and beyond because they know they are part of something special.”